Chiropractors Can Do Telehealth?
Yes, our chiropractor can provide telehealth services! Without a doubt, the adjustments and muscle techniques performed in the office are great for fast pain relief and immediate improvements to muscle tensions and movement restrictions.
So why select a telehealth option that doesn’t deliver hands-on care? Because this option still allows us to provide an in-depth history and a quality movement assessment/exam from the comfort of your own home. From there, prescription of home exercises can be provided, so pain relief and functional gains can be achieved over time at home. Telehealth appointments also allow the doctor to directly see the activities creating pain at your home or workplace, allowing us to provide even sounder advice on lifestyle and ergonomic modifications.
Essentially, we structure our telehealth appointments as “tele-rehab” sessions. Many believe that telehealth is a cost effective management tool for many health conditions, including many forms of musculoskeletal conditions we frequently see. That’s why we choose to have it as part of our practice model.
Some other benefits to telehealth with Rothrock Chiropractic and Rehabilitation include:
- Building a great rehab exercise program at a lower cost than most physical therapy offices.
- Removing commuting time to the office, benefiting those that are insanely busy with work or caring for family/loved ones. This also benefits those that would need to travel long distances in order to see us in State College, PA.
- Easier accessibility to those in rural or urban Pennsylvania. Rural communities are especially underserved for healthcare. We do telehealth to try and close that gap.
- An ability to have an appointment and get quality care if you lack transportation to get to an office.
- A great complement to the massage therapist, acupuncturist, or other chiropractor you already see. We will provide rehab exercise support to make their treatments work even better for you! It’s about teamwork and maximizing your physical health.
- Lower barrier of accessibility for those with a physical disability or those anxious about face-to-face meetings, which would make a potential office visit challenging.
- College students at Penn State University can have continuity of care while on breaks from classes.
How Does It Work?
The first visit is 45-60 minutes long and will include a detailed history, a functional exam, and prescribed rehabilitation exercises and additional advice for improving your condition at home.
During the first visit, Dr. Emery will most likely perform a McKenzie Method (MDT) assessment. This specific form of physical therapy will establish if your injured area has a directional preference, which is the most effective and efficient movement direction to reduce pain, decrease muscle tension, and improve functionality. The vast majority of musculoskeletal injuries demonstrate a directional preference. Dr. Emery will try to establish that on visit one, although it can take 1-5 visits to properly classify a case.
Follow-up telehealth visits are generally 20 minutes long and include monitoring progress, addressing other facets of health (such as stress or nutrition), exercise plan progression (with exercises being performed together on call), and further changes to ergonomics or lifestyle.
When you schedule your telehealth appointment, you will receive an email containing the video link. An “onPatient'' profile must be created, which will allow you to complete the intake forms before the call. The profile also provides secure and confidential access to the video call. Our Dr. Chrono telehealth calls meet HIPAA compliance.
Schedule your telehealth visit today. Make sure to select "New Patient Visit - Telehealth" in the type of visit box.
How Should I Prepare for My Telehealth Appointment?
It is best to use a laptop or computer with a bigger screen and webcam, if possible. This will help the doctor better see you, and you can see the doctor easier this way, too. Phones should still be okay, if need be.
Make sure you have a secure and strong internet connection. Whether you take the call at home or at work, please make sure you have privacy during the phone call. We will do everything on our end to uphold confidentiality, but we cannot control privacy on your end.
If you are anxious about tech issues before the first appointment, we can schedule a brief “test run” session. This would allow for 10 minutes to work out issues with your internet, computers/phones, cameras, and whatnot.
Make sure to pick a space that has room to move around. We will be performing functional movement tests as part of the exam, and there will be exercise prescription and performance as part of the treatment. Dress comfortably, but avoid extremely loose clothes that would make visualization a major challenge for the doctor. Useful equipment to have include a kitchen/desk chair, floor mat for exercises, a towel, a foam-roller, and theraband/resistance bands.
Billing & Insurance
We MAY be able to bill some insurance for telehealth. However, it’s still not entirely clear what codes will be covered or how much they’ll cover that we bill. The level of coverage will depend on your specific plan, your deductible, and whether or not we are considered an in-network provider on your particular plan. We are happy to run an insurance verification as soon as you provide your plan details--usually before or during your first visit.
We will submit the claim to the following insurances on your behalf, if requested:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield (Highmark only; NOT Capital BC)
- Geisinger
- United Healthcare
- UPMC
- Medicare DOES NOT cover any telehealth performed by a chiropractor
Chiropractic care is considered a qualified medical expense under most HSA plans. If you are not planning to use insurance, please call us at (814) 441-5532 for our self-pay rates for telehealth visits.
What to Expect
Each new patient through telehealth will undergo an initial exam including a medical history and physical assessment. Exercise prescription and ergonomic/lifestyle corrections are provided on this first visit as well. Dr. Emery will use the diagnosis gained from the new patient visit to develop a treatment plan for your specific case. He will completely lay out the treatment plan and expectations during the second telehealth visit.
Who Can We Serve with Telehealth?
Dr. Emery is licensed to practice chiropractic in the state of Pennsylvania. Given this, Dr. Emery can do telehealth visits with:
- Someone having a legal residence in the state of Pennsylvania.
- Any students physically attending college/university in the state of Pennsylvania.
- Any patient that had their first office visit in-person at Rothrock Chiropractic and Rehabilitation in State College, PA and looking for continuity of care.
Schedule an appointment online here
If you are new to our practice, then please select "New Patient Visit - Telehealth" under type of visit. It is a 45-60 minute appointment.
You can also schedule a 20 minute complementary discovery session virtually (telehealth) if you need to learn more. Select "Comp Disc Sess - Telehealth" if you'd like to learn more via a virtual meeting.
If you are looking to schedule in-person, please select “New Patient Visit” for the 60 minute initial appointment.