Losing Revenue to No Shows? Here’s How RTM Helps Physical Therapy Clinics Recover
Every outpatient physical therapy clinic has experienced it. You open your schedule, see a full day of patients, and start preparing. But then the messages start rolling in.
“Running late, might have to cancel.”
“Can we reschedule for next week?”
And sometimes, no message at all.
According to national data, outpatient physical therapy practices face an average cancellation rate of about 20% and a no-show rate close to 10% each day. That means nearly one out of every three appointments results in no patient walking through the door.
These aren’t just minor scheduling issues. They have a real impact on clinic operations, therapist workflow, patient outcomes, and most of all, your clinic’s bottom line.
The Financial Impact of Missed Appointments in Physical Therapy
Let’s talk numbers.
Now add in the hidden costs:
- Time spent preparing for sessions that never happened
- Admin hours spent calling and rescheduling patients
- Decreased therapist productivity
- Unfilled time slots that can’t be billed
Over time, the financial strain adds up and threatens the long-term sustainability of even well-run clinics.
Why Patients Cancel or Don’t Show Up
It’s not always because patients are careless. Most are simply facing real-life challenges.
Common reasons include:
- Transportation issues or lack of access to reliable transit
- Sudden work obligations or family responsibilities
- Financial concerns, including high copays
- Pain, fatigue, or poor sleep
- A perception that therapy is no longer helping
Even motivated patients can struggle with attendance. And once a patient starts missing sessions, they’re at higher risk of falling off the schedule completely.
The Clinical Cost: Setbacks and Inefficiency
When a patient misses an appointment, they don’t just lose time. They lose progress.
Every missed session delays reassessments, slows down the home exercise program, and prevents therapists from adjusting the care plan. Instead of building on the last visit, therapists often need to repeat previous steps. That slows down clinical outcomes and adds to the therapist’s workload.
At scale, missed visits reduce overall care efficiency and contribute to therapist fatigue. Patients lose confidence, therapists lose momentum, and the clinic loses revenue.
A Smarter Way Forward: What is Remote Therapeutic Monitoring?
Here’s how RTM works in practice:
- Patients receive guided home exercise programs through the app
- They log pain levels, activity, and adherence on a daily basis
- Therapists review this data and adjust care plans remotely
- If a patient misses a visit, the therapist still knows what’s going on
In other words, RTM helps you stay connected with patients even when they don’t show up.
Turn Missed Appointments Into Billable Time
Before RTM, any time spent outside of a session, like checking in on a patient or updating a home program, was unpaid.
Now, that same time can be reimbursed.
RTM comes with its own set of CPT codes, which physical therapists can use to bill for monitoring and adjusting care remotely.
RTM CPT codes include:
- 98975: Initial setup and patient education
- 98977: Monthly remote monitoring of HEP and data tracking
- 98980: First 20 minutes of remote monitoring and communication
- 98981: Each additional 20 minutes of time
Clinics using platforms like PhyxUp Health report an average of $150 to $170 in RTM reimbursement per patient per month, depending on payer mix. That’s revenue generated even when a patient cancels or reschedules their visit.
Sangwon Lim
Benefits Beyond Billing
RTM is not just about revenue. It improves clinic operations and enhances the patient experience.
With RTM, your clinic can:
- Reduce patient dropout rates by maintaining connection and accountability
- Track patient progress between visits with real-time data
- Personalize care plans faster based on daily trends
- Identify issues early, like pain spikes or low adherence, before they become setbacks
For patients, RTM provides structure, support, and motivation. For therapists, it adds visibility and flexibility to their clinical decision-making. And for clinics, it creates a more resilient and efficient care model.
Why PhyxUp Health Makes RTM Effortless
PhyxUp Health is built for busy physical therapy clinics that want the benefits of RTM without the hassle.
With PhyxUp, you can:
- Automatically track CPT code requirements
All monitoring time, messages, and patient activity are logged and tracked for billing eligibility. - Generate SOAP notes automatically
No more manual documentation. Patient-reported data turns into clean, review-ready notes. - Receive monthly billing reports
Get a clear spreadsheet each month with RTM minutes per patient, and ready to bill with zero effort. - Use our fully managed RTM service (optional)
Too busy? Our team can handle both monitoring and billing for you.
RTM doesn’t have to be complicated. PhyxUp keeps it simple.
What Physical Therapists Are Saying
“RTM gave us a way to help patients even when they couldn’t make it in. I still check their data, send quick updates, and now we’re billing for time we used to give away for free.”
— Sarah L., DPT, Colorado
“PhyxUp made RTM so easy to implement. We started with five patients, now it’s just part of how we operate. We’re improving care and growing revenue at the same time.”
— James R., Clinic Owner, New York
The Future of Physical Therapy Is Hybrid
Healthcare is evolving. Patients expect more flexibility. Payers want more outcomes. And therapists want tools that help them deliver care efficiently without burning out.
Remote Therapeutic Monitoring helps clinics adapt to all three.
It offers:
- Support between visits
- Accountability for patients
- Reimbursement for therapists
- Operational resilience for clinics
Missed visits will always happen. RTM helps you stay productive anyway.
Ready to Recover Lost Revenue and Improve Care?
PhyxUp Health makes it easy to integrate Remote Therapeutic Monitoring into your practice. Whether you are a solo provider or managing multiple locations, RTM can fit into your existing workflow and start generating results from day one.
Visit phyxuphealth.com to explore the platform, request a live demo, or download our RTM startup guide.
Stay connected with patients.
Support better outcomes.
And turn missed visits into measurable care.
