Tele what? Tele who?… Telehealth.  Is it Right for YOU???

Tele what? Tele who?… Telehealth. Is it Right for YOU???

June 19, 2019 Off By Dr. Lauren K

When you think about physical therapy, I assume you imagine going to a clinic and spending about an hour (more or less) doing exercises and being worked on by a therapist. 

You may even envision modalities like electrical stimulations, and ultrasound machines being used on you and other patients in the gym.

But did you know that you can actually do physical therapy at home with an actual Physical Therapist over your computer??? YEP! That’s right, it’s known as TELEHEALTH and it’s the deliverance of virtual health and medical related services. 

Keep missing your PT appointments because of your work schedule? Or because it won’t stop snowing outside? Or perhaps even a little case of agoraphobia…

This is an actual video service that allows you to video chat with a healthcare provider, including but not limited to MD’s, RN’s, PT’s and etc. 

Right now, there are a few telehealth companies out there that you can look into, or even just googling ‘telehealth PT near me.’  It provides more flexibility to accessing healthcare and you can even be seen faster than you would trying to make an appointment. 

Now with any type of practice; be it mobile PT, telehealth, or even outpatient clinics, there comes a list of pros and cons

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Convenience and AccessibilityNo Manual Therapy (Hands on)
Saving $$$ (no co-pay,
can buy packages,
insurance reimbursements)
No Equipment Provided
More one-on-one timeNot covered by a lot of insurances
Start treatment IMMEDIATELY

It’s up to you to outweigh these differences in order to make the best decision for you.  Some diagnoses may not be appropriate for Telehealth. Conditions that take a more hands on approach, such as post-surgical patients, including total knee’s and rotator cuff repairs need certain types of manual therapy that a patient just can’t do on their own. 

When it comes to clinicians, Telehealth can help prevent feeling burn out by allowing clinicians to choose how many patients they see and set their own schedules.  There’s also significantly low overhead.  Some Telehealth companies, like Phzio, only charge you $1.00 for each session you provide for patients.  A DOLLAR!!!! THAT’S IT?!?! Pretty much….yeah.

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Some clinics may provide Telehealth options for their patients who have difficulty making it to therapy on a consistent basis, or even for intermittent check-ups post discharge. 

Telehealth is a growing market, and let’s face it, technology is the future of medicine.  It’s making it easier for individuals to access healthcare and assist with the ability of healthcare professionals to adequately treat patients.  And with insurance companies reimbursing less and less for different procedures, we are finding ourselves trying different avenues to be able to help those in need of appropriate care. 

From telehealth, to mobile PT, to cash-based practices, you are going to find that health professionals are steering away from more traditional practice techniques in order to help improve outcomes in a broken healthcare system.

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