Remote Therapeutic Monitoring in Interventional Pain: A 2026 Playbook for Programs and Partners

By Yesh Navalgund, MD, interventional pain consultant and advisor

In interventional pain management, most of the outcome is decided between encounters. A procedure, a device trial, or a medication change is followed by weeks of recovery that clinicians have historically seen only through a patient's memory at the next appointment. Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) gives programs a reimbursable, structured way to see those weeks. In my advisory work with practices, health systems, and device companies, RTM is increasingly part of the conversation about how to prove value, not just deliver services.

What RTM is, and what it is not

RTM is a Medicare-recognized service for tracking non-physiologic treatment data: therapy adherence and therapy response. In musculoskeletal and pain care, that usually means an app or connected device where patients log pain, function, home exercise, and medication use, with the care team reviewing and responding.

It is distinct from Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), which tracks physiologic measurements such as blood pressure or glucose. That distinction drives product design, workflow, and billing, and it is one of the most common points of confusion I see when organizations scope a monitoring program.

The code set, including the 2026 changes

The RTM family sits in CPT 98975 to 98986. The core components:

• 98975: initial setup and patient education on the device or app.

• 98977 and 98985: device supply for musculoskeletal monitoring. As of January 1, 2026, 98977 covers 16 to 30 days of data in a 30-day period, and the new code 98985 covers 2 to 15 days. (98976 and 98984 are the respiratory equivalents.)

• 98979: new for 2026, treatment management for the first 10 minutes in a calendar month, requiring at least one real-time interactive communication with the patient or caregiver.

• 98980 and 98981: treatment management for the first 20 minutes and each additional 20 minutes in a calendar month, also requiring interactive communication.

The 2026 changes are material. Previously, a program generally needed 16 days of data in a month before device supply could be billed, which left many short post-procedure monitoring windows uncovered. CMS describes the new 2 to 15 day and 10-minute codes in its 2026 therapy code update (CMS MM14250), and the CPT descriptors and "do not report together" rules are summarized by ASHA. Commercial payer coverage and documentation rules vary, so payer-by-payer verification belongs in any implementation plan.

Where RTM fits in interventional pain workflows

Use cases I see as the strongest fit:

1. Post-procedure response tracking. After injections or radiofrequency ablation, daily pain and activity logs replace a single recalled estimate with a response curve, which sharpens decisions about repeating, adjusting, or escalating care.

2. Neuromodulation trials. Daily data during spinal cord stimulation or peripheral nerve stimulation trials makes trial evaluation more objective.

3. Restorative and rehabilitation-based therapies. Therapies that depend on consistent participation, including restorative neurostimulation and structured exercise, benefit from early detection of slipping adherence.

4. Medication changes, including tapering, where function and side-effect trends provide early warning.

What each stakeholder should be thinking about

• Device and digital health companies: whether your platform maps cleanly to musculoskeletal RTM, supports the new 2 to 15 day threshold, and captures the interactive-communication documentation the management codes require.

• Health systems and practices: staffing models for monitoring and outreach, EHR integration, consent and enrollment workflow, and payer verification.

• Payers: RTM produces longitudinal function and adherence data that can inform utilization management and outcomes-based arrangements.

• Investors: reimbursement durability and the operational burden on clinics are the two variables that most often separate scalable RTM models from ones that stall.

• Referring physicians: RTM can return structured pain and function trends on shared patients, supporting the coordinated, measurement-based care that programs such as Medicare's upcoming Ambulatory Specialty Model are designed to reward.

A note for patients reading this

RTM is not a replacement for in-person care or emergency services. If you are curious whether remote monitoring could be part of your treatment, ask when you next visit your doctor.

Working together

I advise device companies, health systems, practices, and payers on RTM strategy, from product and reimbursement fit to clinical workflow design and implementation. If you are building or scaling a monitoring program in pain or spine, I would welcome the conversation.

This article is for general education and is not medical, legal, or billing advice.

Sources

• CMS, MLN MM14250, Therapy Code List: 2026 Annual Update: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mm14250-therapy-code-list-2026-annual-update.pdf

• CMS Therapy Services page: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coding-billing/therapy-services

• ASHA, 2026 CPT and HCPCS code changes (RTM descriptors): https://www.asha.org/practice/reimbursement/coding/new_codes_slp/