home

Long COVID/PASC

Advocacy

(Advertisement)

AAPM&R is Calling for a Comprehensive National Plan to Address the Needs of Millions Suffering from Long COVID

According to two recent publications from the Journal of the American Medical Association, ten to thirty percent of individuals who had COVID-19 reported at least one persistent symptom up to six months after the virus left their bodies. That means 3 to 10 million Americans are experiencing symptoms of Long COVID or Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), which are varied and ongoing, including neurological challenges, cognitive problems such as brain fog, shortness of breath, fatigue, pain, and mobility issues.

AAPM&R called on President Joe Biden and Congress to gear up for the next coronavirus crisis by preparing and implementing a comprehensive national plan focused on meeting the needs of millions of individuals suffering from the long-term symptoms of COVID-19, and help them regain quality of life and return to being active members of their communities. The plan must include a commitment to three major components:

  • Resources to build necessary infrastructure to meet this crisis
  • Equitable access to care for patients
  • Research to advance medical understanding of Long COVID

PM&R physicians are uniquely qualified to help guide the multidisciplinary effort needed to develop a plan for this crisis. As a specialty, physiatrists are investigators, team leaders and problem solvers. PM&R physicians see the whole patient AND the whole picture of the rehabilitation ecosystem. Physiatrists are exactly what this crisis needs. Learn more about our Multidisciplinary PASC Collaborative, launched in March 2021, which is working on quality improvement initiatives.

AAPM&R Advocacy, Healthcare Collaborations and Partnerships, and Customized Resources to Support PM&R During This Crisis

AAPM&R is working to ensure PM&R is part of the national conversation about healthcare amidst COVID-19 and advocating for the federal support, legislation, regulation relief and resources that physiatrists need now. One way we are doing this is through our partnerships and collaborations with other specialty societies. The Academy continuously works to represent PM&R through these collaborations, and it is through these partnerships that we are able to discuss and share a variety of resources with you that you critically need.

Stay Up-to-Date

Update on AAPM&R COVID-19 Research Opportunities

Aug 04, 2020

AAPM&R recently facilitated conversations on COVID-19 research opportunities for PM&R with a voluntary research-focused work group. During these conversations, two areas of COVID research interests arose: telehealth and analysis of data currently collected in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) setting and retroactively comparing it with data collected prior to the Public Health Emergency (PHE). Both the 3-Hour and 60% Rules that IRFs must comply with have been suspended during the PHE. This group hopes to learn their effectiveness by analyzing pre- and post-COVID-19 data.

The work group decided to pursue the research idea to answer clinical questions on patients in IRFs using the standard Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSMR) data that many IRFs are already collecting. In addition, they want to supplement that data with other sources (i.e., information on shelter in place orders by state/city/region, etc.). The work group recommended institutions that are model systems of care to be part of this research opportunity because their commitment to collecting sound data is already confirmed. Furthermore, the work group came to the decision that the Academy’s Clinical Data Registry serving as the hub for this data collection effort is ideal. This will help to avoid any one institution needing to be the hub and providing an opportunity for future research collaboration opportunities. Each interested institution is now working through the details of participating in this collective effort through the Academy.

The telehealth idea is being pursued by many members in their own institutions. The Academy is also planning a telehealth practice collaborative where members will be invited to participate in a learning community by sharing their practice data and using the de-identified aggregate data to identify common challenges of successful practices. More details on this opportunity will be announced soon.

If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please reach out to covidresponse@aapmr.org.