Telehealth for Physical and Occupational Therapy

Course overview

The COVID-19 pandemic demands that health care providers rethink how they deliver care in ways that reduce the risk of further spreading infection. The use of telehealth is one approach that can help keep both patients and providers safe. Telehealth for Physical and Occupational Therapy is administered virtually, through a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform. This platform is usually accessed through a device such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Telehealth affords us the unique ability to approach patients from a true biopsychosocial approach, encompassing a systematic consideration of the biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery. Regardless of the payer or policy, PTs/OTs and PTAs/OTAs must ensure that when providing telehealth services or billing for them, they are practicing legally and ethically and are adhering to state and federal practice guidelines and payer contract agreements. Practitioners will need to review and understand their state's practice act regarding the delivery of physical or occupational therapy services via telehealth. The American Physical Therapy Association ( APTA) and American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) recommend that physical and occupational therapists use their discretion as to the nature and frequency of using telehealth, and do so within their scope of practice while abiding by any state practice act restrictions as well as their obligations to their profession (APTA, n.d.; Estes, 2017). Telehealth provision or use does not alter a covered entity's obligations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), nor does HIPAA contain a section devoted to telehealth (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Therefore, if a covered entity is utilizing telehealth that involves protected health information (PHI), the entity must meet the same HIPAA requirements that it would if the service were provided in-person. This beginner's level course will teach practitioners how to set up and complete telehealth sessions for a physical or occupational therapy practice, primarily focusing on how to evaluate, monitor, and treat patients remotely.