Introduction The global pandemic due to SARS‐CoV‐2 has resulted in an expansion of telemedicine. Measures of quality and barriers for rapid use by patients and physicians are not well described. Objective To describe results from a quality improvement initiative during a rapid adoptive phase of telemedicine during the pandemic. Design Patient and physician satisfaction with synchronous audiovisual telemedicine visits was measured during the early adoptive phase (6 April 2020‐17 April 2020) within the division of sports medicine in an academic Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) department. Patients were invited to participate in a quality improvement initiative by completing an online survey at the end of a telemedicine visit. Physicians completed a separate survey. Primary Outcome Measures Patient measures included visit type, duration of encounter, quality, and satisfaction. Physicians reported on experiences performed telemedicine. Results Surveys were completed by 119 patients (293 telemedicine encounters, response rate 40.6%) and 14 physiatrists. Telemedicine was utilized primarily for follow‐up visits (n = 74, 70.6%), and the most common duration was 15 to 29 minutes. Patients rated their telemedicine visit as “excellent” or “very good” across measures (91.6%‐95.0%) including addressing concerns, communication, developing a treatment plan, convenience, and satisfaction. Value of completing a future telemedicine visit was measured at 84.9%. Most reported estimated travel time saved was in excess of 30 minutes. Rate of no‐show was 2.7%. Most physicians (57.1%) had no prior experience with telemedicine visits, and most were comfortable performing these visits after completing 1 to 4 sessions (71%). Nearly all physicians (92.9%) rated their telemedicine experience as very good or excellent. The key barrier identified for telemedicine was technical issues. All physicians reported plans to perform telemedicine visits if reimbursement continues. Conclusions In summary, rapid expansion of telemedicine during the COVID‐19 pandemic was well‐received by a majority of patients and physicians. This suggests feasibility in rapid expansion of telemedicine for other outpatient sports medicine practices.

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed healthcare delivery, including rapid expansion of telehealth. Telerehabilitation, defined as therapy provided by physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech and language pathology, was rapidly adopted with goals to provide access to care and limit contagion. The purpose of this brief report was to describe feasibility of and satisfaction with telerehabilitation. Two-hundred five participants completed online surveys following a telerehabilitation visit. Most commonly, participants were women (53.7%), 35-64 years old, and completed PT (53.7%) for established visits of 30-44 minutes in duration for primary impairments in sports, lower limb injuries, and pediatric neurology. Overall high ratings (“excellent” or “very good” responses) were observed for all patient-centered outcome metrics (ranging 93.7-99%) and value in future telehealth visit (86.8%) across telerehabilitation visits. Women participated more frequently and provided higher ratings than men participants. Other benefits included eliminating travel time, incorporating other healthcare advocates, and convenience delivering care in familiar environment to pediatric patients. Technology and elements of hands-on aspects of care were observed limitations. Recognizing reduced indirect costs of care that telerehabilitation may provide along with high patient satisfaction are reasons policy makers should adopt these services into future healthcare delivery models.

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