The trend of patient demand for in-home rehab is only increasing
Outpatient in-home rehab has become more popular over the past several years, and the 2020/2021 COVID-19 pandemic only boosted this popularity. While the reasons outpatient in-home therapy was popular during the pandemic are clear, the trend of patient demand for this kind of care is only increasing.
So, the question remains, why is outpatient in-home rehab increasing in popularity, even as other home-based services grow less popular as COVID-19 becomes endemic? This article will discuss various reasons that home health organizations and their patients have shared.
Why Is Outpatient In-Home Rehab Becoming More Popular?
Outpatient in-home is popular among patients for many reasons. Some of these reasons include:
- The patient does not have to find transportation.
- The care can be more personalized as the caregiver can provide strategies for navigating real-world difficulties.
- As many patients now work from home, it is easier to fit in at-home appointments.
- Outpatient in-home is now more economical than previously because more medical professionals offer this service, and more insurers cover this type of service.
- Patients with autoimmune diseases or who are otherwise more prone to getting ill appreciate the reduced exposure an at-home setting offers.
While that last bullet point was the focus of 2020/2021, all of the above points make outpatient in-home more beneficial and comfortable for all qualifying patients.
This type of therapy is also popular among clinicians and home health providers for several reasons, including:- The schedule can be more flexible.
- Clinicians can utilize their creativity and determine the best solutions for real-life problems their patient faces at home.
- Many outpatient clinics had to limit the number of patients allowed indoors during 2020/2021, which means they are now better suited to an outpatient in-home setting.
- More healthcare professionals have decided that working on a contract or PRN basis is a better fit for their finances and/or schedule.
- Clinics can occupy a smaller footprint while serving a large patient base when they provide outpatient in-home rehab.
- More insurers are covering outpatient in-home, which encourages more providers to offer it.
- Due to funding changes, outpatient in-home is seeing patients when they are discharged from home health.
- There was a lull in the amount of healthcare accessible during the COVID-19 pandemic, which means that now, more and more patients are accessing their healthcare benefits.
As the popularity of outpatient in-home rehab grows, many clinics and home health providers are seeking software that specifically serves the home health world. cliniCONNECTS is a SaaS designed to help home health providers and structured to support outpatient in-home and other forms of home healthcare. It can be customized to allow clinics to input and utilize their own processes while still cutting costs by automating scheduling, credential management, and more.
Find out more about cliniCONNECTS and take the software for a spin by scheduling a free demo here.
