Understanding CPT 98975: Setup for Remote Therapeutic Monitoring

There are six CPT® codes used by providers for Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM), four of which are relevant to musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. Furthermore, the RTM CPT codes are broken down into two basic types: service codes and treatment management codes.

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• CPT Code 98975: Initial Set-up and Patient Education
• CPT Code 98977: Supply of Device for Monitoring Musculoskeletal System
• CPT Code 98980: Monitoring/Treatment Management Services, first 20 minutes
• CPT Code 98981: Monitoring/Treatment Management Services, each additional 20 minutes

In this blog, we'll take a look at RTM CPT Code 98975, including billing and documentation requirements.

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Remote Therapeutic Monitoring CPT® Code 98975: Initial Set-up and Patient Education

Remote therapeutic monitoring (eg, respiratory system status, musculoskeletal system status, therapy adherence, therapy response); initial set-up and patient education on use of equipment.

• By definition, an episode of care begins when the RTM service starts, and ends when established treatment goals are met. 
• Providers must obtain consent, set-up and educate the patient on the use of the platform and create the patient’s home exercise program.
• The patient has been active on the RTM platform for at least 16 days of the next 30 day (rolling) period. Depending on the RTM platform, this may be automatically calculated or manually calculated by the provider.

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CPT Code Type:

Service Code

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Who Can Bill 98975:

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the CPT® codes for RTM can be billed by “physicians and other eligible qualified healthcare professionals.” This includes the following clinicians:

• Physicians
• Physical Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Speech Language Pathologists

The 2024 CMS Final Rule brought clarification to the rules of General Supervision. This important provision allows Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists in private practice to provide general supervision for RTM services furnished by their PTAs and OTAs, respectively. This supports RTM management services to be performed outside of the clinic, which is instrumental to providing comprehensive at-home support for patients. 

In all cases, providers must practice in accordance with applicable state and scope of practice laws. 

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Billing Frequency:

CPT code 98975 may only be billed once per episode of care and can only be billed if 16 days of data transmission occurred.

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Clinical Example:

A patient is enrolled in Remote Therapeutic Monitoring by their provider and is set-up onto the medical device/software as a medical device they'll be using. This code includes educating the patient and/or their caregiver on how to use the device, what you wish for them to capture or document and how often (ie: complete their home exercise program or record pain levels).

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Required Documentation for 98975:

• Document the type of device being used to monitor the musculoskeletal system
• Document the education and/or training the therapist or assistant provided to the patient and/or their caregiver regarding the set-up and use of the medical device
• Document the education and/or training the therapist or assistant provided to the patient and/or their caregiver regarding what data to input, how to input the data and frequency to input the data

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RTM CPT Code Questions?

Created alongside clinicians and experts in billing and compliance, Limber Health's RTM Billing & Coding Guide offers an in-depth look at all of the Remote Therapeutic Monitoring CPT codes, best practices for billing and documentation and answers your frequently asked questions. Click the button below to download your free copy of the guide.

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The information provided here about the Remote Therapeutic Monitoring CPT Codes is for informational purposes only and does not constitute billing or legal advice.