3 April Update:
Telehealth Services Extended
We are now offering the following services via Telehealth consultations:
- Sport & Exercise Medicine (Physicians and Registrars)
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational (Hand) Therapy
- Exercise Physiology
- Podiatry
- Dietetics
Telehealth at Alphington Sports Medicine Clinic
To alleviate concerns and minimise exposure to COVID-19, while continuing to offer essential services to the public as best we can, we have introduced Telehealth consults at Alphington Sports Medicine Clinic.
Please Note: At this stage, for as long as it is safe and within Government regulations, we remain open for physical consultations.
What is Telehealth?
In short, video consultations between health professionals and their patients.
It allows for the exchange of health information between a practitioner and patient in separate locations.
While this is not suitable for all appointments, it is an option we want to offer as widely as we can to ensure as many people as possible can access the help they need.
Initially we will be introducing video consults for appointments with Physiotherapists, one of our Sport & Exercise Medicine Physicians, and one of our Sport & Exercise Medicine Registrars, but we will look to expand it across other services soon. In addition, all of our Sports Medicine Doctors currently have the capacity to do phone consultations.
To enable the offering of this service we will be using Coviu.
You can find out all about them online, but we wanted to point out two keys things that are included in their values:
- Privacy: we will respect the privacy of patient data and hold it strictly confidential at all times.
- Security: we will only ever hold the minimum data necessary, and we will hold and exchange it to the most up-to-date encryption and security standards.
Please note: Coviu is not a healthcare provider, its simply the technology powering the sessions.
How does it work:
If you are wanting to see one of our Physiotherapists, a Sports & Exercise Medicine Physician, or a Sport & Exercise Medicine Registrar and would like a Telehealth consultation, please phone us on 9482 5211 so we can determine if this is a viable option for you.
You do not need to sign up to anything, you will simply be sent a link to click on for your session.
Once you "join the call" you will be asked to take a 'selfie' for identification as well as fill in your first and last name. This is so your clinician can identify you for security purposes.
You will also be prompted by the browser to "enable camera and microphone" please click YES to enable your Smart Device or Computer.
Coviu needs 3 things to work perfectly.
- Internet Connectivity - minimum of 350Kbps for both upload and download.
- A Computer or Smart Device (phone or tablet).
Most laptops that are from 2010 and later will have an inbuilt camera, speaker and microphone. If your laptop is from before 2010 you will need to investigate your hardware. - Browser - Coviu was built to run on a google chrome browser. Please download Google Chrome here to get started.
If you already have Google Chrome please update your browser by clicking here.
If you are planning on using an iOS device (iPhone or iPad) for your online session, please make sure it is updated and is running Safari 12+.
Costs:
- At present there is no private health insurance rebate for Telehelath Physio consults but the reduced fee we’re offering for initial consults (approx. $70-$80) should equate to your normal out of pocket amount.
- Private Health Insurers are currently considering rebates for Telehealth Consultations. Details are yet to be confirmed but it could be introduced in a few weeks time.
- The cost of Physio review consults costs may also be slightly reduced, but could be up to the normal consult charges – this will be at the discretion of each practitioner.
- Fees for the Sports and Exercise Medicine Physician will be determine by the Doctor on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration factors such as medicare rebates and the length of the consultation.
- Payments will need to be made by phone. Our reception staff will call you back after the appointment to arrange this and your receipt will be emailed to you.
This is a new setup and system for us (and may be for many of you also), plus the parameters are constantly evolving in this space, so please understand that some of these details may change in the future.
If you have any questions please call us on 9482 5211.
