We are thrilled to share AAPM&R's newly-released white paper, Telehealth in PM&R: Past, Present and Future in Clinical practice and Opportunities for Translational Research.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has quickly become a more prominent aspect of clinical practice in physiatry and a fundamental part of the healthcare delivery system. AAPM&R recognizes the significant value telehealth holds in delivering and receiving care and the importance of exploring forward-thinking strategies to address the opportunities and challenges in using technology to provide services outside of traditional face-to-face healthcare. In response, the Academy convened an expert group of leaders to examine telehealth innovation across various practice settings and areas of care unique to the PM&R specialty. This white paper summarizes the cutting-edge use of telehealth in our specialty, identifies current knowledge deficits and technological limitations, outlines the strength of available evidence, and explores new and transformative opportunities for PM&R to advance translational research and patient care.

"Telehealth expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic created a unique opportunity to explore the capacity of this method of healthcare delivery for our patients,” said Adam Tenforde, MD, FAAPMR, co-chair and lead author of the white paper. “I am proud of the writing group and grateful for the support of our Academy to review the multiple ways that telehealth allows us to optimize care of our patients and future directions in research."

Academy members are encouraged to share this white paper with your colleagues and interested stakeholders.  Please reach out to healthpolicy@aapmr.org with any questions.

AAPM&R thanks the white paper co-authors:

Adam S. Tenforde, MD, FAAPMR; Co-chair

Joshua Alexander, MD, FAAPMR; Co-chair 

Marca Lee Alexander, MD

Thiru Annaswamy, MD, MA, FAAPMR

Conley Carr, MD, FAAPMR

Philip Chang, DO, FAAPMR

Monique Diaz, MD, FAAPMR

Mary A. Iaccarino, MD, FAAPMR

Stephen Lewis, MD, FAAPMR

Sindhu Pandit, MD. MBA, FAAPMR

Claudia Ramirez, MD

Robert Rinaldi, MD, FAAPMR

Todd Rowland, MD, FAAPMR, Chair of AAPM&R’s Telehealth Innovation Workgroup

Chloe Slocum, MD, MPH, FAAPMR

Gene Tekmyster, DO, FAAPMR

Deborah Venesy, MD, FAAPMR

Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD, FAAPMR

Richard Zorowitz, MD, FAAPMR