What Should You Know About Remote Therapeutic Monitoring?
What is Remote Therapeutic Monitoring? Read on to find out. First, we’ll go through CPT code 98980, its advantages, and the amount of time required for this service. You’ll also learn more from the American Medical Association’s CPT 2022 Professional Edition terminology and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
CPT code 98980
Remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) requires an average of 20 minutes per patient per month for interactive communication. This service can be provided by clinical staff, MDs, QHCPs, and device suppliers. The CPT code 98980 requires at least 20 minutes per month of interactive communication, and the total time should not exceed one hour.
Medicare reimburses healthcare providers for managing the data collected by remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM). These providers are reimbursed for the first 20 minutes of consultation and every additional twenty minutes. CPT code 98980, for example, covers the initial consultation and pays around $50 each visit. Further discussions are $40 per 20-minute session. This treatment might cost up to $1,500 if performed by a physician.
While RTM requires a physician or qualified healthcare professional to evaluate the patient’s condition, CMS has made it possible for qualified healthcare professionals to bill for remote patient monitoring. PTs are encouraged to use these codes to support patient care, as they help improve patients’ health. Additionally, RTM allows PTs to bill for time spent training patients on medical devices. Providers must document their services appropriately.
Minimum time required
The CMS has finalized the final rule for the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), which includes new Remote Therapeutic Codes. These codes broaden the services that can be reimbursed, including RTM. A physiatrist, nurse practitioner, or physical therapist will be the primary RTM code biller. However, other providers can also use the codes, including occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, clinical social workers, and others.
For reimbursement, a physician must spend a minimum of 20 minutes reviewing patient data each month using remote therapeutic monitoring. This time includes reviewing data on patients’ health conditions and progress and communicating with them through synchronous communication. The Medicare reimbursement for these activities is $20 per episode. In addition, patients may view their information online and track their progress. The process of remote therapeutic monitoring may be complex and expensive, but it provides critical insights into patient adherence, engagement, and rapport, which can lead to early intervention.
The CMS introduced CPT code 99091 in 2018, which required 30 minutes of monitoring and analysis of patient data for 30 days. Although CMS expected significant adoption and use of this service, utilization data remained low, and the implementation of remote monitoring hasn’t caught up with CMS’ expectations. As a result, many patients are still going without RPM. This is a situation that CMS hopes to improve. In addition, this new reimbursement policy will help to reduce the financial burden of remote patient monitoring.
Benefits to patients
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved reimbursements for Remote Therapeutic Monitoring in January 2022, and it has since significantly increased revenue per patient. However, it is critical to note that failing to implement this technology could cost your practice money and damage your reputation. Fortunately, the benefits of Remote Therapeutic Monitoring far outweigh the costs.
They have improved patient engagement and experience. Services like CoachCare remote patient monitoring provides vital signs in the patient’s natural environment, allowing clinicians to understand their long-term health performance better. Additionally, remote patient monitoring can eliminate office-related stress or over-treatment. In short, the remote monitoring approach will enable clinicians to focus on patient-centered care and reduce their workload. As a result, it can improve both the quality of care and the satisfaction of patients.
It is reducing travel time. Since remote patient monitoring is available on a 24/7 basis, remote care is less expensive. Moreover, it allows caregivers to have more flexibility. Remote monitoring can even help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. By reducing unnecessary exposure, remote patient monitoring can save lives. Further, remote care can also reduce the risk of appointment breaches. This way, remote patient monitoring can improve care for patients living in rural areas or who are unable to visit the doctor regularly.
