Telehealth

Home
» Telehealth

What is Telehealth Therapy?

Telehealth uses technology to deliver an in-person experience from a distance. Telehealth Therapy can be compared to out-patient physical, occupational or speech therapy in delivery as well as the breadth of conditions that you or your child's therapist can treat. This means that conditions such as vestibular dysfunction, dizziness, orthopedic conditions and/or pediatric conditions can be treated without having to visit our clinic. 

Our goals for you/your child's Telehealth Therapy session are the same as any other outpatient therapy at FYZICAL Delta.

We strive to assist you or your child in 

  • Getting out of pain
  • Optimizing physical functioning
  • Improving strength, flexibility, and range of motion
  • Improving fine or gross motor dysfunctions
  • Improving developmental delays
  • Improving speech, language or feeding issues

Our patient-centered Telehealth program focuses on outcomes for individuals who might have a compromised immune system, cannot travel, or need a convenient home-based appointment. Telehealth is also for those who are traveling or are seasonally away from FYZICAL Delta.   

Telehealth is very similar to the outpatient therapy you/your child normally receives, except that you/they can enjoy the session from the comfort of your/their own home, in your office, or while traveling. 

Our therapists are experts in movement and musculoskeletal dysfunction as well as treating kiddos of all ages. They can remotely guide you through you/your child's individualized program to improve overall well-being. The only limitation to optimizing our outcome using Telehealth Therapy is the creativity of you/your child and the therapist.

Telehealth therapy may require a slightly different approach to you/your child's session. When undergoing a telehealth session for therapy, the therapist won't be able to use their hands. Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies are often focused on the use of manual therapy and when this is not possible we recommend in-person treatment sessions.


How is a Telehealth Session Conducted?

There are a variety of Telehealth or teleconferencing platforms including popular consumer solutions like Skype, FaceTime, and zoom. FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Centers have chosen to use a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform that allows you to participate in a Telehealth Therapy session in front of a computer, on a tablet, or even from your smartphone with the highest security and privacy features.

Your Telehealth therapy session will be very similar to a standard therapy session.  First, your therapist is going to ask you questions related to you/your child's goals, current condition, and any limitations you may currently be facing that prevent you or your child from achieving those goals.

Obviously, a physical examination cannot be done in quite the same manner as in-person. For example, manual muscle testing won't be done by a therapist restricting your movement, rather necessary vocal feedback about movement that improves or worsens pain and dysfunction. 

Is It Effective?

Advances in Telehealth Therapy allows us at FYZICAL Delta to deliver safe and effective methods of treating pain, dizziness, pediatric issues and even musculoskeletal dysfunction. Telehealth has recently been shown to provide very similar results diagnostically to those results observed in the standard outpatient clinical setting for those who have suffered a stroke.

In cases where patients need a very hands-on approach we recommend our patients consider our hybrid telehealth therapy services that include occasional in-person visits to our clinic.

Your therapist must be a skilled practitioner to deliver your plan of care via Telehealth. Due to the rising costs of healthcare, many therapists have had to become experts at guiding their patients through implementing a home exercise program.

Telehealth therapy is here to stay. A part of that is incorporating an effective home exercise program with regular follow-up visits that provide safe and effective relief of you or your child's limitations, pain, dizziness, or other physical dysfunctions. 

Telehealth Therapy can be very effective in a variety of situations. Here are two articles published recently. 

What Conditions are Commonly Treated through a Telehealth Session?

We can successfully treat a variety of common conditions including 

If your or your child's FYZICAL Therapist is unable to identify the cause of the condition, the staff at FYZICAL Delta may offer our Telehealth Therapy Hybrid program.

What is needed for my Telehealth Physical Therapy Session?

You are the most important piece of equipment for a Telehealth physical therapy session. However, that's not any different than your standard outpatient Therapy appointment at FYZICAL Delta.

The technology used in the delivery of Telehealth physical therapy can differ across providers. At FYZICAL we utilize secure and encrypted, real-time audio/video experience over the internet. All that is needed is an internet-enabled device.

