Caitlin Whyte (Host): Infirmary Therapy Services is expanding its service offering by now offering therapy at home. To tell us more about what this option looks like, we are joined by Chuck Oates, a Physical Therapist, and Robert Nelson, the Director of Business Development for Outpatient Therapy.

 Welcome to LifeCast by Infirmary Health. My name is Caitlin Whyte. So, I'll start with you today, Chuck. What is physical therapy at home? Tell us more about this option.

Chuck Oates, PT: Physical therapy at home has been around for a number of years, but it's just not been very popular. But after COVID hit, we realized that there were a lot of patients that were still really hesitant about getting out in the public and going in public spaces. So, outpatient therapy at home really took off then, so that we've been able to go into the privacy of people's homes and do outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, right there in their own home where they feel more comfortable and it's just a more relaxed atmosphere, but we also have one-on-one attention with each and every patient. So, it kind of started and kicked off in the COVID time so that we could just better serve our clients and get them the help that they so badly needed and wanted, but they also wanted it in the privacy of their home versus in a outpatient setting.

Host: And, Robert, how does this therapy offering differ from the traditional therapy received in a clinic?

Robert Nelson: If we look at a postop surgery patient, where we need to get them moving as quickly as possible, there are situations with a total knee, total hip, et cetera, that we can get some mobility and some movement going in this patient at home before we get them to an outpatient clinic where we can increase the scope of the recovery.

Chuck Oates, PT: Yeah. So, just being able to get in the home right after surgery, so usually like postop orthopedic surgeries, that has had total hips, total knee replacements; we're able to get in the home the very next day after they are discharged either from their outpatient surgery center or from the hospital from their overnight stay. So, we're able to establish their plan of care and get them the services started the very next day. So, we have found that early mobility in joint replacement surgeries are very important for their total outcomes. So, this allows us to get in a little bit quicker. Some clinics may have a delay in getting a patient in and out, but we're able to get in there the next day and get that started.

Host: Gotcha. Wonderful. Well, Chuck, who then qualifies for this type of service?

Chuck Oates, PT: So, anybody qualifies for this type of services. Medicare has always paid for this type of services and all major insurance companies cover therapy at home. And just like I said, it wasn't really utilized because most people went the traditional route before COVID and they said they either had outpatient surgery in a clinic or they were in a rehab setting in a hospital or a rehab center, or they just used traditional home health. So, it really took off during COVID that we could get in and get into their homes, but all insurances do cover what we do in the home.

Host: Wonderful, we love to hear that. And Robert, how does therapy in the home expedite recovery?

Robert Nelson: In my view, it gets the patient involved sooner than later. They may have transportation issues. They may not be able to drive. They could have a whole host of scenarios that would prohibit them from getting to an outpatient clinic. And for us to be able to go to them and get therapy started, and that may go on indefinitely or for a long period of time where we do go to the home because those scenarios haven't changed with transportation as an example. So, it's a way for us to facilitate the recovery program and move them along, and get them in a better physical condition.

Host: Great. And, Chuck, do I still need my doctor to prescribe therapy, and do I have to ask for therapy at home specifically?

Chuck Oates, PT: Yes, we still like to have a doctor's referral for us to be involved in their plan of care. The doctor can kind of give us a diagnosis of his findings. We like to have a medication profile list from the doctor to kind of see what conditions we're dealing with. So, we do require and like to have a referral from the doctor for them to get started in their physical therapy.

Host: Great. And, Chuck, as we wrap up, any last thoughts or things you want patients to know about?

Chuck Oates, PT: Well, we just want them to know that, you know, we appreciate the opportunity for them to allow us to come to their home first of all, to provide the service, but we also want them to know that when we come in, you know, we want to come in to make it easy on them because we know that the biggest improvement can happen when a patient can follow through with their exercises at home and what better place to show them to do it than in their homes. So, we get a lot of compliance with the plan of care when we're able to come into their home. We realize that it's, you know, probably less stressful for us to come out to see them versus them to have to get into a clinic. And we just appreciate the opportunity for them to allow us to come out and provide the service for them.

Host: Those are some great points. Thank you. And, Robert, same last question to you. Any final thoughts here?

Robert Nelson: Well, my final thought would be this is that, you know, we spent a lot of time on this conversation regarding, you know, postop surgeries. And so, I want to ask Chuck, what other types of conditions are you treating in addition to postop surgeries that others can benefit from the therapy at home?

Chuck Oates, PT: So yeah, we're able to treat multiple conditions, so we have a lot of referrals for patients that just have generalized weakness. It can be from any sickness that they may be going through or a recent hospitalization. We get a lot of referrals for patients that have balance issues or had frequent falls in their home, because we're able to go in and provide a home assessment for safety and initiate a fall prevention program for them.

So, we go out and do a lot of occupational therapy for patients that are having trouble performing activities of daily living, whether that could be bathing, dressing, cooking, anything in their home like that. So, we can see most any diagnosis or treat any patient that that has a disability, including even stroke rehab, after people get home and need to learn how to manage their lives after a stroke.

Host: Well, thanks to both of you for this wonderful conversation and for all of the work that you do. Infirmary therapy services has nine outpatient clinics conveniently located in Mobile and Baldwin counties. To schedule an appointment, please call 251-435-4876. For more information on Infirmary Therapy Services, please visit infirmaryhealth.org. Thank you for listening to LifeCast by infirmary Health. I'm Caitlin Whyte.