Telehealth/Video Consultations Available Now!

Posted 30/03/2020

What is Telehealth and How Does it work?

Telehealth is a video or phone consultation between a health professional and a patient. Consultations are used for advice and exercises supervised by our qualified physiotherapists and exercise physiologists when you’re unable to come into the clinic.

We are using the Physitrack platform for our consultations. It is a highly secure, encrypted link, which is being used by many other Allied Health professionals around Australia. Our Receptionist will call you prior to the appointment to assist your to set up the call, it’s very quick and easy.

You will be invited via:

Email; where all you will need to do to enter the consultation is to click on the link, making sure that the device you’re using (whether it be laptop, phone or tablet) has both microphone and camera enabled.
App; if you have the Physiapp on your smartphone, it will alert you to the invitation and you can enter the consultation from the app.

Does It Actually Work? What About The Hands On Massage Bit?

There is strong evidence (click here for list of research articles) that demonstrates the use of Telehealth consultations as being just as effective as in person consultations for a range of musculoskeletal conditions. You might think that a Telehealth consultation is not as good as a hands on consultation, but the results show that online consultations have just as good diagnoses as a hands on consultation. As a patient you will be more involved in your treatment and will do more self treatment, which is more empowering and helps you to take control of your injury/body. Results also show that outcomes of an online Telehealth session are similar or better than a face to face consultation.

How Much Does It Cost, How Do I Pay and How Do I Book?

Our Telehealth Physio consultations will be $80 per 30 minutes and $140 for 60 minutes. Our Receptionists will call you prior to the appointment to take payment via credit card over the phone. We will send an invoice to you via email. Private Health companies are working to have specific Telehealth codes to allow you to claim the consultations very soon.

If you are on Workcover or hold an appropriate DVA card you can be seen via Telehealth.

You can book your Telehealth consultation by calling us on (07) 4051 3252, or you can book online here, just mention you are looking for a Telehealth consult and we will call you to set you up and answer any questions.

What Injuries/Conditions Can Telehealth Assist With?

Telehealth is great for many conditions:

General low back and neck pain
Post op joint surgery i.e ACL recon, Hip and Knee Replacements, Shoulder or knee arthroscopy,
Ankle sprains
Shoulder pain i.e Subacromial bursitis, rotator cuff injury
Tennis elbow
General Exercise prescription with Exercise Physiologist
Cardiac and metabolic disease management
Already had an initial face to face consultation for anything else, continuing care via Telehealth is a great option.

This is not an exhaustive list, if you have issues with something not on this list then please call us to discuss on (07) 4051 3252 or email us at admin@cairnstotalphysio.com.au

Preparing For Your Telehealth Appointment

There are a few things you can do to prepare for your Telehealth appointment that will allow you to get the most out of time with Physio or EP:

Ensure battery on Phone/Tablet is fully charged
Test video camera and microphone are working. Our receptionists can do a test on this if you require.
Ensure you wear appropriate clothing, such that you are able to move freely and the Physio or EP will have access to see the area, where appropriate.
Set up your space:leave enough room so that you can step back from the camera,
- have somewhere to lie down to perform exercises or assessment tests
- have a chair close
You may need a partner or family member present to hold the phone or tablet whilst you perform the assessment or follow exercises.
If you have any exercise equipment at home, i.e dumbbells, kettle bells, yoga mats, resistance bands, spiky balls, foam rollers. Have them handy so we can use them during the consultation.