Your home exercise program does most of its work between appointments, and that is also when the questions come up. Is this supposed to hurt? Is this exercise too easy now? Remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) keeps your physical therapist at Lake Erie Physical Therapy involved during those days. You log your exercises and how they felt in the Medbridge GO app, and we use that information to adjust your program without waiting for your next visit.
How remote therapeutic monitoring works
- We set up your program in Medbridge. Your physical therapist builds your home exercise program in Medbridge, with videos and instructions for each exercise. You can open it in the Medbridge GO app on iPhone or Android, or in a web browser.
- You log each session. When you finish your exercises, you mark them complete. Medbridge GO can send you reminders, and it keeps track of the sessions you complete.
- You tell us how it went. You can note when pain is present and whether an exercise is getting too easy or too hard.
- We review and adjust. Your physical therapist reviews what you log, changes your exercises when it makes sense and can message you through Medbridge.
- We talk every month. We schedule a phone call with you each month to go over your progress and your plan.
What you track
- Each exercise session you complete at home
- Pain, when it shows up
- Exercises that feel too easy or too hard
- Questions for your therapist, sent through Medbridge
Who remote monitoring helps
- People who travel for work. Stay on your program, and in touch with us, without booking an appointment for every check-in.
- Busy schedules. Keep your plan moving on weeks when getting to Virginia Street is hard.
- Recovery after surgery. Your therapist can follow your home exercises between visits during post-surgical rehab.
- Back and neck pain. If you are working through a McKenzie Method program, your logs show how your symptoms respond to your exercises from day to day.
What RTM costs
Most insurance plans cover remote therapeutic monitoring. Before we bill, we call your insurance company to verify your coverage, and for most of our insured patients RTM costs about the same as one copay per month. Every plan sets its own rules for copays, coinsurance and deductibles, so we tell you what to expect before you enroll. See the insurance plans we accept, or call (716) 332-4838 with your card in hand.
No insurance, or prefer to pay directly? Self-pay patients can use RTM too, at $70 per month, the same as our self-pay follow-up visit rate. See all of our self-pay rates.
Getting started
Ask your physical therapist about RTM at your next visit, or call (716) 332-4838. If it fits your plan of care, we will:
- Explain how RTM works, then verify your coverage with your insurance company before we bill, or confirm the self-pay rate
- Ask for your consent to enroll, which Medicare’s billing contractors expect before monitoring begins
- Help you open your program in the Medbridge GO app or your browser and turn on reminders
When your formal care ends, Keep It Going is another way to keep exercising with our team nearby.
When to call us instead of waiting
Messages in the app are not for urgent problems. Call the clinic at (716) 332-4838 if:
- Your pain suddenly gets much worse, or it does not settle after you stop the exercise
- You notice new numbness, tingling or weakness
- An exercise causes symptoms you have not had before
After surgery, call your surgeon for increasing redness, swelling or drainage at your incision, or a fever. Call 911 or go to an emergency department for chest pain, sudden shortness of breath, new loss of bladder or bowel control, or any other emergency.
Sources
- Medbridge: Medbridge GO patient app
- First Coast Service Options (Medicare contractor): Checklist for remote therapeutic monitoring