# Physical Medicine * **Definition:** A branch of medicine, also known as physiatry, that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. * **Taxonomy:** Specialties / Physical Medicine ## News * Selected news on the topic of **Physical Medicine**, for healthcare technology leaders * 1.5K news items are in the system for this topic * Posts have been filtered for tech-related keywords | Date | Title | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 5/28/2025 | [**Lutheran Home opens spine, joint clinic**](https://www.beckersspine.com/orthopedic-spine-practices-improving-profits/lutheran-home-opens-spine-joint-clinic/) | [[Beckers Spine Review]] | | 5/16/2025 | [**How Texas Children's, MD Anderson will use $150M gift to fight cancer**](https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/how-md-texas-children-s-md-anderson-will-use-150m-gift-to-fight-cancer) | [[Chief Healthcare Executive]] | | 4/16/2025 | [**The most 'distressed' physician specialties**](https://www.beckersasc.com/asc-news/the-most-distressed-physician-specialties/) | [[Beckers ASC Review]] | | 4/3/2025 | [**Northwell team performs hospital's 1st pediatric heart transplant**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/cardiology/northwell-team-performs-hospitals-1st-pediatric-heart-transplant/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 2/28/2025 | [**Early research suggests why exercise is so protective against brain disease - AOL.com**](https://www.aol.com/early-research-suggests-why-exercise-213130522.html) | [[AOL]] | | 2/17/2025 | [**The Inner Circle acknowledges, Joshua M. Smith, MD as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-inner-circle-acknowledges-joshua-m-smith-md-as-a-pinnacle-lifetime-member-302378076.html) | [[PR Newswire]] | | 2/10/2025 | [**Moving Toward Implementation of Responsible Artificial Intelligence in Health Care The ...**](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/articlepdf/2830339/jama_van_genderen_2025_vp_250020_1738942289.32031.pdf) | [[JAMA Network]] | | 2/10/2025 | [**Launching the Trustworthy and Responsible AI Network (TRAIN) A Consortium to Facilitate ...**](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/articlepdf/2830340/jama_emb_2025_vp_250019_1738942291.693.pdf) | [[JAMA Network]] | | 2/7/2025 | [**The top deals to know this week**](https://www.modernhealthcare.com/mergers-acquisitions/healthcare-ma-deals-molina-vanderbilt) | [[Modern Healthcare]] | | 12/16/2024 | [**JAMA**](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2827918) | [[JAMA Network]] | | 12/2/2024 | [**JAMA**](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2827395) | [[JAMA Network]] | | 11/25/2024 | [**Robust measures developed to study how social determinants influence spinal cord injury outcomes**](https://www.news-medical.net/news/20241125/Robust-measures-developed-to-study-how-social-determinants-influence-spinal-cord-injury-outcomes.aspx) | [[News Medical Net]] | | 11/25/2024 | [**Researchers develop tools to examine neighborhood economic effects on spinal cord injury ...**](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-tools-neighborhood-economic-effects-spinal.html) | [[MedicalXpress]] | | 11/25/2024 | [**Researchers develop tools to examine neighborhood economic effects on spinal cord injury ...**](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-tools-neighborhood-economic-effects-spinal.html?deviceType=desktop) | [[MedicalXpress]] | | 11/21/2024 | [**Telerehabilitation Systems Market to Expand by USD 532.9 Million (2024-2028), Rising Chronic Disease Cases Driving Revenue, AI Impacting Market Trends - Technavio**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/telerehabilitation-systems-market-to-expand-by-usd-532-9-million-2024-2028-rising-chronic-disease-cases-driving-revenue-ai-impacting-market-trends---technavio-302312036.html) | [[PR Newswire]] | | 11/21/2024 | [**Telerehabilitation Systems Market to Expand by USD 532.9 Million (2024-2028), Rising ...**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/telerehabilitation-systems-market-expand-usd-195300451.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 11/16/2024 | [**Health IT Issues that Deserve a Second Read - October 2024**](https://www.healthitanswers.net/health-it-issues-that-deserve-a-second-read-october-2024/) | [[Health IT Answers]] | | 11/13/2024 | [**Wednesday, November 13, 2024 - California Healthline**](https://californiahealthline.org/morning-briefing/wednesday-november-13-2024/) | [[California Healthline]] | | 10/15/2024 | [**Empatha Announces Significant Capital Raise to Scale Behavioral Health Services in Workers' Compensation**](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241015885342/en/Empatha-Announces-Significant-Capital-Raise-to-Scale-Behavioral-Health-Services-in-Workers-Compensation/?