By Kim DelMonico | ryortho.com | Wed, November 13th, 2019
San Diego, California-based Reflexion Health has announced a new digital physical therapy platform called HelloPT™. Services provided include support for injury prevention, injury recovery, and telehealth access to qualified physical therapists.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) estimates that approximately half of all Americans are currently in need of physical therapy (PT) healthcare, with a risk of decreased quality of life. If left untreated, minor problems can also eventually evolve into chronic pain and serious conditions that require costly and invasive surgery.
Joe Smith, M.D., CEO of Reflexion Health emphasized this point, stating, “HelloPT is designed to empower people to improve their health. Physical therapy is often thought of as a tool for recovery, but PT can be incredibly beneficial to prevent injuries and keep physical therapy needs from getting to the point where surgery or pain medication becomes necessary.”
He explained to OTW, “Physical therapy can do wonders, from helping someone understand what causes their musculoskeletal problems, all the way to helping them resolve it. It just shouldn’t be so hard to access. We are trying to change that by providing an easy and informative on-ramp to the physical therapy experience—HelloPT.”
Users can access HelloPT on any device and, after responding to a short assessment, will receive an individualized, self-paced physical therapy exercise program. Telehealth care from licensed physical therapists is available for those requesting more specialized support.
HelloPT recommendations are based on Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) of the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (AOPT). The accessibility of a digital platform may allow those who are experiencing chronic pain or who have trouble finding time to seek an additional medical appointment to get care they wouldn’t have otherwise.
Marc Mirisch, P.T., D.P.T., M.B.A. from Digital Home Therapy spoke to OTW about this ease of access. Mirisch said, “The biggest question people have when they get injured is ‘what am I supposed to do?’ HelloPT helps people to get the answers they need conveniently and without any hassle. Whether they are seeking preventative care or trying [to] help an injury, they can access HelloPT to get answers to what steps they should be taking next. They may just need to do some exercises to get better, or they might need to access a physical therapist through HelloPT to evaluate them. HelloPT gives them the freedom to easily seek out the help that they need.”
Founded in 2012, Reflexion Health is a digital healthcare company with a goal of “bringing physical therapy home, leveraging innovations in technology and clinical delivery to offer a patient-centered, data-driven and value-based solution for home-based physical recovery.” Beyond HelloPT, Reflexion Health offers VERA®, a platform that uses a combination of avatar coaching, 3D motion-capture technology and both remote clinical consult and telehealth to help patients access orthopedic care.