How Remote Therapeutic Monitoring is Transforming Physical Therapy

The way patients experience physical therapy is evolving. As digital tools reshape how people access and manage their healthcare, physical therapy is undergoing its own transformation. From in-person sessions to connected, tech-enabled engagement, innovation is unlocking new levels of access, personalization, and outcomes. Leading the charge is Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM).

The State of Care: Why RTM Matters Now

Today’s patients expect to have everything in the palm of their hand, in addition to more flexible, and responsive care—especially those juggling busy schedules, chronic conditions, or limited availability or access to in-person visits. At the same time, physical therapists (PTs) are looking for more efficient and effective ways to track progress, keep patients engaged, and deliver higher-quality outcomes.

RTM is rising to meet these needs and changing how PTs support patients outside the clinic walls, ensuring that the care doesn’t stop when the appointment ends.

What is Remote Therapeutic Monitoring?

Remote Therapeutic Monitoring refers to the digital tracking of a patient’s adherence, engagement, response, and progress. It’s designed for physical therapists to monitor patient activity outside of traditional visits.

RTM typically includes three key pieces - mobile apps, wearable devices and regular check-ins between the PT and patient. The mobile app is where patients log exercises, pain levels, and functional improvements. If a wearable device is required, it enables PTs to capture and monitor movement or activity data. The consistent check-ins are often through a secure messaging feature to keep communication flowing which further improves patient outcomes.

Being able to have access to a continuous stream of data through an app and messaging helps therapists understand how a patient is responding to treatment in real time—and make timely adjustments as needed.

What Barriers Should be Considered? 

As with any innovation, adoption doesn’t come to be without challenges. Whether it’s technology literacy, workflow integration, bandwidth or compliance and documentation, these can be daunting barriers, but they don’t have to be. 

With the right solution and supporting team, practices, patients and clinicians won’t have to worry about a lack of training or support. Clinics need systems that complement existing EHRs and operations, and oftentimes, RTM can be integrated. As any solution requires, compliance and documentation is critical as it ensures that the RTM use aligns with regulatory and billing guidelines.

With the right platform and education, these hurdles are increasingly manageable—and well worth overcoming.

Why Does RTM Matter? 

If you were to ask an industry innovator and disruptor why RTM matters, they’d explain why it isn't just a convenient solution—it’s a game-changer. 

There are four key pillars of RTM and why practices across the country need to adopt it. RTM improves patient engagement, and supports accountability, even between visits, and increases adherence to home exercise programs. RTM allows for an enhanced continuity of care where therapists get real-time insights and can adapt plans on the fly. Therapists and patients will see better outcomes because of the increase in data that enables a deeper level of personalized care. In addition to more data, access is expanded with the use of RTM. It is especially impactful for patients in rural communities or those facing transportation barriers.

Once implemented, therapists will have real-time visibility into patient activity, progress, and setbacks and the practice will see new revenue opportunities through billable RTM codes and improved patient retention. All this happens while patients form a greater sense of ownership throughout their recovery journey.

By engaging patients remotely between sessions, you not only increase the likelihood that they attend and complete their in-person care, but also help them achieve their goals more efficiently. This improved experience boosts patient satisfaction and increases the chances they'll refer friends and family to your practice—bringing new patients through your doors. 

Ready to Bring RTM to Your Practice?

At EverEx, we understand that integrating new workflows into a clinical setting is rarely as simple as it sounds. That’s why we provide a robust implementation process, equipping your team with comprehensive training and resources to ensure patient enrollment and management within RTM is as seamless as possible. Beyond initial setup, our ongoing support ensures you can stay focused on delivering care—while our software integrates smoothly into your existing care plans.

Learn more about RTM and how EverEx is bringing it to practices across the country here.