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-RLXHJgazfQJNuOVHefdHP-D8R-QU5o2AvY8bhI9uvWSD8DYIYv4TIC1g1u0AKcacnnViVjtb72bOP4-4nHK5ieT3WxPE8m_kWI77F87CseT) | [[Business Wire]] | | 10/15/2024 | [**Empatha Announces Significant Capital Raise to Scale Behavioral Health Services in Workers' Compensation**](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241015885342/en/Empatha-Announces-Significant-Capital-Raise-to-Scale-Behavioral-Health-Services-in-Workers-Compensation/?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-Q-tiwWZwkcswR1UZtV7eGe24xL9TZOyQUMS3J72mJlQ7fxFuNFTHSunhvli30RlBNXya2izy9YOgHlBiZQk2LOzmn6JePCpHPCiYGaEx4DL1Rq8pNwkf3AarimpDzQGuQ==) | [[Business Wire]] | | 10/11/2024 | [**Digital health funding: Glooko gets $100M, appoints new CEO**](https://www.modernhealthcare.com/digital-health/top-funding-glooko-maven-clinic-radiantai) | [[Modern Healthcare]] | | 10/10/2024 | [**Enlyte Launches Apricus Physical Medicine, Offering End-to-End Specialty Service Solution for Industry**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enlyte-launches-apricus-physical-medicine-offering-end-to-end-specialty-service-solution-for-industry-302271561.html) | [[PR Newswire]] | | 8/9/2024 | [**Vori Health increases access to virtual orthopedic care - Healthcare IT News**](https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/vori-health-increases-access-virtual-orthopedic-care) | [[Healthcare IT News]] | | 7/2/2024 | [**'Extraordinary Achievement': Care Transition Program in Nursing Homes Reduced Hospital Readmission Rates by 20%**](https://skillednursingnews.com/2024/07/extraordinary-achievement-care-transition-program-in-nursing-homes-reduced-hospital-readmission-rates-by-20/) | [[Skilled Nursing News]] | | 7/1/2024 | [**The Inner Circle acknowledges, Haris Choudry as a 2024 Leading Physiatrist**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-inner-circle-acknowledges-haris-choudry-as-a-2024-leading-physiatrist-302187085.html) | [[PR Newswire]] | ## Specialty Overview (Some LLM-derived content — please confirm with above primary sources) ### Key Players - **American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R)**: A professional organization that represents physicians specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, focusing on education, advocacy, and research. - **Physiatrist**: A medical doctor specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, focusing on restoring function and improving quality of life for patients with physical impairments. - **Aligned Modern Health**: A healthcare provider recognized for patient-centered, evidence-based care, offering services in functional medicine and chiropractic physical medicine. - **Mark Peterson**: A professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation who advocates for reframing cerebral palsy as a lifelong condition rather than a childhood disorder. - **PAM Health**: Partnered with Baptist Health Care to establish a physical medicine and rehabilitation hospital in Florida. - **Enlyte**: A provider of rehabilitation services, focusing on helping injured employees return to work efficiently through its Apricus Physical Medicine network. - **Optimis Services, Inc.**: A company that launched a next-generation EMR system, OptimisPT-AI, to improve data capture efficiency in physical therapy. - **Academy Medtech Ventures**: The organization behind Move PT, a digital health platform that utilizes AI and computer vision to enhance rehabilitation care. - **Netsmart**: A provider of electronic health record (EHR) and practice management software, focusing on enhancing efficiency for physical therapy and rehabilitation. - **Medbridge**: A healthcare technology company that acquired AI-powered motion capture startup Rehab Boost to enhance rehabilitation services. - **Spry Therapeutics**: Provides AI technology for physical therapy providers, focusing on integrated platforms for rehab clinics. - **Edgewise Therapeutics**: A biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for muscle disorders, including Becker muscular dystrophy. - **Select Medical Holdings Corp.