Tele-Physio

Best Health Tele-physio now available

Feeling unsure about attending for in person physiotherapy visits? Wishing you could follow up with your physiotherapy education and exercises, but trying to maintain physical distancing?  Or perhaps you wish to take advantage of some of our specialized areas of expertise - for example, TMD, Vertigo, Facial Nerve Palsies, the GLA:D program - but you live at a distance.

Luckily - We have an app for that!

We are offering Best Health Tele-Physio via the Embodia Tele-rehabilitation platform. This secure and privacy compliant platform allows us to schedule live video chat appointments with our patients, and conduct virtual face-face sessions on your phone, tablet or laptop. This platform is user friendly and requires no special software or equipment. We can review your symptoms, assess your movement, supervise & update your exercises and provide self-management strategies.

Online assessments and ongoing consultations are provided at our regular rates. Payment can be made via credit card over the phone (613.634.2378). Most extended health programs are covering virtual physiotherapy visits. Many providers have also waived the requirement for a doctor’s referral at this time. Check with your provider to confirm their coverage.

Call or email us to find out more about how to access this new service at Best Health Physiotherapy.

tele-physio health online

Tele-Physio FAQs

If you have an acute injury or are having ongoing pain and disability that is not getting better, Physiotherapy can definitely help. For specific questions and more information, please contact us.

The foundation of a thorough physiotherapy assessment is listening to the patient’s story and eliciting key facts that build a picture of your problem. This picture guides the physical assessment. Building this picture is as easily done over the Best Health Tele-Physio platform as in person.

The patient story guides our choices in the physical assessment component. Many tests can be easily conducted via the video link, including: observation of walking, range of movement, movement quality, swelling, alignment, pain triggers and other special tests.

The hands on part of the assessment provides information about tenderness, tissue warmth or movement quality. The therapist can direct the patient to test many of these elements themselves and report what they feel to the therapist.

Tele-Physio care is appropriate and beneficial in many, but not all, circumstances. The initial assessment will help us determine your treatment needs and the extent to which Tele-Physio is appropriate.
Best Health Tele-Physio is an effective way to work with patients to provide treatment using exercise, education, self-management strategies, and reassurance, especially in circumstances where physical distancing is an issue. This approach encourages and supports you in developing the knowledge, strategies and ability to self-manage your issue to the best extent possible.
No. Some treatments, such as acupuncture or joint manipulation, require direct physical contact. However, these treatments are typically only one part of a treatment approach that includes many other facets that are easily offered remotely, such as supervised exercise, education and self-management techniques. In many cases, these elements are the largest part of successful treatment in any case.
If hands-on physical treatment is beneficial, your therapist will let you know and discuss strategies with you to plan the optimal treatment approach for you.
No. A referral from a physician is not necessary to access physiotherapy services.
Yes. Many of our patients have been referred by their family doctor or specialist. Physiotherapists are an important part of a person’s primary care health team and work in close consultation with a patient’s doctor and family health team.
Use our Contact Form and remember to include your contact information. It is helpful to provide a brief description of your symptoms. We will then contact you to set up a date and time for your appointment.

Many plans are paying for Tele-Health consultations, including Physiotherapy. We recommend that you check with your insurance provider first before starting your treatment. We are happy to answer any questions your insurance provider may have.

Best Health Physio will provide you with a detailed receipt for any services rendered, including the physiotherapist’s name and licence number, the date of service and fee paid so that you may submit for reimbursement to your insurance provider.

Yes. Because we are licensed and regulated by the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, we have to restrict treatment to residents of Ontario.

Yes. As a licensed health care professional in Ontario, all Physiotherapists must follow the rules of the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). In this regard, a Tele-Physio consult is no different than an in clinic consult.

Best Health Tele-Physio uses Zoom for the video connection through Embodia, an online physiotherapy education and technology company. Embodia has contracted with Zoom to provide these services in a manner that is suitable for healthcare applications. Importantly, this format is PIPEDA (Canadian personal information and electronic privacy legislation) compliant. This agreement enables encryption of the online meetings and removes device/user information from chat logs.

Payments can be made by e-transfer or credit card.
No. When a Tele-Physio appointment is set up you will be sent an email from Embodia with a link that will open up a browser page for Zoom, the Tele-Physio platform. A Zoom account isn't required to attend a meeting. Anyone can join a meeting using the Zoom mobile apps or desktop applications for Windows and Mac.
Yes, the Zoom software can be used with laptops, desktop computers (that have a camera and a microphone), smart phones and tablets. Smart phones and tablets are more mobile and may be easier to position for the therapist to view you doing different assessment movements.
No, once you click the link to your appointment at the appointed time you will see your Physiotherapist on your screen. You may have to enable your microphone/camera (usually there is a microphone/camera icon to click on in bottom left corner of your screen). There are online videos if you need help (https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting).