Seattle Children’s is now offering telemedicine appointments for physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and speech-language pathology (SLP). While it may not be intuitive that these services can be provided via telemedicine, in fact they work well in many situations. Our therapists often combine telemedicine with periodic in-person visits, which is a format that is widely used nationally and is effective for both patients and therapists.
Patients who need to be seen in person and/or use our specialized equipment rooms will still be provided with in-person appointments at our locations in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett and Federal Way, when it is safe to do so or when those appointments are considered urgent.
Telemedicine appointments for OT, PT and SLP are currently available with shorter-than-average wait times. This will be good news to families who have faced longer waits previously or recently had their appointments cancelled due to COVID-19. Before scheduling, we will confirm that the visit will provide value to the patient and family in this new format.
All appointments still require a referral from an MD, DO or APP.
Our therapists triage new referrals and determine whether a patient should be seen in person or via a telemedicine appointment using Seattle Children’s tiering system that was put in place in response to COVID-19. In general, patients are prioritized for telemedicine if there is a chance they would be compromised if care is not provided urgently, or if their status is such that they could benefit from services provided via telemedicine.
We look forward to seeing your patients for therapies via telemedicine. If you have questions regarding this service, please contact us at 206-987-4067.
