Are you setting up your employees for progression or regression?
Physical therapy accessibility has been less than ideal during the COVID-19 outbreak. Patients are social distancing, clinics are temporarily closing, and physical therapists are pushing pause on their practice. But what does this mean for the patients themselves?
Whether a person has new aches and pains from working from home or has an existing musculoskeletal (MSK) condition, it may not be easy to access necessary care. The CDC recommends physical therapy as the first step for MSK pain treatment to help speed up recovery. However, without that care, their condition could get worse and result in a higher risk of unnecessary procedures and opioids prescriptions.
MSK pain can have a domino effect of repercussions that affect an employer’s bottom line and overall health spend. Lost workdays and decreased productivity can cost companies as much as $300 billion dollars each year. By reducing access to care, patients are unfortunately set up to regress and will spiral into more health, performance and cost related issues.
Employees are the most valuable asset to a company’s success and their health should be treated as a top priority. The workforce needs to feel safe when accessing healthcare and be equipped with a variety of provider solutions to choose from to treat both new and preexisting conditions.
Telehealth is the bridge to better care. As millions of people tread lightly at the reopening of states, remote care brings a sense of safety without having to worry about the spread of infectious disease or coming in contact with high-risk areas such as crowded offices and hospitals. More and more employers include telehealth programs in their benefits ecosystems. Virtual care is rebuilding the bridge to care accessibility, enabling patients to have constant access to care now and throughout COVID-19 and beyond. Virtual solutions, such as Physera’s physical therapy program, offer efficient and convenient care and drive better adherence. The multifaceted program supports and educates users on other best practices, such as ergonomics, that can further treat and prevent MSK issues.
Physera encourages businesses to continue putting their workforce’s health and well-being first. If you are interested in learning how Physera can equip your organization with the solutions to avoid the domino effect that follows the lack of access to care, request a demo here.
