What is remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM)? RTM is a new digital toolkit that is crucial for value-based MSK care. This new technology allows for tracking a patient’s vital signs while they’re receiving care from their healthcare provider. As a result, its use in MSK care has expanded to a broader spectrum of health conditions and providers. This article will explain why RTM is so important and what it is.
RTM is a digital toolkit
For the first time, Medicare will pay for remote therapeutic monitoring. The CMS published the 2022 final rule, which will allow outpatient physical therapists to bill for remote therapeutic monitoring. This toolkit is designed to help healthcare providers monitor patients from a distance and provide personalized care. It will include the new codes in Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule for CY 2022. In addition, the APTA has issued a practice advisory regarding remote therapeutic monitoring.
The CTRC’s toolkit is intended to help California providers and patients maximize the use of remote therapeutic monitoring (RPM). By embracing RPM technology, practices will be well-positioned to reap the benefits of other powerful advances in health care. It contains six sections that provide guidance and weigh the pros and cons of various virtual solutions. These guides will help California health care executives decide whether to adopt remote monitoring or another technology to improve patient care.
It’s a shift to value-based MSK health care.
A digital toolkit for remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) is now available. Physicians and physical therapists design the toolkit to help patients monitor their health conditions remotely. The CMS already reimburses the use of remote monitoring. Remote therapeutic monitoring is value-based MSK health care, and it is a digital toolkit. In addition to the tool, RTM refers to a set of codes developed by the American Medical Association and the RVS Update Committee to improve patient care.
Remote therapeutic monitoring uses advanced digital health solutions to enable remote monitoring and care. The technology is clinically validated and partners with providers to initiate therapy. Limber’s technology complements in-person visits, and it allows patients to see their progress from anywhere. It also helped pioneer the development of Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) billing codes, which reimburse providers for the initial set-up, education, and remote monitoring.
It includes a broader range of health conditions.
They will finalize new reimbursement rules for remote therapeutic monitoring in the 2022 Physician Fee Schedule. These codes cover a more comprehensive range of health conditions than remote patient monitoring, including respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders. Remote therapeutic monitoring also includes the collection of non-physiologic data. While the new rules will expand the therapist’s scope beyond the clinic, several remaining questions remain.
The proposed rule from CMS aims to make the technology easier to use. While this proposal addresses some technical issues, it still leaves the possibility that CMS may change or eliminate reimbursement opportunities for RTM or RPM in the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Kumo will be monitoring these changes closely. But, for now, let’s discuss how remote therapeutic monitoring may benefit patients.
It includes a broader range of providers.
CMS’s recent recognition of remote patient monitoring (RPM) expanded the scope of the service. The new Remote Therapeutic Monitoring codes cover a broader spectrum of remote healthcare services, from medication adherence to tracking patients’ respiratory and musculoskeletal system status. These new codes will be effective on January 1, 2022. They will make it easier for health care providers to collect and analyze patient data. And unlike the existing RPM codes, these codes will now be accepted by insurance carriers.
On July 13, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued the proposed 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). This proposed rule includes five new CPT codes for RTM. In addition, the codes cover five new categories of data collected by RTM, including pain, non-physiologic patient data, therapy adherence, and response. However, the proposed MPFS would be welcomed by virtual care advocates, some questions about whether physicians should use the new RTM codes.
It’s a game-changer for physical therapy.
For outpatient PTs, remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) codes could enable them to bill for the time spent ensuring patient adherence to home exercise programs. In addition, remote therapeutic monitoring apps like CoachCare RPM can collect patient information and send it to therapists, who can use the information to modify the home exercise program based on the patient’s progress. Physical therapists can also use secure messaging to provide patients with feedback.
The development of remote therapeutic monitoring can potentially change the face of physical therapy. Patients with spinal cord injuries often require exercises to improve their motor function. They cannot monitor their health conditions and get direct guidance from their healthcare providers. Remote therapeutic monitoring allows transmitting physiological data from the patient’s home environment to clinicians, enabling remote monitoring to be an increasingly effective treatment option.
