TELEHEALTH PT-OT Therapy Treatment

Neurological Recovery Center (NRC) offers physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) via a telehealth platform.  If you elect to receive our telehealth services, you must give informed consent and agree to the following:

1. You are requesting to receive PT and/or OT therapy services through a TELEHEALTH platform.

1. • You understand that NRC will attempt to do its best to protect my protected health information and maintain my privacy.
   • Our PT and OT therapy telehealth sessions are provided through a HIPAA compliant platform, using Microsoft Teams.  You understand that NRC desires to provide telehealth therapy through this platform, and that I agree to download/use the Microsoft TEAMS application.
   • https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/download-app
   • You understand that Telehealth sessions are “hands-off” sessions and will consist of detailed discussion and skilled treatment regarding my condition, visual assessment of my movement patterns, balance, range of motion, and functional activities.
   • You understand that you (and your caregiver) will be coached and given home programs and home tips to promote progress towards your goals.
   • You give permission for the therapist to video, audio record, and/or photo capture during the session, for purposes of providing additional instruction and supportive documentation of visit.
2. The benefits to using our telehealth services include, but are not limited to, not having to take time to drive to and from appointments, minimizing time off work for appointments, being able to access services at more convenient times, and supporting sheltering at home guidelines during the Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis.
3. We strive to provide telehealth services at the same standard of care of an in-person visit. However, you should know that there may be some limitations to what we can do through a telehealth connection compared to a face-to-face visit.  For example, we will not have the use of other senses, such as touch and smell, or the ability to observe your body/condition in a 3-dimensional view.  If the limitations of a telehealth consultation will interfere with our ability to properly examine or treat you, we will let you know so you can schedule a face-to-face visit with us or another provider of your choice.
4. Some state laws or health plan policies may require an initial evaluation to be provided in-person before telehealth visits can be provided. At this current time, we are requiring the initial evaluation to be provided in person, at our clinic.  If this process should change, you are responsible for figuring out if your health plan requires an in-person visit for the initial evaluation as a condition of payment for our services.
5. If it would be beneficial to record our telehealth visits, we will explain the reason for the need or desire to record the consultation and obtain your verbal consent in advance.If we do record the session, you may request to stop the videotaping at any time.  The recording will not be stored as part of your official medical record unless we advise you that we plan to store and maintain it. If we do, it will be stored and maintained with the same privacy and security protections required by applicable state and federal laws that apply to your written medical records.
6. There are potential risks with the use of telehealth technology, including but not limited to:
   • interruption of the audio/video link
   • disconnection of the audio/video link
   • video that may not be clear enough to meet the needs of the consultation
   • potential of unauthorized access to the live or stored session. If any of these occur, the session may need to be stopped and/or rescheduled.  Also, we are not responsible for these or other technology problems which we cannot control.
7. Privacy and Confidentiality – The same state and federal laws that protect your privacy and the confidentiality of your medical records apply to our telehealth visits if the visit is for health care services.  You acknowledge by signing below that you have been given an opportunity to review our Notice of Privacy Practices and had all your questions answered.
8. Some health plans may cover telemedicine/telehealth services if they are medically necessary. Some state laws require state-governed (fully insured) health plans to cover telemedicine/telehealth visits if the health plan would have covered the same interventions had they been provided in the office.  However, exceptions take place frequently to these coverage laws and policies.  That means your health plan is highly likely to deny our claims for telemedicine/telehealth services. Therefore, we require that a specific payment plan be in place, prior to the time of service for scheduled telehealth visits.  Any denied Telehealth claims will be subject to the regular self-pay fee schedule as per NRC policy.
9. If we instruct you on any exercises, balance activities or other physical procedures during the telehealth session, you are responsible for determining whether you can safely perform the activity without risk of falling or otherwise injuring yourself. If you do not feel safe, you must tell us. If the exercise or activity requires the assistance of a family member or caregiver (collectively “Caregivers”), you are accepting the risk of the actions of your Caregivers. We are not responsible if you fall or get injured by the actions, errors or omissions of your Caregiver.

Payment and Cancellations

You agree to pay for any scheduled telehealth session with a credit card per your payment plan. You must give at least 2 hours-notice in advance if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment. If you cancel with less notice, you will forfeit a $35 fee for the scheduled visit.

Additional information:

• Informed consent for treatment: The term “informed consent” means that the potential risks, benefits and alternatives of physical and/or occupational therapy treatment have been explained to you. The therapist provides a wide range of services and you understand that you will receive information at the initial visit concerning the treatment and options available for your condition.
• Potential risks: You may experience an increase in your current level of pain or discomfort, or an aggravation of your existing injury or condition. This discomfort is usually temporary; if it does not subside in a reasonable time period, you agree to contact your physical or occupational therapist.
• Potential benefits: You may experience an improvement in your symptoms and an increase in your ability to perform daily activities. You may experience increase strength, awareness, flexibility, and endurance in my movements. You may experience decreased pain and discomfort. You should gain a greater knowledge about managing your condition and the resources available to you.
• Alternatives: If you do not wish to participate in the therapy program, you will discuss your medical, surgical, or pharmacological alternatives with your physical/occupational therapist, as well as your physician or primary healthcare provider.