Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc., creator of the EksoGT exoskeleton, has announced a partnership with Genesis Rehab Services to study possible uses of the device in skilled nursing facilities, according to a press release.
“We are excited to learn from one of the most innovative rehabilitation services providers in the world, and would like to thank Sarah Thomas, senior director of innovation for [Genesis Rehab Services] GRS, for the vision and commitment to bringing our two organizations together,” Thomas Looby, president and chief executive officer of Ekso, said in the release. “In the United States alone, more than 2.4 million Medicare patients receive rehabilitation at nearly 15,000 skilled nursing facilities. The leadership at Genesis has demonstrated a visionary and strategic approach to incorporating groundbreaking rehabilitation technology to further enhance patient care and outcomes, increase efficiencies and reduce costs for payers at the more than 1,700 facilities it serves. Together, we aim to redefine rehabilitation for the entire industry, and ultimately to make exoskeleton gait rehabilitation a standard of care.”
According to Ekso, the EksoGT is the first FDA-approved, wearable exoskeleton indicated for stroke and spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Through its partnership with GRS, Ekso said it aims to learn more about post-acute rehabilitation settings and to improve patient outcomes.
According to the release, the collaboration team will work to achieve the following goals:
- Define the needs and challenges of the post-acute industry;
- investigate ways to efficiently introduce an exoskeleton program;
- determine the clinical and economic benefits for a new standard of care; and
- detail the economic case in favor of exoskeletons in rehabilitation.
“We’re honored that Ekso recognizes us as an innovative rehab services leader,” Dan Hirschfeld, president of GRS, said in the release. “We expect that Ekso’s collaboration with our physical therapists at Layhill Center [in Silver Spring, Maryland] will pave the way for additional opportunities to influence innovation within the post-acute rehabilitation setting. We are excited to quantify the potential benefits of exoskeleton gait rehabilitation for our patients.”
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