Physical Therapy Patients Prefer In-Home Care Over Facility-Based Care

NASHVILLE, Tennesse—Despite record investments in virtual physical therapy companies a new study shows that physical therapy patients materially prefer hands-on, home-based care.

In the study, 1,000 patients with a wide range of conditions were asked to rate their willingness to use in-person in-home care, virtual televisit-based care and facility-based care for their physical therapy treatment, using a scale of 0-5 (5 being the highest).

Conducted by Luna, a provider of physical therapy, the study shows a strong preference for in-person, in-home care (5.0), with a reasonable willingness to use facility-based care (3.1) and, less desirable, virtual-based care (2.7) among under 55 age patients. Consistent trends were observed among those for 55+ age patients: in-home care (5.0), facility-based care (2.8), and virtual-based care (1.9).

One patient documented their physical therapy journey in this article, noting how virtual care was initially appealing but, ultimately, did not meet their recovery needs.

“The study reveals the challenges of pure technology approaches given patient preferences and limitations, particularly among older people,” said RaeAnn Grossman, who recently joined Luna as chief growth officer. “These included technology challenges by users, lack of personalized hands-on treatment and lack of face-to-face interaction and accountability. It also demonstrates the need for health plans and payers to have a truly holistic approach to physical therapy.”

Leading health systems such as Providence, Emory Healthcare, Intermountain Healthcare, UCLA Health and Scripps Health have partnered with Luna to offer outpatient physical therapy in the convenience of a patient’s home.