The College of Physiotherapists of Manitoba (CPM) is closing the physical office effective Friday March 20. We are still available by phone, fax and e-mail:

Tel:  204-287-8502

Fax:  204-474-2506

E-mail:  info@manitobaphysio.com

All staff will be working from home and response time to your enquiries should be as usual.  In two weeks, we will evaluate the need to continue to work off site.

If you have received letters from the Complaints Committee with deadline dates, please try to respond by the deadline date. If you are having difficulty with responding by that date, please contact CPM and ask for Kathy Johnson, Complaints Coordinator.

CPM is keeping a list of clinics that are closed. Please contact us with closure date, expected re-open date and contact info for clients who may wish to access their records etc.

The Annual General Meeting originally slated for April 30 is postponed. A new date has not been set yet. We will keep you posted. If you are interested in filling a position on Council, please let us know as soon as possible. The nomination form can be located on our website here.

Telerehabilitation:

Telerehabilitation is an option for delivery of physiotherapy services to patients using telerehabilitation technology.  However, not all patients will benefit from or be appropriate for physiotherapy services provided in this manner.

Physiotherapists offering service by this means are still required to meet the same expectations and standards as services delivered in person. There is only one set of Standards of Practice for the profession. In 2018 the College of Physiotherapists of Manitoba and Physiotherapy Alberta developed a Telerehabilitation Resource Guide¹ to address the specific concerns and considerations related to telerehabilitation practice that physiotherapists should consider. Please see the guide for full details, however some questions you should ask yourself are:

Privacy – Do you understand the systems capabilities and technical protection of health information?

Ask if the platform adheres to Manitoba laws and legislation. Adhering to another country or provinces’ legislation is not sufficient.

Competence – Are you competent to deliver services in this way?

Physiotherapists will need to develop new skills to use the technology accurately, efficiently and effectively. This includes both the technical skill to work with the telerehabilitation platform or system, and the clinical skill to use the technology to deliver services¹. Ask yourself:

• How will you develop these skills?
• What training or resources are available to support your implementation of telerehabilitation?

Fees and Billing – Have you considered that not all third-party payers will reimburse for services provided in this manner?

Ensure you are providing receipts that clearly reflect that physiotherapy services were delivered via telerehabilitation.

Safety Expectations – Do you have an Emergency plan? For technology interruptions or an emergency on the patient’s side?

Ensure you have policies and plans in place prior to initiating telerehabilitation services.

Physiotherapists need to do their due diligence when deciding to deliver service by telerehabilitation and when selecting the platform to do so. Remember using Skype or Facetime does not meet the standards of the College.

Sources:

1 College of Physiotherapists of Manitoba. Telerehabilitation Resource Guide for Manitoba Physiotherapists. 2018.