**: Offers medical rehabilitation services through various segments, including outpatient rehabilitation and critical illness recovery. - **Vori Health**: A healthcare provider specializing in orthopedic virtual care, offering services like physical therapy and health coaching through telehealth. - **Sword Health**: A company that launched an AI assistant named Phoenix to assist patients during physical therapy sessions. - **Puzzle Healthcare**: Provides care management and post-discharge monitoring to improve patient outcomes and reduce readmissions. - **Marquis Health Consulting Services**: Introduced OrthoWIN, a specialized subacute care program for orthopedic recovery. - **Brooks Rehabilitation**: Collaborates with other healthcare institutions to enhance pediatric rehabilitation services and address bed shortages in Florida. - **Milestone Scientific**: Developed the CompuFlo Epidural System to enhance patient safety and procedural efficiency in pain management. ### Partnerships and Collaborations - **Collaborations with technology firms**: Physical medicine specialists are increasingly partnering with technology companies to develop innovative rehabilitation devices and telehealth solutions. - **Medbridge and Rehab Boost**: Acquired Rehab Boost to enhance AI-enabled body movement analysis for rehabilitation patients. - **Optimis Services, Inc. and Synergetics.ai**: Collaborated to launch OptimisPT-AI, utilizing AI technology to enhance data capture efficiency in physical therapy. - **PAM Health and Baptist Health Care**: Collaborating to construct a 40-bed physical medicine and rehabilitation hospital in Pensacola, Florida. - **Vori Health and Trustmark**: Partnered to provide orthopedic virtual care for members suffering from musculoskeletal disorders. - **Neuro-Innovators and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital**: Testing a new drug combination for stroke recovery. - **Brooks Rehabilitation and Mayo Clinic**: Opening a new inpatient rehabilitation facility to enhance patient care. - **Marquis Health and OSF HealthCare**: Collaborated to launch the OrthoWIN program, focusing on integrated treatment plans for orthopedic recovery. - **Brooks Rehabilitation and Nemours Children's Health**: A partnership aimed at enhancing pediatric rehabilitation services by doubling available beds and providing specialized care. - **OSF HealthCare and Puzzle Healthcare**: Worked together to reduce readmission rates through a transitional care program. - **Och Spine Center**: A partnership between Columbia University and Weill Cornell Medicine to provide comprehensive spine care. - **Puzzle Healthcare, Arvon CIN, and Corewell Health**: A collaboration focused on improving value-based care and reducing post-acute readmissions for patients in Michigan. - **Raintree Systems and Bill Lucchini**: Appointment of Bill Lucchini to enhance customer value through automation and efficiency in rehabilitation therapy software. - **NexGen Health and Dr. James Petros**: Collaboration to introduce new peptide therapies aimed at enhancing metabolic health. - **DIH Holding and Scientific Advisory Board**: Formed to enhance rehabilitation solutions for patients with mobility impairments. - **Providence and Compassus**: A joint venture aimed at enhancing home health services, including skilled nursing and hospice care. - **Henry Ford Health and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab**: Collaboration for advanced rehabilitation services as part of a $2.2 billion campus expansion. - **Puzzle Healthcare and Arvon CIN**: Collaborating to improve post-acute care and reduce costs. - **Eko Health and LSU Athletics**: A partnership aimed at enhancing heart health and preventive care for student-athletes using advanced medical technology. ### Innovations, Trends, and Initiatives - **Telehealth in Physical Medicine**: The trend towards digital healthcare solutions, particularly in managing pain through personalized care plans and telemedicine. - **Apricus Physical Medicine**: A new network integrating physical and occupational therapy services with data analytics to improve rehabilitation outcomes for injured workers. - **Telehealth and Digital Solutions**: The Peterson Health Technology Institute's report highlights the effectiveness of virtual musculoskeletal solutions, emphasizing the need for integration into medical benefits. - **Move PT Platform**: A digital health platform that uses AI-driven insights to improve rehabilitation care and patient outcomes through real-time monitoring and analytics. - **Sevasemten in Becker Muscular Dystrophy**: A treatment that showed promising results in reducing muscle damage biomarkers and improving patient assessments in a clinical trial. - **Tele-rehabilitation**: The rise of telehealth has led to the development of tele-rehabilitation programs, allowing physiatrists to provide remote care and monitoring for patients recovering from injuries or surgeries. - **AI in Physical Therapy**: Sword Health's AI assistant Phoenix engages patients during therapy sessions, providing real-time feedback and enhancing patient experience. - **CompuFlo Epidural System**: Utilizes Dynamic Pressure Sensing Technology to improve safety in epidural procedures. - **Wearable technology**: Integration of wearable devices that track patient progress and provide real-time feedback to enhance rehabilitation outcomes. - **Reframing Cerebral Palsy**: An initiative to change the perception