FAQs
- What services are available at your practices?
- Do I need an appointment to see a Physiotherapist?
- Do I need a doctors referral to see a Physiotherapist?
- How long are your treatment times?
- What do I need to bring to my first session?
- How many sessions will I need to get better?
- What are your opening hours? Do you work Saturdays?
- Do you offer Interpreter Services?
- How will I pay for my treatment session?
- Will my private health fund pay a rebate for my treatment?
- What if I have a workers compensation claim or motor accident claim?
- What if I can't make my appointment?
- My doctor has given me a referral to see another Physiotherapist but I want to come to your clinic?
- Am I able to discuss an issue directly with my physiotherapist?
- Do you provide an after-hours service?
- Do you provide a home visiting service?
- Are you able to provide me with a reminder for my appointment?
- Do you use email to provide useful product information or health advice?
- Is my Personal Health information confidential?
- Is North East Physiotherapy an Accredited Practice?
- What are my rights regarding the type of treatment I may receive?
- What does Studio 20 Clinical Pilates Program include?
- When and where do you run your Clinical Pilates Groups?
- How long are your Clinical Pilates Groups?
- How many people are there in the Clinical Pilates Groups?
- Is there a Health Fund rebate for the Clinical Pilates Groups?
- How do I progress to an Independent Clinical Pilates status?
What services are available at your practices?
At North East Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists genuinely care about your health, and will always perform a thorough assessment and give you an accurate clinical diagnosis for your problem. Treatment will be evidence-based and in most cases will include manual therapy with a specific exercise program. Education on your condition and how to best manage it is an important element of your treatment.
AVAILABLE AT ALL SITES:
Benalla, Wangaratta, and Yarrawonga provide expert physiotherapy services for:
- Back and Neck Pain
- Pain Relief
- Injury Management
- Clinical Pilates
- Posture Assessment
- Sports Injuries and Rehabilitation
- Fitness and Exercise Programs
- Dry Needling
- Bone Health
- Falls Prevention
- Pregnancy and Post-natal exercise
- Worksite Assessments
- Occupational Physiotherapy services
- Workers' compensation claims
- Third party insurance claims
- Manual Handling training
- Department of Veterans' Affairs
- EPC (Enhanced Primary Care entitlements as referred by your GP)
AT SOME SITES we offer the following services:
- Aquatic Physiotherapy:
- Benalla
- Wangaratta
- Strength and balance circuit exercise classes:
- Wangaratta
- Yarrawonga
- Women's Health Continence Assessments:
- Benalla
Do I need an appointment to see a Physiotherapist?
Yes. You will need to book an available appointment time to see one of our physiotherapists. Where possible every effort will be made to accommodate your preferred time and preferred physiotherapist.
Longer consultation times are available (at a higher fee), so please ask our receptionists if you require some extra time.
Please ring the site nearest to you for a Physiotherapy or Clinical Pilates appointment:
Wangaratta 03 5722 1424
Benalla 03 5762 6866
Yarrawonga 03 5743 1142
Do I need a doctors referral to see a Physiotherapist?
No. Physiotherapists are primary health practitioners so private patients do not need a referral to see us.
How long are your treatment times?
Appointments are allocated at 20 minutes for a standard consultation. We allow 40 minutes for your initial consultation to allow for the assessment and treatment of your condition.
What do I need to bring to my first session?
It is advisable to bring along any relevant x-rays and scan results that you may have, a pair of shorts/singlet top or bathers if the injury is to a body part that is under normal clothing, your private health fund card (if you are a member and have ancillary physiotherapy cover) and a means of paying for your consultation (cash, cheque or credit card).
How many sessions will I need to get better?
This will depend on the complexity of your condition/injury. In your initial assessment your physiotherapist will develop with you an "Action Plan" which will describe your proposed management program and give you an idea of how many sessions may be required to get you back to full health. Your progress will be regularly checked throughout this period to ensure progress is being made at all times.
What are your opening hours? Do you work Saturdays?
Our opening hours are:
Monday 8:30am-6.00pm
Tuesday 8:00am-6.00pm
Wednesday 7:30am-6:00pm
Thursday 8:00am-6.00pm
Friday 8:30am-6.00pm.
We currently do not have a service available over the weekend.
(Clinical Pilates Group sessions are available on Saturday mornings).
Do you offer Interpreter Services?
When interpreter services are required, family members or friends usually accompany patients to provide this service. If this is not possible, please make our reception staff aware and we will attempt to organise an interpreter for your appointment. Fees required to be payed for interpreter services are payable by the patient.
How will I pay for my treatment session?
Fees are required to be paid at the time of consultation by EFT, cash, cheque, Mastercard or Visa. Our current fees (as at March, 2011) are:
Initial consultation $ 78 (40 mins)
Standard consultation $ 68 (20 mins)
Extended consultation $130 (60 mins)
Long consultation $ 78 (40 mins)
Pre-employment assessment $130 (60 mins)
CLINICAL PILATES
Initial consultation Pilates $95 (60 mins)
Standard consultation Pilates $75 (40 mins)
Review consultation Pilates $75 (60 mins)
AQUATIC PHYSIOTHERAPY
In-Rooms
Initial / Review consultation $70 (40 mins)
In-Pool
Hydrotherapy individual session $55 (60 mins)
Hydrotherapy group session $32 (60 mins)
Will my private health fund pay a rebate for my treatment?
Yes, if you chose to have ancillary physiotherapy cover. Most ancillary private health funds pay a rebate for each physiotherapy session. This will depend on the level of insurance cover that you choose to have. Usually, the rebate will be between 40-60% of the full service fee.
