Update: reducing red tape and the administrative burden for primary care providers

To: Physiotherapy Clinics
Category: Physiotherapy Facilities 
Written by: Physician Relations & Contract Oversight Branch, Physician and Provider Services Division
Date issued: June 20, 2024
Bulletin Number: 240603

Overview

The Ministry of Health and the Ontario Physiotherapy Association have been making positive changes that will reduce red tape for Community Physiotherapy Clinics and the administrative burden on primary care providers.

Program changes

Several changes have been made to the Community Physiotherapy Clinic Program including:

  • removing the requirement for a referral from a primary care provider
  • amending the Episode of Care (EOC) allocation for impacted sites where EOCs have been redistributed based on right sizing and on EOCs that have come available from clinic closures, by Ontario Health (OH) region (formerly known as the Local Health Integration Networks or LHINs)
  • adding language stating “virtual care is permitted in keeping with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario standards”
  • amending patient eligibility language for an EOC to include ‘discharged from a hospital following outpatient/day surgery’
  • amending text to allow one (1) EOC for a single diagnostic code, resulting in the allowance of concurrent and consecutive EOCs in more situations
  • removal of requirement to submit a Review Engagement report and Financial Statements and replaced with an attestation

 

How people can access the Community Physiotherapy Clinic Program

The updated eligibility criteria now includes if they are discharged from hospital following outpatient/day surgery as below:

  • an Ontario resident with a valid OHIP card
  • 65 years or older
  • 19 years or under
  • any age after an overnight hospital stay or outpatient/day surgery (within the last 12 months) for the condition requiring physiotherapy
  • a recipient of the Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program (any age)

Please note: a referral to publicly-funded physiotherapy does not guarantee eligibility. If patients do not meet the eligibility criteria for the Community Physiotherapy Clinic program, they can pay for services privately or go through a third-party insurer. 

Patients may also wish to find out if they can access other publicly-funded physiotherapy programs such as in-home care, and exercise and falls prevention classes.

For more information on where to access publicly funded physiotherapy services in your Ontario Health region, please visit: ontario.ca/page/get-physiotherapy.

Keywords/Tags

Community physiotherapy clinic; physiotherapy; physiotherapy facilities; clinic; program changes; transfer payment agreement; CPC; TPA

Contact information

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