Definition · Value-based care

Remote patient monitoring (RPM)

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) uses connected medical devices, such as blood pressure cuffs, glucometers, and scales, to collect a patient's physiologic data at home. The data goes to their care team. Clinicians review the readings and adjust treatment between visits. Medicare pays for RPM through device codes and monthly management codes.

What remote patient monitoring is

RPM extends care into the home. A patient with hypertension takes daily readings on a connected cuff, and the device sends them automatically. The care team watches for trends or dangerous values. It is used most for hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, and COPD, where frequent data changes treatment decisions.

Medicare billing has two parts. Device codes pay for supplying the device and transmitting data over a monthly period. Treatment management codes pay for the time clinical staff or practitioners spend reviewing data and talking with the patient each month. The device must meet the FDA definition of a medical device, and the patient must consent.

RPM programs stall on enrollment and engagement. Patients stop taking readings, and devices sit in drawers. Rivvi can help a team find likely candidates in an uploaded panel and run outreach by phone and text to enroll them. It can also follow up with patients the team flags for missed readings, logging each outcome.

Questions

Remote patient monitoring, answered

What conditions qualify for remote patient monitoring?

Medicare does not limit RPM to a list of diagnoses. The practitioner must decide it is medically necessary, and the patient can have an acute or chronic condition. In practice, most programs focus on hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, and COPD, where regular readings change treatment.

RPM vs RTM: what is the difference?

Remote patient monitoring tracks physiologic data, such as blood pressure, weight, or blood glucose. Remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) tracks non-physiologic data, such as respiratory or musculoskeletal status and therapy adherence, often reported by the patient. They use separate code sets and cannot both be billed for the same patient in the same period.

Can RPM be billed with chronic care management?

Yes. Medicare allows RPM and CCM for the same patient in the same month. The same minutes cannot count toward both services. Many practices pair them, using RPM readings inside the patient's chronic care plan.

Keep reading

All resources →

What remote patient monitoring is

Remote patient monitoring, answered

Keep reading

Try it on your own data today.