Remote Therapeutic Monitoring
What it is
Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) is the collection and interpretation of non-physiologic, therapeutic data — respiratory system status (e.g., peak flow) and medication / therapy adherence and response — from a connected device, with treatment management between visits.
RTM is RPM's therapeutic twin: it bills on the same two clocks — management codes per calendar month, device codes per 30-day device window starting on the setup date of the patient's first active device — and is mutually exclusive with RPM for the same patient in the same month. Unlike RPM, RTM may be ordered and billed by a broader set of practitioners (including therapists).
Who qualifies
- Patient has ≥ 1 condition appropriate for therapeutic monitoring (v1: COPD, asthma — respiratory; plus medication-adherence / therapy-response monitoring).
- A connected device of an approved type is assigned (v1: respiratory peak-flow / spirometer).
- Established patient — willowbridge requires a prior E/M visit before enrolling RTM. CMS requires this today for RPM but not for RTM; the CY 2027 proposed rule (CMS-1848-P) would extend it to RTM.
- Consent captured (verbal or written) with copay disclosure.
- RTM and RPM are mutually exclusive for the same patient in the same month.
Codes & when to bill them
Each billable code, with the requirements that must be on file to bill it.
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98975RTM setup and patient education on use of the device(s). Once per patient, billed with the first 30-day device window that reaches 2 days of device data.RequirementsDevice set up and patient educated; ≥ 2 days of device data in the window. If the first window is thin, the code waits for the first window that reaches 2 days.
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98984RTM device supply with scheduled recording / programmed alert transmission to monitor respiratory system, 2–15 days within the 30-day device window (new CY 2026 short code).Requirements2–15 days of device data within the window; mutually exclusive with 98976.
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98976RTM device supply with scheduled recording / programmed alert transmission to monitor respiratory system, each 30 days.Requirements≥ 16 days of device data transmitted within the 30-day device window.
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98979RTM treatment management, 10–19 minutes in the calendar month, with interactive communication (new CY 2026 short code).Requirements10–19 min management time + ≥ 1 interactive communication; mutually exclusive with 98980.
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98980RTM treatment management, first 20 minutes of clinical staff/QHP time per calendar month, with interactive communication.Requirements≥ 20 min management time in the calendar month AND ≥ 1 interactive communication.
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98981RTM treatment management, each additional 20 minutes (list separately in addition to 98980).RequirementsAdd-on to 98980; each additional full 20 min — willowbridge bills two at most (40 and 60 minutes).
Documentation required every cycle
Each month must show (device data per 30-day device window):
- Device certification — device, type, serial on file.
- Device data transmitted by the device itself within each device window — 2–15 days gates 98984, 16 or more gates 98976, and the first window with 2 or more days carries the one-time 98975.
- Interactive communication log — at least one live, real-time conversation (a phone call counts) with the patient/caregiver in the month (gates 98979/98980/98981). Time on a secure message or a patient case counts toward the management minutes, but never as this conversation.
- Device-data snapshot for each device window (readings evidence).
- Patient consent to this practitioner, with copay disclosure on file.
- The billing practitioner's sign-off, attesting the month's own facts: the monitoring is under their order and the device data, the live call (its date and who made it) and the time are accurate.
- Signed care plan for the management codes: with the plan unsigned the month holds; then the supply lines bill and management is withheld.
What's new in CY 2026
CY 2026 adds the RTM short codes 98984 (respiratory device supply, 2–15 days) and 98979 (management, 10–19 minutes); willowbridge bills both, and the one-time 98975 now bills with the first window that reaches 2 days.
Built-in patient consentwillowbridge exclusive
Every program ships with compliant, CY-2026 patient consent language — read verbatim into the in-app consent capture flow, captured with date + modality, and version-pinned to each claim, so the consent on file always matches the consent that was billed. No more chasing signatures or re-papering when the rule changes.
Common questions
Who qualifies for Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM)?
Patient has ≥ 1 condition appropriate for therapeutic monitoring (v1: COPD, asthma — respiratory; plus medication-adherence / therapy-response monitoring). A connected device of an approved type is assigned (v1: respiratory peak-flow / spirometer). Established patient — willowbridge requires a prior E/M visit before enrolling RTM. CMS requires this today for RPM but not for RTM; the CY 2027 proposed rule (CMS-1848-P) would extend it to RTM. Consent captured (verbal or written) with copay disclosure. RTM and RPM are mutually exclusive for the same patient in the same month.
Which codes does willowbridge bill for RTM, and when?
Per 30-day device window: bill 98984 for 2–15 days of readings or 98976 for 16 days or more, on the claim of the month the window ends in. Per calendar month: management time — 98979 for 10–19 minutes or 98980 at 20 minutes, each with at least one live interactive communication in the month, then 98981 for each additional 20 minutes (two at most). 98975 bills once per patient, with the first window that reaches 2 days of readings.
What changed for RTM in CY 2026?
CY 2026 adds the RTM short codes 98984 (respiratory device supply, 2–15 days) and 98979 (management, 10–19 minutes); willowbridge bills both, and the one-time 98975 now bills with the first window that reaches 2 days.
Related programs
See every program working together in A month in the life, our case study in real willowbridge screens.