In this instructional video, Kelly Alhooie walks clinicians and clinic staff through a scripted approach for converting a patient’s request to skip an in‑person appointment into a telehealth (video physical therapy) visit. The scenario features a patient, Sally, who prefers manual therapy and doubts the value of a virtual session. Kelly emphasizes making the conversation client‑focused, quickly referencing the patient’s chart in Jane to cite specific goals (e.g., preventing leakage), and highlighting benefits such as using the patient’s home environment and saving travel time. She stresses the need for an upfront commitment from the patient to adhere to the plan of care regardless of travel, illness, or weather, and outlines a structured televisit format: a 30‑45‑minute video call followed by a customized treatment plan that the patient can implement. Throughout, Kelly underscores that outcomes depend on the patient’s consistency and effort rather than the therapist’s presence, and she calls for coordinated messaging from both clinicians and administrative staff when scheduling calls.
Chapters
Okay, ring ring ring. Sally calls again and is like, "Hey, I can't come to the appointment today, and I'm gonna go ahead and just skip this week." Okay, and then we say, "Hey, let's go ahead and turn this into a televisit or a video physical therapy visit so that we can go ahead and continue your plan of care, and we really are." progressing towards your goals. How does that sound? Patient comes back and Sally says, well, I just really want the manual work, and I don't feel like it would be valuable if I actually came— or if I didn't come in. And I don't, I don't see how a telehealth session can actually help me because the manual is what actually helps me the most. What do we say to this? Okay, number one, you have to make it about the client and not about manual therapy. So this has to be hit from both ends. On the physical therapy, uh, on the occupational therapy or physical therapy or PTA, they've got to hit it on the front end on initial evaluation. And then admin or clinical manager, you guys have got to hit it, um, on this end when they're actually calling. And so, uh, what you say is you quickly pull up their chart in Jane And it should have there what their goals are. So as you're talking to them, quickly pull up their name and say, "All right, Sally, I see that you're trying to actually get back to leakage, and it looks like your therapist, Dr. Blah blah blah, was going to work on three things with you this coming week, and I know she really wanted to progress that with you. Is that okay if we switch this over to a video?" therapy session because she can actually use your environment, um, and really customize a plan for you during that session. Also, it's going to save you time, Sally, that you don't actually have to drive in here. So not only do we get to use your environment, which is going to be your environment for, for life, so that we can really help progress you in your goals in your own, in that own set, in your own setting, And we're also going to save you time. I truly believe that you should keep this appointment because I know this week right here too is a crucial week that we have got to progress things and get you over this hump so that you never have— and then state the goal that it says on the chart— so that you never have leakage again. If you cannot speak to the goal that's on the chart because for some odd reason, I don't know, the internet went down, whatever else, Just say so we can get you back to your goals. Okay, that's really, that's really important. Okay, um, you have to make sure too— this brings up a point— that the therapist is actually getting the patient to commit on the first visit that no matter if they're traveling, no matter if their kid's sick, if they have COVID, like whatever it may be, that they are committed to this plan of care whether or not they are in person or doing a Video physical therapy conference. And this is including snow as well. It's super important. So you also want to make sure they know the method and that they have to be consistent. Every single week we have to do check-ins. And then 2, we have to create goals regardless of whether or not the person is in person or not. And we have to keep progressing to that. This, I would say also as well with a televisit that We actually do a care plan customized to you. So how a televisit works is we'll do 30 minutes to 45 minutes on kind of like a Zoom call with you, and then we'll spend the rest of that hour making up a treatment plan customizable to you so that you can take that and it's not overwhelming for you, and you can easily implement the things that are going to move you on to the next week so that we can keep progressing to So that you don't have any more leakage. That's what you're going to say on the phone. Okay. Um, and also too, I think this is important, the results are based, uh, the results are not based on the PT. It's about the consistency of the client. The client does have to put in some work. And then again, use the method to make sure that they stay consistent and get them to commit up front. That's very important. And then, yeah, just really have them understand that no matter if they're traveling, no matter if they're sick, they have to still keep up with this because this— when they're in active, you know, treatment, getting active treatment here, that this is when they have to be most consistent so that problem never returns like it was.
