Why I Left My Physical Therapy Practice for Telehealth (+ resources to make the leap)
Perspectives from an established Physical Therapy leader: Dr. Anang Chokshi
Dr. Anang Chokshi, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS is a Physical Therapist, entrepreneur, educator, and technology enthusiast who has held leadership roles across clinical practice, startups, universities, and the American Physical Therapy Association. He is currently the founder of Digital Healthcare Consulting, LLC and has previously held the title of Chief Clinical Officer at multiple HealthTech startups. If you’re a Physical Therapist interested in moving into telehealth, Dr. Chokshi has included two resources to help you on your journey: Medbridge (free) and the APTA Learning Center (paid).
As a dedicated physical therapist, I managed a thriving orthopedic clinic near Los Angeles early on in my career. I had invested in continuing education, developed strong patient relationships, and grown as a clinician. But inefficiencies in traditional care, coupled with declining reimbursements, made me question how to provide the high-quality care I believed my patients deserved.
I took a leap and left for a tele-rehab tech startup back in 2012. My passion for physical therapy and patient care remained and continues to remain strong, but I saw an opportunity to make the process more efficient and effective. There were many compelling reasons that drove me to take the leap (long before COVID-19 made telehealth mainstream), but I want to highlight a few reasons why I left (as well as a few resources) to help inspire the next generation of clinicians to integrate into the future of healthcare.
Let’s dive in.
Reason 1: Extending Our Reach to the Patient
Reason 2: Improving Access to Physical Therapy
Reason 3: Creating a More Robust Industry Standard
Reason 4: To Explore and Meet Patient Demand
Bonus: Resources for making the leap to telehealth
Reason 1: Extending Our Reach to the Patient
Physical therapists deeply care about their patients, but traditional systems often hinder our ability to provide the care we’re passionate about. The use of tele-rehab technology as part of our practice has the potential to modernize patient care by offering support, education and information when and where it’s needed. It also provides insights into patient progress outside the clinic.
Research consistently shows that telemedicine can deliver outcomes of healthcare services of the same quality as in-person consultations for many conditions. By embracing remote monitoring and tele-rehab technology, we can extend our reach beyond the clinic, enabling patients to maximize their recovery between visits.
Reason 2: Improving Access to Physical Therapy
Physical therapists are often busy, seeing patients back-to-back with minimal time for productivity. Tele-rehab can streamline repetitive exercises and create more face-to-face time for patients who genuinely need it.
Tele-rehab enhances access for patients in remote locations and allows healthcare providers to reach beyond their physical offices. Given global shortages of healthcare providers, telemedicine can significantly expand access to care.
While one-on-one interaction is still essential for patient confidence and safety, technology plays a crucial role in augmenting the healing journey, by providing convenience, real-time feedback, and valuable data for better clinical decision-making.
Reason 3: Creating a More Robust Industry Standard
Physical therapists often struggle to find time for creativity and patient education due to fee-for-service models that prioritize productivity over outcomes. Offering tele-rehab technology tools in-home to empower patients with information about their recovery and fits well in a value-based payment model.
This can enable clinicians to practice at a higher level to benefit both patient outcomes and fosters a results-driven and forward-thinking approach while enhancing the therapeutic alliance between patient and clinician.
Reason 4: To Explore and Meet Patient Demand
Managing healthcare costs and enhancing efficiency and outcomes are vital drivers for telehealth technologies. Telemedicine technologies can reduce healthcare costs through better management of chronic diseases, shared professional staffing, reduced travel times, and shorter hospital stays. As healthcare shifts towards outcome based reimbursement like bundled payments, we must explore new opportunities to adapt and succeed in the evolving landscape.
Engaging with new technologies and implementing tele-rehab is a win-win for patients and healthcare professionals. Embracing these innovations will improve care delivery in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
Bonus: Resources for making the leap to telehealth
Telehealth is a key part of clinical practice moving forward. It’s unlikely that it will replace direct patient care, but there is a place for it in society for improving access for patients where traditional care pathways fall short. There are two resources I want to highlight in particular for clinicians who are exploring whether telehealth is the right career step for them:
Free — Medbridge Telehealth Resources
Paid — APTA Learning Center
The future of healthcare is changing, and tele-rehab is a powerful tool to reshape the way we provide physical therapy. By leveraging technology, we can ensure better access, outcomes, and patient satisfaction in a shifting healthcare landscape. To meet this future together, let’s start today.
Interested in what healthcare careers of the future could look like? Check out Next Degree — we’re building an AI-powered healthcare job search of the future to help you find a healthcare job you love, whether that’s in clinic or beyond.
