All posts in Medical Advisory

I need this physical therapy appointment.                                                                          

I attest that the benefit of physical therapy outweighs the risk of corona virus, at this time, in my case.                                                                                                   

I do not or have not had flu-like symptoms within the last 2 weeks.                             

I have not been exposed to others who were sick in the last 2 weeks.                                

I do NOT have a fever.                          

I am in compliance with local and state Covid-19 restrictions.               

I am complying with social distancing.

I will wear a face cover when at physical therapy.

I will wash/sanitize my hands before AND after physical therapy.

I agree that the clinic is doing its best to protect me and its staff.

You can expect that every employee and patient you pass in our clinic is able to check YES to get treatment at Nick Rinard Physical Therapy. We have all our patients and the community health at heart!

Please visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/Clinic.pdf

Nick Rinard is following all of the before patients arrive, when patients arrive and after patients are assessed safety protocols. Our staff is trained and prepared for our patients.

All patient must be able to check correct to all the questions in the below questionnaire to be seen and must consent to having temperatures taken at time of check in.

Nick Rinard Physical Therapy COVID-19 Safety Checklist:

Name:   __________________________________

I understand that Oregon and Washington have been doing their part in flattening the curve and that the COVID-19 emergency in local hospitals is beginning to improve.  With that in mind, I accept the risks of attending physical therapy by answering “✔” or ‘Correct” to all of the following:

I need this physical therapy appointment.                                                                  ✔      x

I attest that the benefit of physical therapy outweighs the risk of corona virus, at this time, in my case.                                    ✔         x

I do not or have not had flu-like symptoms within the last 2 weeks.                         ✔         x

I have not been exposed to others who were sick in the last 2 weeks.                        ✔         x

I do NOT have a fever.                              ✔  x                                                                 

I am in compliance with state “Stay Home, Save Lives” orders.                               ✔         x

I am complying with social distancing.   ✔        x                                                                   

I will wear a face cover when at physical therapy.                                                      ✔         x

I will wash/sanitize my hands before AND after physical therapy.                           ✔         x         

I agree that the clinic is doing its best to protect me and its staff.                             ✔         x

Clinic Temperature Reading (F°): ____________________

(Telehealth physical therapy online video appointments are still available to patients who feel it may be a better option – please contact our office for more information.)

Signed: ___________________________________      Date: ____________________

Nick Rinard has increased health and wellness procedures to protect patients at their normal in-person visits and continue to offer effective telehealth visits.  We are following all essential service guidelines and are able to provide a physically safe environment for all patients at this time. If you have further questions or concerns, please contact our office at 503-244-6232.

These two things can make us PORTLANDERS forget how to be smart about exercising in the heat!

Here are a few reminders:

· Stay hydrated!  Drink plenty of water!  It is more difficult for your body to regulate temperature under dehydration. We have noticed that wearing masks, we also tend to drink less water even in doors. Stay alert, aware and conscious about how much water you are drinking every day.

· Pay attention to the humidity level.  High humidity means that the body can’t cool off as efficiently.

· Replenish electrolytes if you are active for prolonged periods.

· If you regularly exercise outdoors, it can take up to 2 weeks for you to acclimate to the hotter conditions.

· Plan your  most stressful activities for earlier in the day/late at night when the temperatures are cooler.

 “Thank you” to all of our patients who were able and continued to continue care and stay in contact with Nick Rinard PT since Oregon’s “stay at home” order on March 23.  Nick Rinard took the proactive decision to stop in-person visits on March 13 to protect the health and safety of everyone in the community. 

New patients and established patients found our telehealth visits very valuable as we were able to continue to diagnose, educate and offer the tools they needed to get through this difficult time.  It was a challenging, but really fun experience to connect with patients on telehealth, and also to get you feeling better and in less pain! 

Since the easing of stay at home orders on May 1^st Nick Rinard Physical Therapy was able to re-open our SW Capitol clinic doors as of May 4^th  (Monday through Friday 8am-6pm).

Nick Rinard Physical Therapy loves treating you and we are so happy open not only our doors but our hands and hearts to get you the results you have come to know and trust for the last 20 years.

Nick Rinard Physical Therapy would like to encourage you to please continue to call our office for help.

New patients and current patients should call to set up visits on our HIPAA compliant Google Meets telehealth company platform.

Telehealth evaluations for new patients and follow-up service are currently available.

This is a new service offered by Nick Rinard Physical Therapy in this time of need when we know you are hurting yet cannot treat you in person. As Nick Rinard Physical Therapy has had adapt to the new temporary environment, we are having great success using this service.

New patients and current patients are finding our telehealth visits very valuable. We are continuing to diagnose, educate and offer the tools you need to get through this difficult time.

I continue to be here for you.

