How Telehealth Helps Patients with Bone and Joint Conditions Access the Care They Need

This week is Bone and Joint Action Week, a week dedicated to raising awareness worldwide about the prevention, management and treatment of bone and joint conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis. Although more than 127 million people in the U.S. suffer from a musculoskeletal condition, there is a significant shortage of physicians specializing in treating these diseases. Telehealth helps bridge this gap in access and connects patients with the care they need. 

The most common symptoms for those with bone and joint conditions are swelling, pain, stiffness and decreased range of motion – all of which can make everyday tasks challenging. For many patients, these symptoms can make traveling to doctors’ appointments painful and difficult. Telehealth can help alleviate these barriers to in-person care, eliminating the need for travel and enabling patients to seek physician’s care from the comfort of their own home. 

The U.S. faces a significant shortage of arthritis specialists, with recent research indicating that the existing shortage of rheumatologists will worsen over the next decade, while the demand for arthritis specialists will continue to grow. Telehealth allows patients to seek the care of specialists who may be states away, significantly expanding access. Virtual care options also improve appointment wait time, so patients can seek the care they need quicker and more frequently, ultimately leading to improved outcomes.

Arthritis is one of the most common chronic conditions older adults suffer from. In fact, nearly half of U.S. adults 65 or older are living with arthritis. Telehealth has been critical in helping many of these patients access treatment. Nearly 35 percent of Medicare beneficiaries have arthritis, and more than 2.7 million Medicare beneficiaries overall utilized telehealth in the first quarter of 2024, further emphasizing patients’ reliance on virtual care.  

Without urgency action from Congress, regulatory flexibilities for telehealth access originally granted during the COVID-19 public health emergency are set to expire at the end of this year – in less than 70 days. Lawmakers must act on strong bipartisan support for virtual care by acting swiftly to avert a potential telehealth cliff for millions of Medicare beneficiaries by extending critical flexibilities — and work toward reform that permanently protects access to this critical mode of care. 

“The telehealth flexibilities granted during the pandemic have been a lifeline for arthritis patients who suffer from debilitating joint pain and other associated difficulties that can make accessing in-person care more difficult and are in need of the expanded specialist access that telehealth provides,” said Alisa Vidulich Casavant, MPH, senior director of policy at the Arthritis Foundation, in a September statement on the markup of legislation to extend critical flexibilities for telehealth. “Given the significant shortage of arthritis specialists, virtual options have increased access for patients to get the care they need. We urge lawmakers to safeguard telehealth flexibilities.” 

Learn more about how Congress can act now to safeguard access to telehealth HERE.