Picture this:
It's February 2020. You’re sitting in your living room and glance at the clock: just five minutes until your physical therapy appointment is scheduled to start. You still need to lace up your shoes, grab your wallet, jump in the car and drive 10 miles across town. The walk from the parking alone will take five minutes! How will you ever make it on time?
This scenario? Yeah, it's from another life. Now, you likely can't even be late to your PT appointment if you wanted to. It's probable that you've been inside for a number of days (what number, you don't know) due to social distancing or self-quarantine. Maybe your kids have been home from school for weeks? Years? Maybe you've been working from home responding to countless emails. You're wound tighter than a drum. Your pain is coming back. It's March 2020 and COVID-19 is now being taken seriously in the United States.
While the arrival of telemedicine in the rehab world doesn’t mean that your care will be delivered entirely through a screen, it does mean that you’re likely to have fewer in-person appointments with your physical therapist. This could not come at a better time! You've no doubt heard by now that one of the important building blocks of a strong immune system (AKA your best defense against the coronavirus) is physical activity. Now is not the time to miss your PT appointments.
The benefits for both patients and clinicians are numerous with telemedicine. The #1 benefit that draws patients to telehealth services of any kind is convenience. (https://patientengagementhit.com/news/convenient-telemedicine-access-reduces-travel-healthcare-costs).
In today’s world of e-retailers and smartphones, convenience is important to consumers. Today’s consumers can use an app to have groceries delivered to the home in less than an hour or ask a voice assistant to play their favorite songs without getting up from the couch. Naturally, the demand for a similar experience is spilling over into healthcare. In the face of COVID-19, that desire turned demand how now turned again- to necessity.
Beyond the obvious advantages of cost savings and convenience, telehealth technology allows PTs to observe, guide, and educate patients to ensure that they complete their home exercise programs and other rehab-related goals on-schedule and safely.
What does Telehealth Physical Therapy include at Functionize?
Don’t worry, we offer telehealth physical therapy consultations for individuals in the state of Georgia. We will not be able to put our hands on you, but we will still help you set up a plan based on your needs. Simply put, “Telehealth Physical Therapy,” refers to physical therapy services that are provided over a technology platform, rather than by in-person means. We will be able to chat “face to face” through a HIPPA-compliant video format and create a treatment plan that’s right for you. If it is determined after the initial consultation that an in-office treatment is needed, we offer a hybrid model including telehealth and in-office hands-on physical therapy. This will resume when normal business operations return to our daily life, of course.
How can I benefit from Telehealth Physical Therapy?
So many ways! Flexibility, safety, education, and journey-specific benefits that your PT will be more than happy to go over with you if you're unsure whether or not you want to schedule. Simply email us; we're ready to chat about it when you are.
Telehealth allows you to choose when you do your evaluation and physical therapy program. Your PT will come up with a plan that best fits your goals and needs.
What’s included in an Initial Online Physical Therapy Consultation
Your First 45-Minute Consultation will include:
Review of your health and fitness history, past injuries, and any functional limitations
Discussion of your current problem or area of interest and any barriers to rehab
Completion of a functional movement and postural screening
Educate on an individualized treatment strategy and long-term plan of care
Answer any questions you have
Develop an online home exercise program that you can start right away
Follow up email from physical therapist reviewing your goals and your exercise progression
Price: $150 for 45-minute online consultation and follow-up email
What’s included in a Follow-Up Physical Therapy Consultation
Review of the initial consultation, discuss current functional status and any current problems you are having
Complete a movement or postural screening if needed
Review your online home exercise program and implement any modifications needed to achieve success
Develop strategies to achieve your short term and long-term goals
Price: $150 for 45-minute online consultation and follow-up email
Patients with packages may use a visit; a credit for the difference in price will be awarded when regular business practices resume following the COVID-19 Pandemic
If you are interested in learning more about Telehealth, give us a call at 404.907.4196 or email at info@functionizehealth.com. We’d love to make your life easier by providing Telehealth services in the comfort of your home.