Telehealth Consultations

Telehealth consultations via video calling or telephone are now available

With the impact of COVID-19, many patients and practitioners are electing to provide health care consultations via telehealth. This may take the form of a video call using COVIU (or similar platform) or telephone.

This web page covers the information and instructions for Busselton Physiotherapy and Allied Health and Rubix Health's telehealth services who are using the COVIU system. Many of the other independent practitioners at GeoBay Health Centre are providing telehealth and we recommend you contact them directly for advice on this. Contact details are available on their individual pages on this website.

Telehealth appointments are easier and more effective than most people imagine

Research has shown great results for telehealth for many forms of healthcare including counselling and Physiotherapy.

Telehealth consultations can be undertaken on your computer (so long as it has a microphone and speakers), a tablet (such as an ipad) or a smartphone. Where possible a video enabled device such as these are preferable to an audio / phone only appointment. Particularly for Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology appointments.

Telehealth is like having your personal health professional right there in your home

Getting the most out of your telehealth consultation involves a little pre- planning.

Get your device set up, charged, logged in with the video and microphone switched on. Ensure you have the best internet connection possible. Check it is all good to go before your appointment. See pre-test information below.
Have a phone on standby in case your internet connection has troubles.
Find the right location. Find somewhere where quiet and private. Ensure there is space for you to move and your device can be positioned steadily whilst it captures video of you moving.
For Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology, please wear comfortable clothing that is easy to move in. Wearing clothing that fits close to you body assists assessment of your posture and movement. Some elements of clothing may be required to be adjusted or removed to show the problem body parts.
Consider having a support person with you if you need any assistance with language and communication or technology.

COVIU

COVIU is our preferred system for telehealth appointments. It is similar to other forms of video calling such as Skype or FaceTime that many people are familiar with. COVIU is in many respects easier to use than other systems as you can just click on the link we send you to join the consultation. You will receive an email similar to the one in the adjacent image. This contains the link to your appointment. The email also contains other information concerning you telehealth appointment. It also has a link for you to pretest your device. This link is attached as a button below to enable you to test your devices video and audio systems prior to receiving your appointment email notification.

Please note that COVIU appointments should be undertaken on Google Chrome or Firefox internet Browsers or IOS for Apple devices.

Pretest you Video and audio for COVIU

Before and after your telehealth appointment

PRIOR TO YOUR APPOINTMENT

If your telehealth appointment is your initial consultation with the practice, or your first appointment for a new condition, we will require you to complete an online questionnaire. This will be sent as a link in an email separate to your COVIU appointment details. We request you complete it at least 4 hours prior to your appointment so the information can be uploaded to your clinical records.

POST APPOINTMENT

A selection of clients will receive a feedback form following telehealth consultations. We appreciate you completing this form to assist us to continuously improve our clinical care. We welcome your feedback at any time concerning our in clinic, telehealth and administrative support. Please contact us via email or phone to provide feedback and your ideas on how we can better serve you. Where exercises are provided or other outcome measure assessments are used, we will send you an email with a link to this information in the Physitrack system.

Physitrack exercise programs

Exercises will be provided using the Physitrack system. This enables you to have detailed instructions, images and videos to assist you to complete exercises prescribed during your telehealth consultation. These can be viewed on an internet browser from the link provided following your consultation, printed off, or the free mobile App can be downloaded for optimal viewing of videos. The App also has assessment education information and outcome measure that your Practitioner may send you with the exercises.

Fees

Some Telehealth services are provided at no out of pocket costs to clients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this includes Medicare sessions under GP Management Plans.

Many other categories of patients, including Workers Compensation Claims, Veteran's Affairs and Motor Vehicle Injury Claims are fully covered.

Private health insurance may provide rebates for telehealth consultations. Contact your insurer for details. For private clients, payment is required via credit card or bank transfer prior to the consultation. Claims are made with your insurer following your consultation.

ZOOM

Zoom and Skype are alternate systems for telehealth appointments. For security reasons these are not our preferred systems for the provision of telehealth. They are commonly used for other purposes and if required we are able to provide consultations via these systems.

If you elect to undertake your video telehealth consultation on a system other than COVIU, clients are required to acknowledge the security risk involved and absolve the practice of any liability concerning information security relating to the service.

Using the Zoom App or on your computer browser works fine

If you elect to use ZOOM we will send you an email with the meeting or appointment code. This email will have a link to the Zoom website through which the appointment can be undertaken. Just click on the link to take you to Zoom. If you wish, you can set up the App (on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones) then open the App and join the meeting that way. All you need to do is put the meeting number we send you into the Join Meeting box. Ensure your microphone and video are switched on. Zoom provides the option to test these before you join the meeting / appointment.

You don't need to sign in to join a meeting / appointment. You may wish to simplify future use of Zoom.

The Zoom website has a range of instructions to help get you going.

For simple video instructions on joining a meeting see this Zoom tutorial.

Join ZOOM appointment instructions