NSM Partners with Telehealth Expert to Expand Remote Services

• By Laurie Watanabe
• Aug 12, 2020

One of the healthcare advances to potentially result from the COVID-19 pandemic is the emergence of expanded remote services — especially significant for people in higher-risk groups.

National Seating & Mobility (NSM) has teamed with a telehealth and remote services expert to further expand its capabilities in this crucial time and beyond it.

In a July 30 news announcement, NSM said it was collaborating with “telehealth experts Blue Sky Therapy, Lightning Mobility Evaluations and Spero Rehab to maximize the company’s complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) services nationwide.”

NSM CEO Bill Mixon said in the announcement, “NSM is working to set industry standards for CRT provision via remote evaluation with telehealth partners. Partnering with regional telehealth experts helps us ensure our clients across the country have coverage and access to this essential service. These partners also allow us to support our existing referral sources in facilities currently challenged by the impact of COVID-19.”

Mixon added that NSM evaluates the appropriateness of remote services for each client the company serves.

“When considering remote evaluation as a viable option for each client, NSM takes into consideration the complexity of the evaluation or delivery, referral source acceptance and payor rules,” he explained. “The quality of care and outcomes are essential to the development of industry remote evaluation standards.”

The announcement described NSM as “the industry leader in remote evaluation appointments with 20 percent of new equipment evaluations conducted via telehealth. The company and its telehealth partners utilize HIPAA-compliant communications products for all telehealth services.”

Mixon added, “As our world changed due to the pandemic, our industry has been forced to change with it. COVID-19 accelerated telehealth as a viable approach to complex rehab. With the measurable benefits this offers our clients, we believe CRT supported by remote evaluation and telehealth is here to stay long after this Public Health Emergency.”