Why Telehealth is Worth Your Time
We all have to do our part right now to limit the spread of COVID-19. A big part of that is social or physical distancing. You may have had your outpatient health appointments canceled or rescheduled for later in the year. Or maybe you have a new concern that you want to get checked out but you do not want to go to a clinic right now. You might feel like your health concerns and goals need to wait until all this over to get taken care of.
I want you to know that you actually don’t have to put your health, concerns, and goals on the back burner until these restrictions are over. You can get great, effective care right from home using telehealth. It may seem odd to do physical therapy virtually, but after adjusting to the new type of care, you will find how beneficial it truly is!
What is Telehealth?
Telehealth is the provision of healthcare (in my case, physical therapy and wellness coaching) using video conferencing on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. I am on one end of the call in my office and you are in the comfort of your home! Telehealth was originally developed to provide specialty care to people living in rural or inaccessible areas but is now being widely used during the pandemic to provide healthcare to people without needing to share the same physical space.
Working on our exercises, virtually!
What kind of services can you provide via telehealth?
I can provide almost all of the same services I provide in-person to help you move better, reduce your pain, improve your balance, and get you going on your journey to optimal health. Really! I can take your medical history, assess your movement patterns, check out your balance, discover the root cause of your pain or movement concern, give you individualized instructions in exercises and self-treatment techniques, demonstrate therapeutic activities, prescribe home programs, and, of course, provide health and wellness coaching (which has always been conversation-based)!
What can’t you do via telehealth?
I obviously cannot provide any hands-on treatments or techniques over the computer. Luckily, my treatment approach has always been movement and lifestyle-based to teach my patients to be active participants in their recovery and health journey, so manual therapies typically play a smaller part in my in-person sessions anyway!
Some of my physical therapy clients are not independent with their mobility skills or balance. In this case, if we needed to work on standing, balance, or walking and there is no helper at home to assist with sessions under my instruction, it would not be safe or appropriate to participate in a telehealth appointment.
Doing a great job!
What else do I need to know?
I can provide telehealth physical therapy services to anyone in the entire state of Nebraska! My in person mobile visits have always been limited to Lincoln and the surrounding areas, but I can provide virtual care to a much broader audience.
You need an internet connection strong enough to support video conferencing. My telehealth platform is extremely easy to use and you don’t even need to download anything or create an account. I will simply send you the link to your appointment. After you click the link, you just type in your name and we are ready to get started!
Insurance companies all have different policies right now about covering/reimbursing telehealth. That is why I am offering my sessions a low, flat rate that can even be paid for with HSA funds.
Because I understand that trying out new methods of healthcare can be worrisome and finances may be a challenge for a lot of people right now, I am offering a completely FREE first visit for all new clients. Don’t put your pain, mobility concerns, and health goals on the backburner. You deserve to take care of yourself right now!
To claim your free visit, simply call or text 402-809-5986, email contact@hopefirstpt.com, or head over to my appointment site https://hopefirstpt.intakeq.com/booking and select “Telehealth".