Hi Everyone!
I’ve been slack on blogging. But with social distancing, isolation and a HUGE drop off in physio work secondary to COVID… I now have time! I hope you are all staying safe, washing your hands and social distancing. Get ready for all things faces :) But first a general update.
Sadly this week I had to temporarily the Lindfield satellite location in response to the NSW COVID lockdowns. We are bunkering down on the Abbotsford shop front location as we can go super over the top on our infection control measures to make it as safe as humanly possible. As some of you know our Abbotsford location is also our general practice “Physio Science”. As of next week, Tate will be stepping back from physio-ing and taking up a job as a greenskeeper so we can keep the practice open in some capacity through this tough time and bounce back afterwards. I will still be seeing face-to-face consults for faces and general practice while it is allowed and safe to do so. All our patients will be screened with COVID questions before coming in and we are checking temperatures. We are encouraging anyone who could be seen via telehealth to give it a go.
On the up side, we FINALLY got Medicare codes for telehealth! YAY! This means anyone who was/is/could be eligible for a Medicare plan for physio is now also eligible for BULK BILLED Telehealth. Yes you heard me, no gap telehealth consults to get us through this craziness. Just because COVID -19 has started an apocalypse doesn’t mean TMD, facial paralysis, migraines or face pain will just vanish. This gives us reasonable and helpful means of continuing to see the people who need it, while the world is going crazy...without breaking the bank. We are all in the same boat at the moment… businesses closed, bleeding out money because of the lockdowns or people being let go. It sucks, but if we can stop this virus sooner rather than later we can all get back to normal. The Medicare rate for physio is still woefully low BUT it is something and it is a step in the right direction!
Check out our insta @thefacialphysio for how-to do telehealth and please feel free to email or call if you have any questions!
Stay safe,
Ellie