Three reasons your patients need you to offer virtual physical therapy

If you’re a physical therapy practitioner, you may be having difficulty getting patients in because of COVID restrictions. However, there is a way to help new and current patients get the physical therapy they need, and that is by offering them virtual physical therapy. 

 

What is virtual physical therapy?

Virtual physical therapy goes by many names. It’s called telehealth physical therapy by some, and others call it telePT or telerehab. No matter which name you use, this is a type of physical therapy that uses technology to interact with the patient. Typically, telePT sessions take place over a live online video link, and formal telePT platforms offer links that are secure and HIPAA compliant. 

 

Why should you offer virtual physical therapy to your patients? 

You might never have considered using telerehab to work with your patients before the pandemic. However, you may be reconsidering this stance now, and there are three reasons why offering telePT to your patients is a sound idea. 

1. It’s easier to access — It’s always been harder for patients in rural areas to access physical therapy services. In fact, one study reports that there are only 30 specialists per 100,000 people in rural areas of the U.S. 

This challenge is now something that urban communities are also facing. However, telePT allows both urban and rural patients easier access to physical therapy. All a patient needs is a computer, a camera, a microphone and an internet connection. 

2. It offers lower costs — Specialists who care about their patients do their best to keep costs as low as possible. There’s no better way to meet this goal than offering telerehab to your patients. Many recent studies have shown that this service offers considerable cost savings for patients. One study on patients who had a knee replacement reveals that average costs were $2,745 lower for the telerehab patients. 

3. It’s highly effective — You may be worried that not seeing your patients in person will decrease the effectiveness of the care you can offer. Fortunately, research shows that telePT can be as or more effective than traditional therapy. For instance, a study on hip replacement patients who used telerehab shows that: 

• They had a 90% accuracy when performing therapeutic exercises.
• They performed their exercises for 12 minutes per day on average.
• They gave their telerehab an approval score of 91.2%. 

 

Agile Virtual PT can help you offer virtual physical therapy to your patients

Ready to start providing your patients with virtual physical therapy? Our experts at Agile Virtual PT are ready and willing to help you offer this effective service. Our team is made up of 400+ licensed clinicians, and we’re ready to help your patients get the effective care they need. 

Contact our team today for more information about the services we offer or to schedule a demo of our virtual care platform.