Essex clinic helps patients access physio
ESSEX — Some residents here can now access physiotherapy more easily, without having to bounce between clinics or worry about private insurance coverage.
The Essex County Nurse Practitioner- Led Clinic has added a physiotherapist to its staff, making it possible for patients to have a same-day assessment with the physiotherapist, said Pauline Gemmell, the clinic’s executive director.
Before adding physio, patients would have had to be referred to a physiotherapist, and some patients might not have been able to see one because they lacked private insurance coverage. Most outpatient physiotherapy is not covered by OHIP.
Now a patient with pain doesn’t have to wait or go to a different clinic to see the physiotherapist, and because it’s a clinic service, extra insurance coverage isn’t necessary.
“We’re here to be a tool for the nurse practitioners,” said physiotherapist John Spirou, who started working with the clinic about five weeks ago.
Spirou is in the clinic five days a week part time and can help the nurse practitioners diagnose pain and injuries, develop treatment programs for patients and even do some of the treatment on-site.
Under new provincial regulations, Spirou said, physiotherapists can also order certain tests such as X-rays, sparing patients the extra step of getting the test ordered by their doctor or nurse practitioner.
Patients coming in with sprained ankles or mysterious back pain can potentially avoid a trip to the hospital ER because they can see the physiotherapist at their clinic instead.
“(Patients) don’t have to leave their primary care team to get the service they need,” said Spirou, who works out of Sabga Physiotherapy in Essex.
For example, Spirou and the clinic’s nurse practitioners were able to figure out that it was a slipped spinal disc that was causing their patient Timothy Ferriss’ mysterious hip pain. Instead of sending him for tests like a nerve conduction study, as might have traditionally been done, Ferriss started on a physio program right away. Through that, Spirou was able to identify the pain was coming from the spine. From there, he was referred to see a neurosurgeon.
“I was really happy to be able to see a physiotherapist right away,” Ferriss said. “The physiotherapist took time to explain in detail what was causing my hip pain.”
Earlier this year the Ministry of Health announced it would start pushing primary care providers to form partnerships with other community healthcare disciplines to make it easier for patients to access them.
“The integration of physiotherapy into primary care will allow for physical therapy to be part of primary care based inter-professional programs in the areas of chronic disease management, disease prevention and health promotion,” said ministry spokeswoman Samantha Grant.
Earlier this year, the ministry announced it would expand access to physiotherapy servic- es, including integrating physio into primary care settings, community health centres and family health teams.
Physiotherapy was delisted from OHIP in 2005, meaning that most people would have to pay out of pocket or through private insurance for physiotherapy services. Ontarians age 65 and over are entitled to OHIPfunded physiotherapy if they are referred by a doctor. Similar access is available to Ontarians 19 and under, people on disability and patients who are admitted to hospital overnight.
The Essex County Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, which opened in 2011, now has about 1,800 patients and three nurse practitioners. Its satellite site on Drouillard Road in Windsor has two nurse practitioners.