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Home Exercise Program Video Software: Turning HEP Videos Into Billable RTM Data

Film each exercise once. Every patient on every protocol that uses it sees the demo, right on today's checklist — and finishing the checklist is what creates the monitored data day RTM billing runs on.

HEP VideoRTM Data-DaysPhysical TherapyPatient Engagement
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On this page The short answerHow it worksWhy filming once covers every protocolFrom checklist to data dayWhat to look for in HEP video softwareAvailabilityFAQ

Key takeaways

  • A clinician films each exercise once (15–30 seconds) and the clip plays for every patient, on every protocol, that uses that exercise — resolved by name, not re-filmed per patient.
  • Patients see a today-first daily checklist with the demo video on each exercise tile, not a static PDF.
  • Completing the checklist prompts a one-tap pain log — the same log that can count as an RTM monitored data day toward the 98977/98985 device-supply thresholds.
  • Video and adherence feed the data-day requirement only — treatment-management billing still needs accumulated review time and a documented monthly call.

Home exercise program (HEP) video software lets a clinic film a short demonstration of each exercise once and have it appear automatically wherever that exercise is prescribed. BoneArc is rolling out exactly this: a clinician records a 15–30 second clip per exercise, patients see it on a today-first daily checklist, and completing the checklist prompts a one-tap pain log — the entry that can register as a monitored data day toward RTM's device-supply codes (98977/98985). The video isn't a side feature; it's built to raise the odds a patient actually logs the day.

As of the CY2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. This article describes a feature rolling out to BoneArc practices — availability varies by account. General educational information, not billing or legal advice; confirm specifics with your biller.

How it works, step by step

  1. A clinician films the exercise once
    What happens: using a phone, the clinician records a short (15–30 second) clip of the movement — no studio, no editing. Why it matters: the barrier to building a video library is one recording session, not one per patient.
  2. The clip attaches to the exercise, not the patient
    What happens: the video is tied to the exercise's name in the library. Why it matters: any protocol — today's or one assigned next year — that includes an exercise with that name shows the same clip automatically.
  3. The patient opens a today-first checklist
    What happens: instead of a full protocol document, the app shows what's due today, with the demo video on each exercise tile. Why it matters: patients act on today's list, not a multi-week PDF they have to interpret.
  4. Finishing the checklist triggers a one-tap pain log
    What happens: after the last exercise is checked off, the app prompts a single-tap pain score. Why it matters: this is the recovery data point RTM device-supply billing counts by the day.
  5. The logged day rolls into the RTM data-day count
    What happens: on the provider side, that day appears in the patient's RTM data-day tally toward the 30-day device-supply thresholds. Why it matters: adherence and billing readiness are now the same loop instead of two separate things to track.

Why filming once covers every protocol

Most HEP content problems come down to duplication: a "seated heel slide" video shot for one patient's protocol doesn't help the next patient unless someone re-attaches it, re-uploads it, or re-films it. BoneArc resolves exercise videos by exercise name instead of by patient or protocol instance. Film "seated heel slides" once, and it plays for every patient — today's, and any future patient — whose protocol includes an exercise with that name. A practice with a handful of common post-op and non-op protocols can build a working video library from a single filming session covering the exercises that recur most.

The video library page shows every exercise across your protocols with a to-film list, so a clinic can see exactly how many clips stand between where it is and full coverage.

From a finished checklist to a billable RTM data day

RTM's device-supply codes pay based on how many distinct days of recovery data a patient logs in a rolling 30-day period, not on video views or app opens:

CodeData-days required (per 30-day period)Notes
989852–15 daysNew device-supply tier for shorter or lighter-adherence periods
9897716–30 daysRequires at least 16 distinct logged days; mutually exclusive with 98985 in the same period
Day thresholds per CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule final rule, 90 FR 49397. Dollar amounts are not shown here — see the full 2026 RTM CPT codes guide for the current rate table and sourcing.

A "monitored data day" is created when the patient logs recovery data — in this flow, the one-tap pain score that follows a completed checklist. The video doesn't change what counts as a data day; it changes whether the patient gets through the exercises and reaches that last tap. A clearer demonstration means fewer skipped exercises, fewer abandoned checklists, and — the actual mechanism — more days that clear the bar.

One boundary worth stating plainly: this loop feeds the device-supply side of RTM (98977/98985). It does not, by itself, satisfy the treatment-management codes (98979/98980/98981), which require accumulated review time and at least one documented synchronous interactive call with the patient per calendar month — a separate requirement the video and checklist flow doesn't touch.

What to look for in HEP video software, if RTM revenue matters

Plenty of home-exercise apps have video. Fewer connect that video to the billing mechanics a PT or ortho practice actually needs:

Availability

The exercise video library and the linked daily-checklist-to-pain-log flow are rolling out to BoneArc practices. If you're an existing customer, ask your BoneArc contact about your account's status; if you're evaluating BoneArc, a demo will show the current state of the feature on a real protocol.

See a real protocol turn into a video-linked checklist

Bring one of your existing exercise protocols to a short demo and see how it maps into a today-first checklist with demo videos, and how a completed day flows into the RTM data-day count.

Book a demo →

FAQ

What is home exercise program (HEP) video software?

Software that lets a clinic film a short demonstration of each exercise once and attach it to the patient-facing home program, so patients see the movement instead of only reading a description. In BoneArc, the video is resolved by exercise name, so one clip covers every patient on every protocol that uses that exercise.

Do exercise videos actually help RTM billing?

Indirectly, through adherence. RTM device-supply codes (98977, 98985) require logging recovery data on enough distinct days in a 30-day period — 2–15 days for 98985, 16–30 for 98977 (CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule, 90 FR 49397, retrieved 2026-07-03). A patient who understands the exercise is more likely to finish the checklist and log the day. Videos don't change the rule; they change whether the patient does the thing that creates the data-day.

Does completing the exercise checklist automatically bill RTM?

No. A completed checklist and its pain log can count toward the device-supply data-day thresholds, but a billable month also needs active consent, an established RTM episode, accumulated treatment-management time, and — for 98979/98980/98981 — a documented synchronous interactive call that calendar month. The video and checklist loop covers the data-day piece only.

Do I have to film a new video for every patient's protocol?

No. Videos resolve by exercise name, not by patient or protocol instance. Film "seated heel slides" once and it plays for every patient, on every current and future protocol, that includes an exercise with that name.

Is BoneArc's exercise video library available now?

It's rolling out to BoneArc practices. Contact BoneArc or book a demo for the current status on your account.

Sources & verification. RTM device-supply day thresholds (98985: 2–15 days; 98977: 16–30 days, mutually exclusive per period) reflect the CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule final rule, CMS-1832-F, 90 FR 49397, effective January 1, 2026; retrieved 2026-07-03 as recorded in this repository's payer-rules verification record. A fresh re-fetch of the primary Federal Register and CMS.gov pages was attempted on 2026-08-03 and returned HTTP 403 from the outbound network path in this environment; the thresholds were independently cross-checked the same day against public secondary summaries (e.g. industry RTM-vendor coding guides) that state the same 2–15 / 16–30 day figures, but that cross-check is not a substitute for the primary source and is disclosed here per this repository's standing verification rule. No dollar rates are asserted in this article; see the 2026 RTM CPT codes guide for sourced rate figures. Product description reflects a feature rolling out to BoneArc practices as of this writing; no availability date is asserted. Educational information, not billing or legal advice.