Force Therapeutics Enables Provision of Remote Therapeutic Monitoring

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Sep 29, 2022, 09:05 ET

Platform supports providers treating operative and nonoperative orthopedic patients via digital care management solution

NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Force Therapeutics announced the availability of its Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) solution, which allows health systems, physician practices, and ambulatory surgical centers to provide patients with virtual physical therapy and remote monitoring that adheres to CMS guidelines. The company's provider-prescribed digital care management platform is validated to provide compliant documentation for the new RTM Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

To qualify for reimbursable RTM, healthcare organizations must leverage software that is deemed a medical device. Patients must opt into the RTM service, which must be prescribed by a physician, wirelessly synced with the provider's office, and actively collecting data for at least 16 days per month.

"Healthcare organizations today are coping with shrinking reimbursements, which can make it difficult to invest in technologies that support the standardization of high-value care," said Bronwyn Spira, founder and CEO of Force Therapeutics. "These RTM CPT codes support our clients' ability to use smart digital technologies to improve clinical outcomes and drive positive patient behavior in the home."

The Force Therapeutics platform supports continual patient engagement with the delivery of provider-prescribed digital education, video content, and remote physical therapy to patients recovering from injury or surgery at home. Patients are connected to their care teams via remote monitoring and messaging tools, and are routinely prompted to report their progress and complete patient-reported outcomes assessments. Clinicians use real-time status updates to monitor patients' therapeutic progress and identify at-risk patients in need of intervention or support.

The new CPT codes were introduced in CMS's 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and became effective on January 1, 2022. While remote patient monitoring (RPM) typically refers to the collection of physiological data such as heart rate and body temperature, remote therapeutic monitoring tools collect subjective, non-physiological data, such as information on the patient's medication adherence, pain level, and self-assessed outcomes. For information on CMS regulations, see the Force Therapeutics blog post on RTM codes.

The relevant RTM CPT codes for orthopedics include:

CPT 98975, which covers initial set-up and patient education on equipment for RTM
CPT 98977, which relates to supplying a device to a patient with scheduled recording(s) and/or programmed alerts transmission to monitor the patient's musculoskeletal system
CPT 98980 and CPT 98981, which cover 20-minute periods of care for patients who are being remotely monitored and who are communicating directly with clinicians

Force Therapeutics has already launched its RTM solution with several key clients, enabling billing opportunities for remote patient communication, data collection, and progression tracking. The Force Therapeutics platform serves as a conduit to provide non-physiological patient data to physicians and care teams, an approach which mirrors the design of the new RTM services. The Force platform averages an 89% patient opt-in rate across clients, and drives high patient engagement throughout an episode of care.

"Our clients rely on our digital care platform to engage patients in active recovery, reduce avoidable readmissions, and manage a high volume of patients with limited resources," said Christopher Young, Chief Strategy and Product Officer at Force Therapeutics. "This new offering allows them the opportunity to report, document, and bill for the RTM services they already provide, which can have a significant impact on their ability to deliver high-quality patient care."

Force Therapeutics is not a professional billing company, and this press release should not be relied upon as a guarantee of reimbursement. Billing providers are responsible for determining which codes to ultimately bill to third-party payers.

About Force Therapeutics

Founded in 2010, Force Therapeutics is the leading patient engagement platform designed to help clinicians intelligently extend their reach. The Force platform leverages video and digital connections to directly engage patients at every step of the care journey – from the point of surgery scheduling to post-op recovery and beyond. Backed by millions of clinically validated patient data points and insights from more than 70 leading healthcare centers across the country, Force Therapeutics is proven to drive more effective recovery, lower costs, and improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Media Contact:
Philip Anast
Amendola Communications for Force Therapeutics
[email protected]

SOURCE Force Therapeutics