Telehealth: An Option for Those Without Local Specialists

For people living in rural areas or regions without specialized providers nearby, telehealth can be a genuine lifeline. Medicare has approved telehealth services through December 2027, and many therapy activities translate well to a screen - evaluations, guided exercises, watching a patient cook a meal, and checking how a device is fitting during movement.

That said, telehealth isn’t right for every situation. Patients who can’t yet perform basic activities of daily living - dressing, bathing, feeding themselves - will likely need inpatient rehabilitation first. And if a physical issue comes up during a telehealth visit, such as a wound or blister, the therapist may shift to requiring an in-person appointment.

The decision about when telehealth works and when it doesn’t sits with the therapist, who uses clinical judgment based on the patient’s diagnosis and functional level. There’s no fixed ratio of telehealth to in-person visits - it’s driven entirely by what the patient needs.

The Missing Piece: Therapist-Prosthetist Collaboration

One of the biggest gaps in the current healthcare system, in Linsey’s view, is the lack of communication between therapists and prosthetists. It’s not usually a willingness problem. It’s a time problem.

A typical therapist sees seven patients a day for about an hour each, with thirty minutes for lunch and thirty minutes for documentation. Taking fifteen or twenty minutes to call a prosthetist means cutting into a patient’s treatment time. And if the prosthetist isn’t available when the therapist calls, the return call might come hours later - long after the patient has already left the clinic.

The root cause isn’t negligence. It’s a system driven by insurance reimbursement models that look efficient on paper but don’t account for the real complexity of treating a person with limb loss.

It’s one of the reasons Linsey is helping build Restorative Health. The model trains therapy assistants to also complete supervision hours on the prosthetic and orthotic side, allowing the same provider working with a patient therapeutically to recognize and address device issues on the spot - without scheduling a separate appointment or waiting weeks for an adjustment. Rather than forcing patients to move between disconnected providers, the goal is to bring rehabilitation and prosthetic expertise closer together so care becomes more coordinated.

Looking Ahead

Telehealth has made it possible for more people to access specialized rehabilitation, especially those who live far from experienced providers. But technology alone isn’t enough. Good care still depends on knowledgeable clinicians, strong communication between providers, and a healthcare system that gives patients access to the right expertise at the right time.

As telehealth continues to evolve, Linsey believes its greatest value will come when it’s combined with better collaboration between therapists, prosthetists, and the rest of the rehabilitation team - making care more connected, more efficient, and ultimately more patient-centered.