Telehealth Flashcards
Definition of telehealth
The provision of healthcare remotely by means of telecommunications technology to support long-distance clinical health care, professional health-related education, public health, and health administration.
Telehealth concerns from APTA
- Caution with increase in companies entering the digital space with products and services for Telehealth care delivery and monitoring
- Some offer technologies that are valuable adjuncts to PT care
- Others offer services without interventions of a licensed PT but are representing themselves as PTs to address MSK issues
- Technology is not a virtual skilled provider or service
- Technologies designed to gather data for analysis or to support patients in the effective performance of ex or activities that are not PT
Advantages of telehealth
- Increase patient access: rural places, transportation issues/decreased travel time/costs, accommodates varied schedules, access to patients in new geographies
- Control of infectious illness
- Continuity of care for traveling patients
- Family connections
Disadvantages of telehealth
- Not every type of visit is appropriate
- Technology: lack there of, issues/comfort with tech, lack of equipment, video fatigue
- Issues with developing relationships
- No hands-on care
- Security
- Emergency situations
Telehealth and medicare?
PTs do not have permanent telehealth privileges to see medicare patients
Congress extended current temporary ability of therapists to use telehealth under medicare until 12/31/2024
Telehealth billing/reimbursement
- Rapidly changing since mid-march 2020
- Currently being covered by most payers with the use of a modifier (95) to indicate telehealth services. Some codes, such as manual therapy, are not allowed.
Telehealth visits — all payer
- No telehealth CPT codes: use same codes as in person plus the 95 modifier
- Real time two way audio/video platform that meets HIPPA requirements
- Best judgement to determine which services and associated treatment and measure that can be realistically performed.
Modifiers for telehealth
- 95 — real time synchronous services
- 02 — place of service code, services provided other than in a patient’s home
- 10 — NEW PLACE OF SERVICE CODE, telehealth provided in patient’s home (effective 04/04/2022)
- CR — services were disaster related
How is telehealth impacted by location
The patient must be located in the state in which the PT is licensed during the telehealth session.
PT can be anywhere
What is the PT compact
An agreement between member states to improve access to PT services for the public by increasing the mobility of eligible physical therapy providers to work in multiple states
Applies to in person and telehealth therapy sessions
Illinois isn’t in it yet but working on it
Telehealth documentation?
Same as in person but add a few items like..
1. Record time and length of session
2. Tech used
3. Specific consent
Telehealth software
COVID put in “good faith” rule for telehealth
Secured HIPPA compliant platforms recommended that you enter into a business associate agreement
Ex: WebEx, eHAB, WEBPT
Best evidence if medicare works before pandemic?
VA had the research before the pandemic: signficant improvements in mobility, cognition, self care and QOL measures for rural dwelling veterans with MSK and Neuro disease
Some research in Medicaid and rural based settings prior to pandemic.
Goni on telehealth
Reliable and valid for a variety of diagnosis using internet based tool.
Mild-mod severe examples
Also appropriate in patients that have had a stroke — specifically looking at hemiplegia shoulder ROM
Total joint replacements and telehealth compared to normal services
Patients were satisfied with no significant difference between groups
PT’s satisfaction with regard to goal achievement, patient-therapist relationship, and overall session satisfaction and quality and performance of tech platform was HIGH