Providing telehealth is a great way to offer convenient video visits that provide solutions that include remote visits, home exercise programs, rehabilitation educational tools, programs and more. This virtual solution is a great opportunity to stay on trend digitally and combat recent COVID-19 challenges that can be affecting your profitability. Since telehealth is new to physical therapists there are still many questions that arise before selecting and adopting this solution. In this article we will address some important questions with answers that can help educate and inspire to use this helpful solution.
How do I get paid for telehealth appointments?
Getting paid sure is a concern when it comes to telehealth and delivering a service that will help you remain profitable. Payment restrictions have loosened due to the recent coronavirus pandemic and become easier to get paid. Here are some resources that you can access that provides a breakdown in regard to codes, rules and regulations when it comes to getting paid with telehealth services.
Medicare Payment and Coverage Fact Sheet – Understand how Medicare will cover and pay out virtual services that include telehealth with this CMS fact sheet.
List of Telehealth Services – Discover which telehealth services are payable under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule with codes and descriptions available.
CMS Telehealth FAQ Resource – Get answers to questions that include information on requirements and coverage details in regard to telehealth from The Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Who is telehealth most appropriate for?
Telehealth is a great solution for patients that are looking for freedom when it comes to their physical therapy treatment. Here are a few examples of some situations that best fit the use of telehealth.
Workers Compensation Patients
Telehealth can provide fast and efficient access to workers compensation patients that have been injured on the job with the need to be assessed or rehabbed back to full strength.
Post Hospital Recovery Patients
Patients that have recently just recovered from surgery and need to be evaluated and checked on post-surgery are great candidates for telehealth appointments. In addition, attending in-person can be a challenge and a remote visit can help with those difficulties.
Orthopedic Injured Patients
Patients that are older adults with mobility and physical conditions often may struggle with physical in-person clinic visits. Telehealth can help provide a solution for those being challenged by arthritis, osteoporosis and even balance disorders.
What are the main benefits of telehealth?
Social Distancing Solution for Physical Therapy Appointment Cancellations
Telehealth offers a solution to social distancing requests due to COVID-19 challenges. Having the ability to keep patients safe during coronavirus is highly important while receiving rehabilitation from your clinic. Offering them a virtual therapy appointment will be sure to combat the high amount of cancellations and no-shows from these recent business challenges.
Schedule Flexibility
With the ability of telehealth, you can easily schedule appointments anywhere at any time. A patient has the ability to access morning, evening and weekend visits with convenience. This allows a therapy practice the ability to avoid patient cancellations with better availability and access for their patients. Also, if a patient is on vacation or a business trip, they have the ability to still keep rehabilitation momentum going strong with telehealth appointments.
No Travel Needed
Less travel means less cost and time that a patient has to take on with an in-person visit. Saving costs and time provide added value when considering a telehealth appointment and can fit a patient’s lifestyle, budget and schedule better than an in-person visit.
Need to know more about telehealth and ways to improve the way your therapy practice uses practice management software? Let Practice Pro help with the expertise and knowledge you need to use when it comes to using the right EMR. Discover the added value that we can offer with patient scheduling, EMR documentation, therapy billing, analytics, a patient portal and more. Were in this together with you. See how and schedule a demo.