of cerebral palsy to improve healthcare access and quality for adults living with the condition. - **Peptide Therapies**: NexGen Health introduced Mots-C and Semorelin therapies to enhance metabolic health and vitality. - **Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)**: Research indicating immediate improvements in strength for individuals with traumatic brain injury or stroke, suggesting new clinical applications for DBS technology. - **Exercise Therapy for Axial Spondyloarthritis**: Meta-analysis shows significant improvements in disease activity through exercise. - **AI-powered solutions**: Empatha is developing AI software to enhance care coordination in the workers' compensation sector. - **Higher-Intensity Rehabilitation**: A study shows that higher-intensity walking programs significantly improve quality of life for stroke survivors. - **Telehealth Services Expansion**: CMS has extended telehealth flexibilities, allowing therapists to provide services remotely, which is particularly beneficial for underserved areas. - **OrthoWIN Program**: Aimed at addressing social inequities in orthopedic recovery, providing targeted care plans for patients lacking home support. - **EHR Innovations**: Netsmart's TheraOffice software received ONC Certification, improving patient experiences through secure access to health records and enhancing care coordination. - **Transitional Care Programs**: Implemented by OSF HealthCare to improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions. ### Challenges and Concerns - **Access to care**: Despite advancements in technology, disparities in access to physical medicine services remain a challenge, particularly in rural and underserved areas. - **Capacity Issues in Healthcare**: The increasing demand for musculoskeletal care is straining healthcare systems, leading to challenges in meeting patient needs. - **Decline in Pain Medicine Applicants**: A significant drop in anesthesiology residents applying for pain medicine fellowships raises concerns about future care availability. - **Access to Care**: Millions of U.S. employees are affected by musculoskeletal disorders, highlighting the need for accessible treatment options. - **Gender Gap in Pain Medicine**: A notable decrease in female applicants for pain medicine raises concerns about diversity in the specialty. - **Behavioral Health Services Demand**: Empatha's expansion is driven by the increasing demand for behavioral health services in the workers' compensation industry. - **Medicare Fee Schedule Changes**: The decrease in MPFS rates for 2025 necessitates careful budgeting for therapists serving Medicare beneficiaries. - **Chronic Pain Management**: Chronic pain remains a significant issue, with stigma and access to care affecting treatment outcomes for marginalized groups. - **Pediatric Rehabilitation Bed Shortage**: The partnership between Brooks Rehabilitation and Nemours Children's Health addresses the critical shortage of pediatric rehabilitation beds in Florida. - **Administrative Burdens**: Healthcare professionals spend significant time on administrative tasks, impacting patient care focus. - **Access to Rehabilitation Services**: Increasing demand for specialized rehabilitation care highlights the need for more facilities and trained professionals. - **Data Security**: Concerns regarding health data security and the need for robust telecommunication infrastructure in telerehabilitation. - **Integration of Care**: The need for effective coordination between acute care and rehabilitation services to prevent complications and readmissions. - **Social Inequities**: Programs like OrthoWIN aim to address the challenges faced by patients lacking adequate home support after discharge. - **Inadequate Care for Adults**: The current definition of cerebral palsy primarily as a pediatric condition leads to insufficient care for adults, highlighting a gap in healthcare services. - **Insurance Coverage**: The need for insurance coverage to support the growing demand for teletherapy services. - **Training Gaps**: A study indicates U.S. doctors feel unprepared to care for individuals with disabilities due to inadequate training. - **Integration of Digital Health Solutions**: Digital health platforms create barriers for patients needing to transfer health data back to local providers, complicating access to necessary healthcare services. - **Data privacy and security**: With the increasing use of digital health technologies, concerns regarding the privacy and security of patient data are paramount, necessitating compliance with regulations like HIPAA. - **Consumer Protections in Neurotechnology**: Insufficient consumer protections in the neurotechnology sector, exemplified by the bankruptcy of Second Sight, leaving users without support.