Respectfully yours,

Nick Rinard, owner/physical therapist at Nick Rinard Physical Therapy

An updated message from Nick Rinard, owner/physical therapist, regarding Corona Virus Pandemic and clinic status:

As a physical therapist I continue to take your health and well-being seriously – it really is my number one concern.

I have made another difficult decision to postpone in-person visits until April 28th, 2020.

Please call to schedule a telehealth appointment. This is a new service by Nick Rinard Physical Therapy, and you will be participating in a pilot program for which there is a low fee and no insurance involvement.

New patients and current patients should continue to call for advice on a telehealth evaluation and follow-up video appointments from the “clinic that get results, even with the toughest cases”.

We are finding it is of value and your physical problem can be helped initially. I would like to try this as a pilot program and offer you a lower fee because of that. I would be honored if you gave me the chance to try to help you in this way.

I wish to donate hours of my time serving you, but also defray our fixed costs of staying in business and continuing to be in business long into the future to serve you and for me to continue to fulfill my personal passion as a physical therapist.

I am here for you.

Respectfully yours,

Nick Rinard, owner/physical therapist at Nick Rinard Physical Therapy

A message from Nick Rinard, owner/physical therapist, regarding Corona Virus Pandemic and clinic status: 

As a physical therapist I take your health and well-being seriously – it is my number one concern.  I have thought long and hard about what would be best for you during the Corona Virus Pandemic – to continue treating patients as usual, or take preventative measures to limit unnecessary exposure in our clinic.  P.T. is primarily about preventing worse health outcomes such as: preventing surgery, preventing disability, preventing falls, preventing heart disease, to name but a few.  I have chosen to inform myself on the scientific information available regarding the spread of the Corona Virus to date, and I have paid close attention to actions taken by governmental and community leaders in the attempt to limit spread of the virus.  I have weighted the financial costs of remaining open as a clinic compared to closing the clinic entirely – including consequences for our staff – staff that are like family to me.  There is no easy solution. 

I have taken the difficult decision to postpone in-person visits until March 30, 2020.  I will be assessing the situation leading up to that date and give updates.  This decision is my contribution to our over-all healthcare delivery system to not inadvertently participate in corona virus spread.  Since Oregon does not have adequate testing, there could be asymptomatic carriers of the virus in wither staff or patients that could potentially lead to more and more infections.  So many infections at once would overwhelm hospitals leading to a shortage of needed supplies for the unfortunate ones who might not get just a mild case.  As a healthcare provider of physical therapy, I understand that physical therapy may need to take a back seat in this pandemic.  We will live to fight another day!

Current patients can expect a call from me or my staff soon, if you have not already received a call offering you to either postpone your upcoming appointment, or opt-in to a telehealth appointment instead.  This will be a new service by Nick Rinard Physical Therapy, and you will be participating in a pilot program for which there is a low fee and no insurance involvement.  I wish to donate hours of my time serving you, but also defray our fixed costs of staying in business.  I believe this scenario will be temporary, and we will be in business long into the future to serve you and for me to continue to fulfill my personal passion as a physical therapist. 

New patients should continue to call for advice on a telehealth evaluation and follow-up video appointments.  While not as good as an in-person evaluation, we may find that it is still of value and your physical problem can be helped initially.  I would like to try this as a pilot program and offer you a lower fee because of that.  I would be honored if you gave me the chance to try to help you in this way.

As a consideration, I will personally review cases in which an in-person clinic appointment may serve you best, if exposure risk can be assessed and mitigated appropriately beforehand.  I am here for you.

I wish you all good health and safety now and always.  I thank you for your understanding and willingness to adapt to our current Corona Virus environment.  Please continue to call in for information and possible telehealth physical therapy services from the “clinic that get results, even with the toughest cases”.

Respectfully yours,

Nick Rinard, owner/physical therapist at Nick Rinard Physical Therapy

“Prior authorization is a health plan cost-control process that restricts patient access to treatments, drugs and services. This process requires physicians to obtain health plan approval before delivery of the prescribed treatment, test or medical service in order to qualify for payment.

According to an AMA survey of 1,000 practicing physicians, more than nine in 10 respondents said prior authorizations had a significant or somewhat negative clinical impact, with 28% reporting that prior authorizations had led to a serious adverse event such as a death, hospitalization, disability or permanent bodily damage, or other life-threatening event for a patient in their care. 

The vast majority of physicians (86%) described the administrative burden associated with prior authorizations as “high or extremely high,” and 88% said the burden has gone up in the last five years. 

Learn more about the AMA’s prior authorization reform initiatives.”

O’Reilly, Kevin B. Nov. 1, 2019 “8 prior authorization terms that drive every doctor crazy.” Received from https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/sustainability/8-prior-authorization-terms-drive-every-doctor-crazy.