What is Telehealth Awareness Week?
Telehealth Awareness Week is observed the third week of September annually. In only its second year, the week spotlights the many ways virtual care improves access to quality healthcare services for all individuals, including members of rural and underserved communities.
What exactly is telehealth?
Infinity Rehab has been pioneering the use of telehealth for over 8 years. Through telehealth, patients can be seen virtually to give them access to the same quality care that is delivered in person.
Infinity Rehab has a strong telehealth history going back to 2012 when the therapy company received an award for innovation in the pioneering use of telehealth in physical therapy from the National Association of Rehabilitation Providers and Agencies (NARA). This award came three years after Infinity Rehab implemented their telehealth model.
Leaders across Infinity Rehab have advocated for telehealth on the national level, including Infinity Rehab President JoLynn Munro’s advocacy for telehealth needs on Capitol Hill in 2019. Clinicians across Infinity Rehab also advocate for telehealth by presenting at local and national conferences.
A clinical knowledge broker shares a personal message
Sarah Townsend-Grant, PT, DPT, is a Clinical Knowledge Broker. Sarah empowers people to be champions for health. She is board certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and serves as an advocate and coach for physical, occupational and speech therapists, both through her work as a clinical knowledge broker for Infinity Rehab and as Vice President of the Physical Therapy Association of Washington’s Geriatric Special Interest Group. She has experience in multiple practice areas, including outpatient, assisted living, independent living, and skilled nursing facilities. Sarah has served as a director and manager in Washington, Oregon, Indiana, and Connecticut. She has presented at both national and state conferences and her areas of passion and expertise are inter-professional pain management, medically complex patients, evidence-based practice, and facilitating patient engagement.
Here is her update in recognition of Telehealth Awareness Week:
Happy Telehealth Awareness Week!
1,293 patients’ lives have been touched by telehealth as of Sept 5, 2022.
If you are one of Infinity Rehab’s telehealth distant providers or if you are a telehealth presenter, then thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for being willing to learn a new mode of therapy and go out of your way to ensure that all our patients can receive the clinical care they need despite where they are located in the country.
We wanted to take a moment this week and bring awareness to all that we have accomplished through telehealth over the past two plus years so far.
- From June 2020 through Sept 5, 2022, the total number of telehealth visits we have provided is 1,819.
- Infinity Rehab strives for a hybrid approach using both in-person and telehealth visits.
- Telehealth visits make up on average 6% of overall therapy visits.
- As of the end of Q2, we trained 67 telehealth distant providers including PTs, OTs, and SLPs, and 77 telehealth presenters which included all rehab disciplines supervisors and assistants as well as CNAs, office managers, facility bus drivers and many others who were willing to help ensure patients could receive their needed care.
- In June 2020, we completed six telehealth visits, and in April of 2022 we reached our peak (so far) of 145 visits. That is the highest telehealth usage in one month over the past two plus years.
