CMS Finalizes 2024 Rules with Expanded RTM Coverage

CMS 2024 Final Rule Expands Remote Therapeutic Monitoring

LOS ANGELES, CA — December 6, 2023 — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released its 2024 physician fee schedule final rule, which includes expanded coverage provisions for Remote Therapeutic Monitoring codes. The rule reinforces CMS's commitment to remote monitoring as a reimbursable component of Medicare care delivery and provides additional clarity on RTM eligibility and billing requirements.

What Changed for RTM

The 2024 final rule addresses several areas of ambiguity that had limited RTM adoption since the codes were first established. CMS clarified the scope of qualifying conditions, confirming that RTM applies to musculoskeletal conditions, respiratory therapy, and medication adherence monitoring for specific chronic conditions.

The rule also refined documentation requirements, providing clearer guidance on what constitutes a qualifying RTM encounter and how practices should document therapeutic response data. These clarifications reduce compliance uncertainty for practices that had been hesitant to launch RTM programs due to audit risk concerns.

Reimbursement rates for CPT codes 98975 through 98981 remain viable for program sustainability. The initial device setup and patient education code, combined with monthly data collection and clinical intervention codes, create a reimbursement structure that supports dedicated RTM program operations.

Validation of the RTM Model

The expansion of RTM coverage in the 2024 rule signals that CMS views remote therapeutic monitoring as more than a temporary measure. By refining rather than restricting the code set, CMS has indicated that RTM has a permanent place alongside RPM and CCM in the Medicare remote monitoring framework.

This trajectory mirrors the maturation of RPM, which progressed from initial code establishment through successive rule refinements that expanded eligibility and clarified billing requirements over several fee schedule cycles.

"The 2024 rule validates what we have seen in practice — RTM delivers measurable clinical value for therapy patients," said Cosmo Cochrane, Co-Founder of CCN Health. "CMS expanding coverage confirms that remote monitoring is not limited to physiological devices. Therapy outcomes deserve the same level of systematic tracking."

Impact on CCN Health's RTM Program

CCN Health launched its RTM program in September 2023 and the expanded 2024 coverage provisions create additional opportunities for orthopedic, physical medicine, and rehabilitation practices to enroll qualifying patients. The platform's RTM workflows have been updated to reflect the documentation guidance in the final rule.

Availability

CCN Health's RTM program is available to practices serving Medicare patients with qualifying musculoskeletal and therapy conditions. Updated documentation templates reflecting the 2024 rule are available to all current customers.

About CCN Health

CCN Health is a remote patient monitoring and chronic care management platform serving senior living, skilled nursing, and physician practice markets. The platform integrates with leading EHR systems to deliver automated data exchange across five Medicare programs: RPM, CCM, PCM, BHI, and RTM.