Numotion accelerates outcomes with ATOM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The complex rehab industry's efforts to advance outcomes measurement took another significant step forward with the launch of Numotion's Assistive Technology Outcome Measure in early October.

ATOM, a validated, peer-reviewed, client-reported survey, will help to: inform areas for the clinical team to focus on during evaluations; provide a better understanding of client needs for applicable reimbursement; create a comparison of client satisfaction and function with telehealth vs. in-person evaluations; and quantify the effectiveness of assistive technology in helping clients achieving greater independence and health.

“We have a very large client population,” said Susan Taylor, OTR/L, director of training and education for Numotion, which has more than 150 locations and serves more than 260,000 clients. “We're fortunate to have the number of clients that we do so we can take this data and it will mean something. It's super exciting.”

Numotion's ATPs or partner therapists will administer ATOM and it will manage the survey in conjunction with the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The company will mainly use the results in two ways. The first: to make sure it's making the right business decisions.

“When we consider telehealth, for example - are we seeing similar outcomes?” said John Pryles, executive vice president of sales for Numotion. “ATOM gives us a contemporary platform to help us figure that out.”

Numotion will also use the results to appeal to regulators about the value of complex rehab - using more than anecdotes.

“We're really good storytellers because we really care about our customers,” Pryles said. “But what we're seeing is, for CMS and payers, the people writing the bills, they need to see data.”

ATOM is a long-term project, but Numotion expects to start gleaning findings from the survey after about one year, if not sooner.

“I don't think we'll wait a full year before we run some analytics,” Pryles said. “Around telehealth, in particular, there's a need for data. If, at the end of the year, we have 500 surveys, that's a good start. If, at the end of five years, we have 30,000, that's even better.”