{"content":[{"text":"technologies such as smartphones, tablets, and software like Apple Facetime and Facebook \n Messenger. The sudden termination of these options and resources would unnecessarily \n interrupt care, since the safety of patients, especially older adults, to leave their homes for care \n is far from certain. It would not make sense, nor would it demonstrate a commitment to \n supporting patients when and where their needs exist.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.089036,"width":0.7531969999999999,"height":0.08291300000000001}},{"text":"For patients who have difficulty leaving their homes without assistance, lack transportation, or \n need to travel long distances, the ability to supplement or replace in-person sessions with those \n furnished via telehealth greatly reduces the burden on the patient and family when accessing \n care. Therapy interventions delivered through an electronic or digital medium have the potential \n to prevent falls, functional decline, costly emergency room visits, and hospital admissions and \n readmissions. Telehealth helps to overcome access barriers caused by distance, lack of \n availability of specialists and/or subspecialists, and impaired mobility; and can prevent \n unnecessary exposure during a pandemic, epidemic, or even the annual flu season, especially \n for frail and immunocompromised persons.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.184895,"width":0.75821,"height":0.146776}},{"text":"Further, the very nature of therapy services makes them well-suited to telehealth, especially \n when used as an enhancement to service delivery rather than a replacement. Education and \n home exercise programs, including those focused on falls prevention, function particularly well \n with telehealth because the therapist is able to evaluate and treat the patient within the real-life \n context of their home environment, which is not easily replicable in the clinic. Patient and \n caregiver self-efficacy are inherent goals of care provided by occupational therapists, physical \n therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists. A patient’s and/or caregiver’s ability \n to interact in their own environment with a therapist when they are facing a challenge, rather \n than waiting for the next appointment, can be invaluable in supporting the adoption of effective \n strategies to improve function, enhance safety, and promote engagement.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.344592,"width":0.7591889999999999,"height":0.16276100000000004}},{"text":"Occupational therapy practitioners, physical therapy practitioners, speech-language \n pathologists, and audiologists can use telehealth as a supplement to in-person services to \n evaluate and treat a variety of conditions prevalent in the Medicare population, including but not \n limited to: Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, cognitive/neurological/vestibular disorders, multiple \n sclerosis, musculoskeletal conditions, Parkinson disease, pelvic floor dysfunction, frailty, and \n sarcopenia. Below we highlight the benefits of telehealth services furnished by disciplines \n individually.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.520299,"width":0.758607,"height":0.11488200000000004}},{"text":"Occupational Therapy Services \n In many ways, occupational therapy is a perfect match for telehealth technologies that enable \n completion of one of the key aspects of occupational therapy: defining and enabling function \n within a specific context and environment, such as a patient’s home. Occupational therapy \n interventions delivered via telehealth can assist patients regain, develop, and build functional \n independence in everyday life activities to significantly enhance a Medicare beneficiary’s quality \n of life.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.648095,"width":0.759358,"height":0.11481300000000005}},{"text":"Examples of occupational therapy practitioners using telehealth technologies include the \n following: \n • Occupational therapy practitioners use telehealth technologies in four models of care: \n evaluation, intervention, consultation, and monitoring. \n • Occupational therapy practitioners can use telehealth technologies to provide \n educational programming and targeted interventions to promote independent living skills \n (e.g., management of one’s home, time, money, medication); behavioral health (e.g.,","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.775829,"width":0.7588139999999999,"height":0.11551800000000001}},{"text":"2","bbox":{"left":0.495915,"top":0.923011,"width":0.008175999999999961,"height":0.015614000000000017}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}