The electronic claim (HICAPS) system is available at each site, which allows you to claim your private health insurance rebate on-the-spot, at the time of your consultation. You will need your health insurance card to do this. Most private health insurance funds can be claimed on the day of service using our HICAPS system. If not, a receipt will provided after payment to allow you to make the claim yourself.
What if I have a workers compensation claim or motor accident claim?
This practice is able to directly bill for Worker's Compensation, TAC and Department of Veterans' Affairs Clients once the required information is provided to our reception staff and your claim has been accepted. If you already have a claim number please bring this and details of your insurer to your initial appointment.
If you are unsure whether your claim has been accepted, or if it is later found not to be accepted, you will personally be required to pay for the services received. Once the claim is active, further accounts will be billed directly to the appropriate authority. Any late cancellation or non-attendance fees will not be covered by the insurance company, and will need to be met by you. Please see our reception staff for further information.
What if I can't make my appointment?
Because of the high demand for appointments at our clinics, we require you to notify reception if you are unable to attend your next scheduled appointment as soon as you are able. Please provide at least 24 hours notice if you need to cancel or re-schedule an appointment. Cancellation fees do apply and will be charged at the discretion of the practice manager.
My doctor has given me a referral to see another Physiotherapist but I want to come to your clinic?
Everybody is free to choose the physiotherapist of their choice. Our physiotherapists have a strong professional relationship with most of the referring doctors and specialists. Simply bring the referral in with you to your first session and we will let the referring doctor know that you have commenced treatment with us.
Am I able to discuss an issue directly with my physiotherapist?
All of our physiotherapists work under a model of 'collaborative goal setting' with the patient. Your thoughts and concerns are actively sought from the initial consultation and will form part of the treatment plan. Also, physiotherapists in this practice may be contacted during normal clinic hours via telephone. If the physiotherapist is with another patient, a message will be taken and the reception staff will inform the physiotherapist that you have called. The physiotherapist will then return your call as soon as possible.
Do you provide an after-hours service?
Physiotherapy care is limited outside normal opening hours.
If you require urgent advice / treatment outside the hours of this practice:
- Please contact 03 57 221 424 and follow the prompts.
- In urgent cases, please contact your GP or local hospital emergency centre.
Do you provide a home visiting service?
Off-site consultations may be available in some exceptional circumstances, dependent upon therapist availability, and at the discretion of the practice manager.
Are you able to provide me with a reminder for my appointment?
You may be contacted with an SMS reminder of your appointment if you provide us with your mobile telephone number. Please indicate to reception or on the client registration form if you do not wish to be contacted for appointment reminders via our SMS reminder system.
Do you use email to provide useful product information or health advice?
This practice may send you useful health information in our practice newsletter. Please indicate to reception or on the client registration form if you do not wish to receive our practice newsletter or other marketing information.
Is my Personal Health information confidential?
Yes, most definitely. Your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of this practice to maintain security of personal health information at all times and to ensure that this information is only available to authorised members of our staff. We abide by the National Privacy Principles of the Federal Privacy Act. Our full Privacy Policy is available on request at the reception desk.
Is North East Physiotherapy an Accredited Practice?
The Wangaratta practice received accreditation by Quality in Practice Pty Ltd to the current Australian Physiotherapy Standards for Physiotherapy Practices in October 2009. This accreditation is your guarantee of our commitment to providing you with the highest quality of health care and access to best-practice physiotherapy. Management of all of our practices are modelled on the same quality standards as the Wangaratta practice.
What are my rights regarding the type of treatment I may receive?
Your Informed Consent is important to us. Physiotherapists in this practice will give you sufficient information to enable you to make informed decisions about your health care. This will include the relative benefits and any risks of a proposed treatment program. You are encouraged to ask questions to help your understanding. You have the right to refuse a proposed physiotherapy intervention as well as discuss alternatives to the proposed treatment. You are welcome to request a second opinion from another physiotherapist in this practice or outside this practice.
Feedback and Suggestions.....
We welcome feedback or suggestions which you think may help us to improve our practice. Please feel free to talk to the reception staff or your physiotherapist or ask for our client feedback form.
If you have a problem we would like to hear about it. We take your concerns, suggestions and complaints seriously and these will be investigated by our Practice Manager.
What does Studio 20 Clinical Pilates Program include?
All people interested in Clinical Pilates require a specific Clinical Pilates assessment. This will give our physiotherapists a thorough understanding of your goals, strengths and weaknesses. This will allow us to design a specific program catered for your individual needs. For further information click here.
When and where do you run your Clinical Pilates Groups?
Pilates Groups are conducted at different times throughout the day. We have groups early morning, throughout the mornings , lunchtimes, late afternoon and evenings. We endeavour to offer a variety of group times to accommodate the times that suit you best. Our Benalla and Yarrawonga practices have Studio 20 Clinical Pilates incorporated on the premises. In Wangaratta, our Studio 20 Clinical Pilates premises is just a short walk, 5 doors down the street, from our main practice.
How long are your Clinical Pilates Groups?
All of our groups run for one hour.
How many people are there in the Clinical Pilates Groups?
Groups will be between 4-5 people, but every participant has their own individual program to follow. Our physiotherapy staff will provide supervision, advice and assistance throughout this time.
Is there a Health Fund rebate for the Clinical Pilates Groups?
Yes, and this will depend on your health insurance company and the cover that you have.
How do I progress to an Independent Clinical Pilates status?
Independent status allows you to use the Clinical Pilates equipment in Studio 20 to perform your own program for an hour's workout session, when you no longer require assistance and set-up. Our physiotherapy staff will advise when you are ready for this. You must have reached an approved level of competency with your exercise performance, equipment set-up and injury management status. There are certain peak times of the day when Group bookings will have precedence over independent bookings.
