Contact Us

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Limited Clinic Reopening

Effective 5/4/2020: As concerns about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continue but time moves forward, we thought it would be helpful to share what Austin Physical Therapy is or has been doing to make your therapy appointment as safe as possible. The first step we took was to educate our workforce using validated resources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) and the US Department of Health. We made the prompt decision to shut down our outpatient clinic the week of March 15thand fully converted to Telehealth. We have been able to provide expert care for many patients and will continue to offer this platform as a preferred method to ensure social distancing. As time has marched on there is a need for certain patients to be seen in person for some or all of their care thus leading to the next steps: The second step we took was to evaluate our ability to continue to provide services without increasing exposure risks to you, to our visitors and staff. As part of that process we made a list of questions that we will ask to ascertain the exposure risk. These are the questions: · Have you traveled to China, South Korea, Iran, Italy or Japan or any other country with high COVID-19 incidents within the past 30 days? · Have you had any contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19, with any person(s) under investigation for COVID-19 or anyone with flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath and/or a diminished sense of taste or smell)? The exposure could be to spouses, partners, family members, friends, work colleagues, social group members, fellow students, church members or any other person(s) or groups where there could have personal contact (within 6 feet). · Have you had any worrisome symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath or a diminished sense of taste or smell in the past 14 days? If positive for symptoms we are asking that you, the patient, contact your physician for guidance and written permission to attend therapy. If a written permission note is not possible, we will ask you, the patient, to attest to your symptomology or lack of it. We are also asking all patients to call the clinic priorto arriving if they have any flu/virus-like symptoms. The third step we took was to intensify our housekeeping & infection control procedures to assure that we have minimized contact with any thing or areas that could harbor harmful bacteria or viruses. In doing so we are asking all individuals who enter our clinic to: · To arrive precisely for your scheduled visit while wearing your own mask · To complete the Patient Coronavisus-19 Questionnaire per visit or to confirm ‘no changes’ since the completion of the Questionnaire · Wash your hands immediately before entering Austin Physical Therapy, wear our gloves/apply our hand-sanitizer prior to completing paperwork, signing-in for the appointment, taking a seat in our reception area or starting treatment · Practice good hand hygiene (frequent handwashing) as well as wearing your own mask before entering our clinic, during your entire treatment session and while leaving the building. · Apply our hand-sanitizer when departing the clinic and remove gloves once out of the clinic · Advise care-givers to wait outside so our clinic can maintain social distancing (6’ spread between individuals) The fourth step we have taken was to reconfigure our gym and reception areas to permit greater physical separation of patients. The fifth step we have taken was to adapt our schedule to accommodate our immunologically compromised patients including but not limited to the frail or elderly. The sixth step we have taken is to give our patients continued access to our and/or e-visits services via telehealth, when permitted by state and federal law. The final step we have taken is to continually educate our workforce and our patient community regarding the COVID-19. We will consistently employ measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19 according to the CDC (and other credible authorities) recommendations and will keep you informed of any changes in protocols. Cullen Nigrini OWNER

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Call or text to convert to TELEHEALTH

Effective 3/17/2020 4:30PM CST: We decided to eliminate all non-urgent clinic visits per CDC recommendations. We will adhere and hope we can all help ‘flattening the curve’ We have created telehealth visits and you can schedule to see us over your phone/computer. We will be reaching out to patients about this service if we have not heard from you yet. We will ensure our valued community including post-operative patients can continue to properly progress while practicing social distancing. Please reach out to us via email: nopain@ptatx.com as the preferred method, we will also be returning calls/texts with a hopeful 24-hour turnaround 512.609.0771. We are ready to transition you and continue your care.

What are the Procedures for an In-person visit?

We are ready, we have systems in place to protect you and your provider. Please be prepared by looking at our entrance instructions which will be posted on our door. You will be required to arrive wearing your mask and we will only allow the patient back for the session unless this is discussed prior and agreed upon

How can I convert to TELEHEALTH?

We are ready, we can use our existing systems and will call you via PhysiApp.

• Please download the following APP: https://www.physiapp.com/

Will insurance cover Telehealth/Telemedicine?

We are constantly monitoring this but treating our patients in the meantime. Check back for updates as we will post as they arise:

• 3/30/2020: United appears to be reimbursing per your plan
• 3/21/2020: Oscar appears to be reimbursing for Telehealth and treating like a traditional visit. Click to follow the link
• 3/21/2020: Blue Cross appears to be reimbursing for Telehealth and treating like a traditional visit. Click to follow the link
• 3/22/2020: Cigna offering some coverage but unclear at this time
• 3/22/2020: Aetna offering some coverage but unclear at this time
• 3/24/2020: OSCAR confirming coverage:

In addition to offering our Doctor on Call services for $0 (Providers must be contracted for this service), Oscar is waiving cost-sharing for all in-network telemedicine, for the next 60 days. This will include telemedicine visits performed by in-network specialists, urgent care providers, primary care physicians and behavioral health providers. It is not limited to telemedicine visits specifically related to a COVID-19 diagnosis or treatment. https://www.hioscar.com/covid19/providers https://provider.hioscar.com/resources/texas/Overview/

What will happen to my progress, my surgery, my pain?

Please know most of you have issues that have been managed ~80% with exercise. You can help yourself progress to your goals. We can do this with online visits and a comprehensive home program. We will cater this to the resources and equipment you have and will not need you to order or purchase anything else. We will be happy to offer our in-person services for those that it is deemed necessary and appropriate.

Will I be safe at PT?

We were and will remain happy to offer your physical therapy while you are at home. We are recommending evaluations to be done via telehealth and then determine if a clinic visit is deemed necessary. We have worked to create the a clinic environment that promotes safety and follows the best recommendations available.

What is Austin Physical Therapy doing differently?

We were happy to shift to the telehealth model. We worked to limit our exposures and this should still include non-essential medical visits. What we can promise is that we are here to answer questions and concerns and can help you remotely in any way possible. If it is appropriate to get you back into the clinic we can discuss this as well. We will not let your progress suffer or unnecessary pain continue so please reach out to us to make a plan!

Take Home Message

Be safe, think about yourself and those around you that might be more affected by this virus. We are happy to talk to you about your condition and how you can maximize home exercise at this time. There is nothing certain but change and we will work to be ahead of the curve with regards to protecting each other as we work back to live visits. Thank you for your understanding and be well!