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Remote Therapeutic Monitoring: Why Every PT Practice Needs It in 2026

  • Writer: Shawn Christensen
    Shawn Christensen
  • 16 minutes ago
  • 3 min read
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The physical therapy landscape is changing — fast. Insurance reimbursements are shrinking, overhead costs keep rising, and private practices everywhere are feeling the pressure. But in the middle of this storm, there’s a powerful tool that not only helps clinics survive… but helps them thrive.

That tool is Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM).

If you’re a private practice PT owner, RTM is no longer optional in 2026 — it’s a must-install system for the future of patient care and business sustainability.


Why RTM Matters Now More Than Ever

At its core, PT is about helping people heal — but traditional care ends the moment a patient walks out your clinic doors. RTM extends your care beyond those walls, giving you the tools to stay connected, guide compliance, and monitor progress in real time.

Here’s how RTM brings immediate and lasting value to a PT practice:


1. Stronger Patient Engagement, Even at Home

Patients don’t get better from showing up alone — they get better from doing the work between visits. RTM helps you:

  • Track exercise completion

  • Provide motivation

  • Answer questions

  • Course-correct in real time

When patients know you’re checking on them, they rise to the occasion.


2. Dramatically Improved Patient Retention

One of the biggest reasons patients drop out. They feel lost between sessions.

With RTM, they feel supported, accountable, and connected. Our own experience at Healing Arts Physical Therapy proves it. Since implementing RTM early in 2025, we’ve seen retention go up — and our schedule stay full.


3. Higher Treatment Quality & Better Outcomes

RTM gives therapists insight we never had before:

  • Which exercises patients are actually doing

  • How consistently they’re doing them

  • Their daily symptoms

  • Where they’re struggling

Better data = better decisions = better results.

Patients feel truly cared for. Therapists feel empowered.


4. A Lifeline for Private Practices: Additional Revenue

This matters — especially in today’s financial climate.

Insurance reimbursements are getting smaller. Operational expenses are getting bigger.

RTM helps bridge that gap.

Medicare, Blue Shield, and auto insurance all reimburse for monthly RTM CPT codes — adding legitimate, compliant revenue that nearly every private practice is leaving on the table if they’re not using RTM.

This added revenue helps:

  • Fund staff

  • Improve services

  • Keep doors open

  • Continue providing excellent patient care

In a world where private clinics struggle to stay afloat, RTM is not a bonus — it’s a lifeline.


Our Personal Journey With RTM

My wife and I at Healing Arts Physical Therapy were fortunate enough to learn about RTM early and begin implementing it in 2025.

We didn’t know what to expect…But we’ve been blown away by the benefits.

  • Our patients are showing up more consistently

  • Our schedule stays full

  • Outcomes are improving

  • We feel more connected to our patients

  • And yes — our revenue has grown

But most importantly, our patients feel cared for. They know we’re with them every step of the way.


The Truth: There Is a Learning Curve

RTM isn’t a “set it and forget it” system. To do it correctly, it requires:

  • Time

  • Consistency

  • Communication

  • Charting

  • Billing accuracy

  • Therapist engagement outside normal visit hours

But like anything worthwhile in PT…Once you commit to it, the results are worth it.

We got excellent coaching early on. We learned from others who had mastered the system — and now we want to pay it forward.

For Any Private Practice Owner Reading This…

If RTM feels overwhelming, confusing, or complicated — we understand. We were there once, too.

But this is not the time to hesitate. RTM:

  • Helps patients

  • Helps therapists

  • Helps clinics

  • Helps the profession

  • Helps keep PT businesses alive in 2026 and beyond

If your practice is not doing RTM, you are literally leaving money, patient outcomes, and long-term stability on the table.

And we’re here to help.

Need Guidance? We’re Happy to Help.

If you’re a practice owner curious about:

  • How RTM works

  • How to bill properly

  • How to train staff

  • How to choose a platform

  • How to integrate it smoothly


We’d be happy to share what we’ve learned.

Reach out anytime — we love helping other private practices grow, survive, and strengthen our profession together.

 
 
 

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