Do You Have the Resources to Prove Quality Outcomes in Your PT Practice?

July 9, 2020

Patient monitoring devices help therapists
gain control of patient data to show quality care

As healthcare providers continue to feel the push toward value-based payment models, therapists are increasingly held accountable to prove their value in the continuum of care. When reimbursements become tied to patient outcomes, you must have a way to measure and show quality of care.

But there is much about rehabilitation care that is out of a therapist’s control. Patients may not be compliant. They may only complete some of their exercises, some of the days. They may decide to self-discharge after only a few visits. You may have a fail-proof plan of care, but if the patient doesn’t participate, you’ve got nothing to show for it.

Many therapists measure quality of care based on metrics such as patient reviews, referrals, cancellation rates or self-discharges. However, these metrics are often subjective and cannot be standardized easily.

Fortunately, advancements in patient monitoring can provide a critical solution for physical therapists in taking control of patient outcomes reporting. By measuring a patient’s compliance, range of motion, reps, pain levels and satisfaction levels, monitoring devices can provide the therapist with unarguable numbers and statistics.

An example of this is the PT Genie remote patient monitoring system. Patients are trained by their physical therapist on how to follow their exercise protocol and how to use the PT Genie wearable device and app. Patients wear small sensors and follow a virtual reality, avatar-based home exercise program on a tablet. The device measures range of motion, reps, volume, intensity and patient-reported pain levels.

PT Genie acts as a virtual coach and results tracker. The therapist customizes the plan of care and then views the patient’s progress in real time on the therapist dashboard. Telehealth visits throughout the plan keep patient and therapist connected to ensure the exercises are completed properly and address concerns before a complication may arise. After the patient completes the plan, the system provides patient outcomes data to demonstrate the success of the program.

Keeping patients engaged

One of the best ways to implement measurements to serve a values-based care approach is to engage the patients with the facts about their road to recovery. Patients interact with the device in a game-like fashion. Part coach, part task-master, the device keeps patients motivated to achieve more each day and strive for success – to win the game. Remote patient monitoring also allows the therapist to stay connected with patients outside the clinic, enabling them to exercise when and where they choose to.

A study of 124 post-operative patients that used PT Genie showed that patient compliance increased from 34% to 78% while using the device. Patients also recovered 60% faster than with traditional physical therapy alone. The study also demonstrated a 50% drop in pain scores and a 70% increase in overall patient satisfaction. Those are impressive numbers to help therapists demonstrate value to payers.

Better data and increased revenue

Ultimately, therapists need to develop ways to demonstrate that they are using best practice protocols efficiently and for optimal results. Monitoring systems like PT Genie provide the data to show what parts of the program are delivering and enables you to establish standardized ways to measure results.

Adding the PT Genie system to your therapy toolbox can also drive significant ancillary revenue for providers in addition to their current in-office physical therapy treatments. Because therapists stay connected through telehealth visits, and patients are motivated to stick with the full plan of care, therapists are more likely to see an increase in revenue. To keep it easy, PT Genie automatically tracks and notifies providers when to submit claims to maximize revenue cycles.

For more information on PT Genie and how it may help your practice, please contact sales@ptgenie.com.