Telehealth, physical therapy and the pandemic: Lessons for all
For vulnerable patient populations – and for those who just prefer the convenience of care at home – telemedicine has been a success. But it still has its limitations.
For example, the precise movements and exercises involved in physical therapy rehab are hard for a patient to accomplish remotely. A provider on a video call may seem about as valuable as a YouTube video.
But there are new technologies and strategies that link patients, safely, to at-home physical therapy care that balances telemedicine with in-person visits. Many experts say this is the future of telemedicine: a hybrid of in-person and virtual care.
A rehab-at-home strategy lets health systems and orthopedic groups bring outpatient PT treatment to patients in lieu of forcing them to travel twice a week, in some cases more than five miles away, to obtain postoperative care.
It also helps healthcare organizations improve the profitability of their rehabilitation services by expanding access to care, standardizing care to avoid surgical complications, improving adherence, enhancing patient experience, lowering costs and reducing referral leakage.