Expanding Access and Solving Workforce Challenges: The Role of Telehealth
By Laura Cantrell, Vice President of Community-Based Services
Access to high-quality rehabilitation services remains a persistent challenge in many areas of our country. Geographic isolation, workforce shortages, and economic limitations often restrict patients’ ability to receive timely care from physical and occupational therapists, as well as speech-language pathologists. Telehealth has emerged as a transformative solution, bridging these gaps while offering new models of care delivery that support both patient outcomes and healthcare system sustainability.
Healthcare facilities frequently struggle to recruit and retain staff due to factors such as labor costs, fluctuating patient volumes, and a decreased pool of qualified candidates. These staffing challenges can lead to delayed care, increased travel burdens, and compromised rehabilitation outcomes. Many customers have contracted with Infinity Rehab to help solve their staffing issues and provide high-quality care for their patients. However, we know that the therapy world faces similar staffing challenges. Thus, we have had to be creative in our delivery of services, and telehealth has proven to be a viable solution.
Telehealth provides a practical strategy to combat staffing limitations. By enabling licensed therapists to deliver services remotely, organizations can reduce reliance on temporary staffing, decrease travel costs to remote areas, and extend specialized care into communities that might otherwise remain underserved.
Timely access to therapy services is critical for recovery and functional independence, particularly following hospitalization, surgery, or acute illness. Telehealth promotes early intervention, reducing the risk of complications, hospital readmissions, and prolonged disability.
BY THE NUMBERS
So, you may be wondering: how much telehealth is Infinity Rehab providing?
While telehealth services account for less than 2% of our total delivery of care, it is a modality that is growing. Currently, we are providing telehealth services to 24 SNF customers in 10 states, totaling 3223 visits year-to-date. In addition, we have been partnering with a national provider—Medically Home, now called Dispatch Health—that offers acute care services to patients in the comfort of their own homes. We operate in 7 states, assisting large hospital systems in their delivery of therapy services, including Kaiser Permanente, Optum Health Care, Boston Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, and the Mayo Clinic.
Recently, we have focused our efforts on contracting with critical access hospitals (CAHs) to offer telehealth services. A CAH is a designation given by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to certain rural hospitals in the United States to ensure access to healthcare services in those areas. These hospitals must meet specific criteria, including maintaining a limited number of beds (25 or fewer) and a short average length of stay (96 hours or less). CAHs must also be in rural areas, typically more than 35 miles from another hospital. Infinity currently contracts with two CAHs, and we have several others that are very interested in a partnership.
Research continues to demonstrate that virtual rehabilitation services can yield outcomes comparable to in-person care for many diagnoses and conditions. As technology advances and regulatory frameworks increasingly support telehealth integration, physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy services delivered virtually are poised to become a permanent fixture in healthcare delivery models. The combination of expanded access, operational efficiency, and patient-centered care positions telehealth as a crucial tool in overcoming the persistent challenges faced by the rehabilitation workforce.
