Remote patient monitoring has been a revenue source for practices for a few years now, but 2026 changed the rules in a way that opens billing for care that used to go unpaid. Two new CPT codes went live on January 1, 2026, and a lot of practices still have not added them to their workflow. That gap is money walking out the door. So let’s go through what changed, which codes are new, and how to bill them without tripping over the rules.
What RPM Billing Looked Like Before 2026
For years, RPM billing ran on a small set of codes, and one rule in particular left a lot of care unpaid.
The device supply code required at least 16 days of data in a 30-day period before you could bill it. That worked fine for a patient with a long-term condition sending daily readings. It did not work for the patient who needed monitoring for a week after surgery, or the patient whose medication was being adjusted over a few days. Those patients generated real work and real data, but if the monitoring did not hit 16 days, the practice collected nothing for the device supply.
That 16-day floor is where practices lost the most. Post-surgical monitoring, short medication adjustments, and acute check-ins all fell below it and went unbilled.
The Two New Codes for 2026
The 2026 rule added two codes that fill the gap, and they went into effect on January 1.
CPT 99445: Short-Duration Device Supply
This code covers the device supply and daily data transmission for 2 to 15 days in a 30-day period. It sits alongside the older device supply code, which now covers 16 to 30 days. The short-duration code pays at the same rate as the longer one, so a practice monitoring a patient for a week is no longer working for free.
There is one rule to hold onto. The 2-to-15-day code and the 16-to-30-day code cannot both be billed for the same 30-day period. You pick the one that matches how many days the patient actually transmitted data. If monitoring runs short, you use the new code. If it goes past 16 days, you use the older one.
CPT 99470: Shorter Treatment Management
The second new code covers the first 10 minutes of treatment management time in a calendar month, and it requires at least one real-time interactive communication with the patient or caregiver. The older treatment management code still covers the first 20 minutes.
This matters because shorter monitoring usually means less management time. When clinical staff spend 10 or 15 minutes on a patient instead of 20, the older code did not fit. The new code lets a practice bill for that time instead of leaving it off the claim. The 10-minute code and the 20-minute code cannot both be billed in the same month, so again, you pick the one that matches the time spent.
The Codes That Stayed the Same
The foundation codes are still in place, and they still carry most RPM revenue.
The setup and education code is billed once per episode of care, and starting in 2026 it needs at least 2 days of data to bill. The 16-to-30-day device supply code stays for longer monitoring. The 20-minute and additional-20-minute management codes stay for patients who need more time. Knowing which of these pairs with the new codes is where clean billing happens.
How to Bill the New Codes Without Denials
The new codes bring flexibility, and flexibility brings ways to bill wrong. A few habits keep claims clean.
Match the Code to the Days
Before the claim goes out, check how many days the patient transmitted data. Two to fifteen days points to the new supply code. Sixteen or more points to the older one. Billing both, or billing the wrong one, gets the claim kicked back.
Match the Management Code to the Time
Same idea on the time side. Add up the management minutes for the month. If it lands in the shorter range with a real-time communication on file, the 10-minute code fits. If it hits 20 minutes, the older code fits. Do not bill both for the same month.
Document the Interactive Communication
The 10-minute management code requires a real-time interactive communication, and the record has to show it happened. A note that logs the call or the video contact protects the claim. Without it, the payer has grounds to deny.
Write Down the Intent
Because monitoring can now be short-term or long-term, the record should say which one it is. Documenting the monitoring as an acute event or an ongoing condition tells the story behind the code you picked, and that matters if the claim gets reviewed.
Why This Opens Revenue
The change is bigger than two new codes. It shifts RPM from a tool built only for long-term conditions to one that also fits short-term care.
A patient recovering from a knee replacement can be monitored for a week, and that week is now billable. A patient having a medication adjusted over ten days generates data that now earns payment. Practices that already run RPM programs can bill for a set of patients they were monitoring for free before. Practices that avoided RPM because their patients did not fit the 16-day model now have a reason to start.
The Verdict
The 2026 RPM changes closed the gap that left short-term monitoring unpaid. The new 2-to-15-day supply code and the 10-minute management code let practices bill for acute and short-duration care that used to fall below the old thresholds. The rules are simple to follow once you know them: match the code to the days and the time, document the interactive communication, and never bill the short and long versions together. Practices that update their billing now collect for work they are already doing. The ones that do not are leaving 2026 revenue on the table.
