Expanding the Reach of Rehabilitation Professionals with Telehealth

Date of Recording: April 2016

This presentation will provide a brief overview of telehealth terminology, technologies, practice guidelines, evidence-supported clinical applications within the rehabilitation professions, and reimbursement and policy trends. Benefits, challenges, and opportunities associated with the use of telehealth will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: 

• Define key telehealth terms, technologies, and practice considerations.
• Discuss how telehealth aligns with the Triple Aim of healthcare reform.
• Articulate evidence-based clinical applications of telehealth in the rehabilitation professions.
• Identify available resources, including official documents, practice guidelines, and state regulations, to ensure legal and ethical practice using telehealth technologies.
• Describe benefits and challenges for rehabilitation professionals using telehealth technologies for the delivery of healthcare services.

Presenter Information: 

Dr. Jana Cason is an associate professor at Spalding University’s Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy in Louisville, Kentucky. She serves as chair of the American Telemedicine Association’s Telerehabilitation Special Interest Group and chair of the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Technology Special Interest Section. She is associate editor of the International Journal of Telerehabilitation, a peer-reviewed, open-access, PubMed indexed journal. She has authored numerous refereed articles, book chapters, and standards and guidelines documents related to telehealth.

Tammy Richmond, M.S., OTR/L, FAOTA, is an occupational therapist, exercise physiologist, and adjunct professor at the University of Southern California (USC). She is also the CEO and founder of Go2Care, an online telehealth company that provides virtual therapy and wellness services. Tammy serves as the vice chair for Telerehabilitation Special Interest Group (SIG) at the American Telemedicine Association (ATA); served on the Telehealth Ad Hoc Committee at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); and serves on the Practice, Policy, and Reimbursement Committee at the Occupational Therapy Association of California (OTAC) and the American Medical Association (AMA) Telehealth Coding Workgroup. At the USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Tammy teaches on such topics as practice operations and management, telehealth, and the application of technology to rehabilitation. She has authored and co-authored multiple articles ,chapters, and books within the industry.