RTM CPT 98975: Remote Therapeutic Monitoring Setup and Patient Education 

CPT 98975 is the initial Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) code that covers setting up a patient on RTM equipment and educating them on its use. It is billed once per episode of care, not monthly, and is typically the first RTM code a practice reports before device-supply codes (98976–98978) and treatment-management codes (98979–98981) begin.

This page provides general educational information about CPT and RTM billing codes. It is not coding advice, a guarantee of reimbursement, or a substitute for your own compliance review. Payer coverage and documentation requirements vary by plan and can change — verify current requirements with CMS, your Medicare Administrative Contractor, and each payer before billing.

What CPT 98975 Covers

98975 describes the work of getting a patient started on a remote therapeutic monitoring program: configuring or issuing the monitoring device or platform, orienting the patient to how it works, and confirming the patient understands how and when to complete the monitoring tasks (for example, symptom questionnaires, cognitive tasks, or self-reported measures tied to a musculoskeletal, respiratory, or cognitive-behavioral-therapy condition being tracked). It is a setup and education code — it does not cover ongoing data supply (that's 98976, 98977, or 98978) and does not cover clinician time spent reviewing the data and managing treatment based on it (that's 98979, 98980, or 98981).

Because it is a per-episode code, 98975 is reported once at the start of a course of RTM, not re-billed each time a new monthly device-supply or management code is submitted for the same episode.

Who Can Bill 98975

RTM codes sit in a benefit category that, per CMS guidance, is billable by physicians and qualified health care professionals (QHPs) whose scope of practice covers the monitored condition, as well as physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists where clinically appropriate. In concussion and cognitive-health care, this typically means the ordering physician, neuropsychologist, or other QHP overseeing the patient's post-injury or cognitive-behavioral monitoring plan. Practices should confirm their specific practitioner type is eligible under current CMS guidance and any applicable state scope-of-practice rules before billing.

Time and Unit Rules

98975 is not a time-based, multi-unit code in the way 98980/98981 are. It is billed once per episode of care — at initiation of the RTM program for that condition — rather than repeated monthly alongside the device-supply and treatment-management codes. If a patient starts a new episode of RTM for a distinct condition (for example, a new monitoring plan initiated after a second injury), a new 98975 may be appropriate, but re-billing it for an ongoing, unchanged episode is not.

Documentation Requirements

Solid documentation for 98975 typically includes:

• The specific RTM device or platform issued or configured for the patient
• What condition or therapy plan the monitoring supports (musculoskeletal, respiratory, or cognitive-behavioral)
• Evidence that patient education occurred — what was explained, and confirmation the patient (or caregiver) demonstrated understanding
• The date the setup/education encounter occurred
• An order or plan of care establishing medical necessity for RTM in the first place

Because 98975 is billed only once per episode, documentation should also make clear this is the initial setup for the current episode, distinguishing it from routine monthly monitoring already underway.

Common Denial Reasons

• Billing 98975 more than once for the same ongoing episode — since it is a one-time, per-episode code, repeat submissions for an unchanged monitoring program are a frequent denial trigger.
• Missing documentation of patient education — claims that show device issuance but no record of the education component.
• No supporting order or documented medical necessity for initiating RTM.
• Billing 98975 without any follow-on device-supply or management codes in the same episode, which can raise medical-necessity questions if RTM was never actually carried out.
• Practitioner type not eligible to bill RTM services under current CMS guidance.

Worked Example Scenario

A sports-medicine physician sees a patient for a follow-up concussion visit and determines the patient would benefit from between-visit monitoring of symptoms and cognitive status. During that visit, the practice configures the patient's RTM monitoring plan and walks the patient through how to complete the recurring assessments at home. That setup and education encounter is reported once, using 98975, at the start of the episode. In subsequent weeks, as the patient actually transmits monitoring data, the practice separately considers the applicable device-supply code (such as 98978 for cognitive-behavioral-therapy monitoring) and, once sufficient clinical staff time is spent reviewing that data and managing care, the treatment-management codes (98980/98981 or the shorter-duration 98979).

Related and Adjacent Codes

• 98978 — device supply for cognitive-behavioral-therapy monitoring, the RTM code most directly relevant to structured between-visit CBT-style monitoring data.
• 98980/98981 — RTM treatment management, billed monthly once clinical staff time reviewing monitoring data and communicating with the patient reaches the applicable threshold.
• 98979 — the shorter-duration RTM treatment-management code added for CY2026, covering a lower monthly time threshold than 98980.
• 96132/96133 — neuropsychological test evaluation codes, distinct from RTM because they cover formal test interpretation rather than remote monitoring.

How Kavera Handles This

Enrollment happens at the two-week feedback visit: the patient is set up in Kavera, walked through the check-ins and brain training, and the setup is timestamped. That is the 98975 event, once per episode. On Managed, Juliet Mott's team handles the setup and education call. Educational, not coding advice. Verify requirements with CMS, your MAC and each payer.

FAQ

Is CPT 98975 billed every month?

No. 98975 is billed once per episode of care, at the point the RTM program is set up and the patient is educated on it — not repeated monthly. Monthly RTM billing instead uses the device-supply codes (98976–98978) and treatment-management codes (98979–98981).

Can 98975 be billed on the same day as an E/M visit?

It may be reported alongside a visit where the setup and education occurs, but practices should confirm current payer-specific rules on same-day billing with E/M services and apply modifiers where required.

Who documents the patient education component of 98975?

The billing practitioner or their staff, under the practitioner's oversight, should document what was explained to the patient about the RTM device or platform and confirm the patient's understanding, consistent with the practice's standard documentation practices for the billing QHP.

What happens if RTM never actually gets used after 98975 is billed?

Billing 98975 without any subsequent device-supply or treatment-management activity can raise questions about whether the RTM episode was medically necessary or actually carried out, and may be scrutinized on audit.

Does 98975 apply separately to each RTM condition category?

A new episode of care — and a new 98975 — may apply when a patient begins RTM for a new, distinct condition, but is not intended to be re-billed repeatedly for an ongoing, unchanged monitoring episode.