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Telerehabilitation: managed care's new opportunity
Managed Care Quarterly
|January 9, 2001
Summary
Telehealth, including telerehabilitation, offers cost-effective remote patient care. Further research is needed to demonstrate its clinical and economic benefits for widespread adoption and reimbursement.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare technology
- Rehabilitation medicine
- Telecommunications
Background:
- Telecommunications advances enable new models for postacute and rehabilitative care.
- Current remote care models are cost-effective, around $400 per patient.
- Lack of large-scale trials hinders payer reimbursement and guideline development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the potential of telerehabilitation in extending postacute care.
- To address the need for evidence supporting telemedicine in rehabilitation.
- To inform managed care organizations (MCOs) about extending care to nonclinical settings.
Main Methods:
- Review of current telecommunications technology in healthcare.
- Analysis of cost factors for remote patient care.
- Discussion of the gap in clinical and economic evidence for telerehabilitation.
Main Results:
- Telerehabilitation offers direct patient care at remote locations or homes.
- Substantial benefits are possible for payers, providers, and patients.
- Significant potential exists for MCOs to expand care beyond traditional settings.
Conclusions:
- Telerehabilitation presents a promising modality for extending postacute care.
- Further large-scale randomized controlled trials are essential.
- Development of best-practice guidelines is needed for broader implementation.