May 4, 2020
To Our SB Physio Community,
We hope this letter finds you in good health and spirit. This letter is to inform you of our plans, as we begin the process of increasing accessibility to physical therapy services at our clinic. Updated local guidelines, specifically regarding elective surgeries, confirm our need to provide physical therapy services as essential medical providers.
As of Tuesday, May 5, we will be expanding access to our clinic and continuing with assertive policy changes meant to limit the risk of COVID-19 exposure to SB Physio patients and staff. This has been, and will continue to be, our number one priority as we navigate these evolving times.
Some of these policies include:
- Routine cleaning of PT tables and equipment after each use. Frequent cleaning of all shared spaces including waiting room, bathrooms sinks and all shared spaces.
- Appropriate staff health hygiene, including frequent hand washing and/or sanitization.
- Public access to hand sanitizer and/or soap and water.
- Face coverings must be worn by all patients and staff prior to entry into clinic and remain on for duration of visit. Patients are responsible to provide their own face coverings.
- Limiting the amount of people allowed in the gym area at one time.
- Social distancing marks in the front office and appropriate spacing between treatment tables in the gym area.
- Daily COVID-19 symptom screening for staff and patients.
We are eager to begin this transition, but also understand that not every patient is appropriate to restart in-clinic services. All patient cases are eligible to be treated in clinic; however, the benefit for in-clinic care needs to outweigh the potential risks. This will be individualized and discussed with your PT in a non-discriminatory manner.
For this reason, we will continue to offer Telehealth physical therapy services. This has been a successful means for continuing or starting a new physical therapy plan of care.
In addition to most major insurance companies, Medicare has now approved Telehealth services for Physical Therapists. We look forward to expanding this service to our patients insured by Medicare.
Please feel free to contact us at 805-682-2536 or info@sbphysio.com with any questions or to schedule an appointment.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Stay healthy and safe,
The SB Physio Team
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March 25, 2020
The SB Physio Team
To Our SB Physio Community,
Our focus over the last few weeks has been to continue to provide
you a safe, clean and inviting physical therapy clinic. Understanding the evolving
concerns of COVID-19, we have implemented many policy changes to limit patient
and staff exposure.
One of these changes is reducing access to our 41 Hitchcock Way
location. We have narrowed our face-to-face
interaction to only post-operative and acute pain care cases. However, we are
available to discuss other vital circumstances requiring continuing care in our
physical location.
This will be re-evaluated as the regulatory recommendations and
status of COVID-19 continues to evolve.
We recognize many of you have well warranted concerns regarding a
lapse in physical therapy care over this uncertain timeline. We do too.
Our solution:
Telehealth physical
therapy services!
What is Telehealth?
Telehealth is the use of electronic communication to remotely
provide health care information and services.
We will be offering virtual physical therapy visits through video conferencing. This will be easily accessible through your computer or mobile phone, providing you with continued access to your physical therapist.
Will my insurance pay for Telehealth?
Yes and no. Some insurances are recognizing physical therapists as
Telehealth providers, while others are not.
Insurance Providers:
Some insurance companies cover Telehealth physical therapy services:
Yes: Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, United Healthcare and Aetna are currently paying for telehealth services by PTs just as they would if they were provided in clinic. All insurance EOB information remains the same as we have discussed in clinic with you.
No: If your insurance company is not listed above, please inquire with us as the circumstances are constantly changing. Additionally, we do have self-pay options available.
MEDICARE:
Medicare is only covering a particular type of telemedicine,
called “E-Visits”. If you are a Medicare beneficiary, you have two options
which are listed below.
1) E-Visits: A phone call with your therapist to review your current home exercise program prescribed through our online portal. This visit type is designed to maintain your existing PT plan and can only be used once in a 7-day window. This is covered by your Medicare benefits.
2) Telehealth Visits: Different than above, this allows you to have an interactive video conference with your PT allowing progression to your plan of care. This is an applicable option for current, past and new patients. This is NOT covered by your Medicare benefits and is a self-pay option following our cash rates for this service.
If you are interested or have any questions, please call
(805-682-2536) or email the front desk (info@sbphysio.com).
We hope everyone is observing the recommendations of state and CDC
guidelines to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 spread. We will make sure to
update you with any changes to our operations and look forward to seeing you
soon!
Stay healthy and safe,
The SB Physio Team