Purpose of Technology

Telerehabilitation is the delivery of rehabilitation services from a distance using telecommunication technology, ranging from the telephone to more complex systems involving the Internet and videoconferencing equipment. Services may include consultation, mentoring, education, support, treatment monitoring, functional assessment, and/or therapy. Telerehabilitation has been proposed as a means to provide access to rehabilitation services for stroke survivors who have residual functional impairments at discharge from inpatient care when travel to outpatient rehabilitation facilities is hindered by cost, distance, or cognitive or mobility issues. The goal of telerehabilitation is to improve patient function and reduce long-term disability and associated healthcare costs.

Questions addressed in this report include:

• Is telerehabilitation effective and comparable to face-to-face methods for the continued rehabilitation of stroke patients?
• Is telerehabilitation safe?
• Have definitive patient selection criteria been established for the use of telerehabilitation for the stroke patient?

These questions provide a framework for review and synthesis of the best available evidence, which is presented in this report, along with the Hayes Ratings for the technology. This report also provides background information about the condition being treated, a description of the technology, and the context for development of the technology. Other key elements addressed in the report include the regulatory status; applicable Medicare and commercial payer coverage policies; relevant ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnosis codes; cost and cost effectiveness; credentialing; hospital length of stay; need for large case management; and ongoing and future clinical trials of the technology.

Posted in Directory Reports
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 13th, 2011 at 8:00 am.