Telerehabilitation Toolkit

This toolkit addresses the use of telehealth across the professions of Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT) and Speech Language Pathology (SLP). Included are aspects of practice as it relates to Occupational Therapists, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants, Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants, and Speech Language Pathologists.

Each profession uses their professional organizations to establish telehealth guidelines and all are heavily involved in advocating for clinical integration and reimbursement of rehab services. The three professional organizations that cover these professions are: American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). All three organizations also participate in and guide the work of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA). The terms telehealth, telerehabilitation, telepractice, virtual, and digital are used throughout this document to represent services delivered remotely using technology. The term “telerehab/telerehabilitation” will be used going forward.