On this episode of What's Best For The Patient Is Best For The Business, Jerry dives deep into the critical, often complex world of billing compliance with industry expert Rick Gawenda, PT.
Rick, the founder and president of Gawenda Seminars & Consulting, breaks down the high-impact proposals from CMS for the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule. They move beyond the headlines to provide a practical, actionable guide for clinic owners and therapists, with a special focus on the new Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) codes and how to leverage them for both improved patient outcomes and practice growth.
This is a must-listen for any practice looking to stay ahead of the curve, ensure compliance, and understand how to successfully implement innovative care models like RTM.
💡 Key Takeaways You'll Hear 💡
• The Real Impact of the 2026 CMS Proposal: Why a proposed 3.35% conversion factor increase doesn't mean a 3.35% pay raise for most therapy codes, and which common codes are actually facing a reimbursement decrease.
• Unlocking the Power of RTM: A clear explanation of the new RTM codes coming in 2026, designed for patients who are less compliant, and how they expand your ability to bill for remote care.
• How Long Can You Use RTM? The rules for continuing remote therapeutic monitoring after a patient is discharged from in-person care and the critical Medicare plan-of-care requirements you must follow.
• Billing RTM Correctly: The difference between patient-dependent codes (like 98977) and time-based management codes (98980/981), including how to count your time and the "medically unlikely edit" (MUE) limits.
• The #1 Key to Successful RTM Implementation: Why Rick advises that RTM should never operate in a silo and how the most successful practices are using it to boost completion rates, improve outcomes, and even negotiate better payer contracts.
• How to Have Your Voice Heard: The critical September 12th deadline to submit comments to CMS on the proposed rule—and how to make your comment personal and impactful.
Tune in for this masterclass in Medicare policy and learn how to turn regulatory changes into opportunities for your practice and your patients.
🔗 Subscribe to Rick’s newsletter to stay up to date with the latest industry changes: gawendaseminars.com
If you'd like to learn more about Strata EMR & RCM and achieving a 99.99% reimbursement rate for your PT, OT, or SLP Clinic head over to stratapt.com and book a demo with their team!