For our patients it is as easy as using a smartphone with earphones. Other patients prefer the large tablet screen the ability to navigate with a mouse and keyboard, their webcam on their laptop or desktop computer. As long as it has a camera and wifi, we can connect.

Our expert providers will help you with your technical decisions needed to get the most out of your Telehealth Therapy experience.

What About HIPAA and The Safety of My Private Data?

To provide Telehealth to our patients, FYZICAL abides by current HIPAA privacy policies. This is why we use a highly-encrypted, secure platform to deliver our Telehealth sessions.

Is it Safe to Have Remote Therapy?

Absolutely. Telehealth can be both safe and effective in delivering outpatient Therapy care. FYZICAL treats our patients' and family's safety as our first concern.

If you/your child are already registered as one of our patients, you are familiar with our safety overhead system (SOS). You're also aware that FYZICAL prides itself on delivering only the highest quality of care in the safest way possible. If this was not achievable through Telehealth, we wouldn't offer it.

What Can a Therapist Treat During a Telehealth Session?

Our FYZICAL therapists treating through Telehealth are bound only by their creativity and the creativity of their patient. Certainly, the equipment available to a therapist in the clinic setting may not be readily available in a patient's home or office setting. In this case, we may lose some efficiency for the sake of convenience, but that doesn't mean that a patient cannot be treated much like they complete their home exercise program. FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers can ship equipment to our patients at a minimal cost.

Is Telehealth Therapy Right For Me or My Child?

This question can only be answered by your therapist in a 1-1 meeting. Telehealth Therapy can provide an effective, safe, and high-quality experience for you or your child, though there may be certain conditions that are best served in person. Hybrid Telehealth may be what you need to provide both the convenience and the expert you need available to you when you cannot make it to the clinic. Unfortunately sometimes the leading experts for your condition are not just down the street, rather they may be across town or in an adjacent city. When the distance is a concern, Telehealth therapy allows you or your child to work with an expert remotely.

Do I Need To Fill Out Paperwork For My Telehealth Session?

A Telehealth Therapy session is similar to traditional outpatient therapy appointments when it comes to paperwork. We will still need to know you/your child's medical history, the reason for you/your child's session, and you/your child's overall goal for therapy.

There are just a couple of things that will differ:

First, you will need to consent to treatment through Telehealth.  You can find a copy of the Telehealth Informed Consent form here.  And secondly, acknowledge that you have a private space to complete your sessions.

Does My Insurance Cover My Telehealth Therapy?

Until we verify your insurance benefits, we can't be certain. The great news is that we are happy to verify for you if your insurance will cover all or a portion of your sessions. We provide this service to you at no charge.

If your insurance carrier does not offer Telehealth benefits, that doesn't mean we cannot serve you. You can speak with your insurance provider to see if Telehealth can be added. We are also happy to talk with you about alternative options.

Does Telehealth Physical Therapy Still Apply To Me If I Live In A Different Area?

This is a question we can only answer after having more information about you. Our providers must abide by both local laws as well as those related to physical therapy in the state in which you reside. Some states participate in the Physical Therapy Compact, which makes it easier for our providers to deliver care across state lines when necessary.

What About Restrictions On My Telehealth Therapy Sessions?

Though therapy provided through Telehealth has many of the same considerations as therapy in the outpatient setting, not all insurance plans will cover Telehealth therapy. Other insurance plans may have reductions in the duration of care.

Telehealth therapy may be covered under Direct Access laws of the state in which you live. Telehealth therapy may have to be paid out of pocket, but your best course of action is to check with your insurance provider.  If you receive your health insurance through your employer, speak with your human resources department to see if Telehealth is included in your policy.

Can I Find Telehealth Physical Therapy Near Me?

One of the biggest advantages of Telehealth Therapy is that it does not require your provider to be near you. You can find an expert who lives on the other side of the world to treat your condition and receive top-notch therapy.

We also recognize some patients may prefer to establish care with a local practitioner. A FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Center maybe even more convenient for you. You can search from our over 400 clinics across the US at https://fyzical.com/locations. We're happy to set-up our Telehealth or hybrid Telehealth Therapy program for you or your child or try a FREE Telehealth Therapy session before coming into our clinic.