How to start Occupational Therapy after a car accident
A guide to Occupational Therapy services with an ICBC claim
You have been injured in a car accident, and you have not fully recovered. You want to get back to your regular life, but you are not sure how or where to get started.
Occupational therapy can help you putting together the pieces you need to get better. OTs provide individualized care that is specific to you, your injuries, and your life. They listen to you and focus their work on your goals and what is meaningful to you.
We can help you to get back to the life you want after a car accident.
How can an OT help?
An Occupational Therapist can help you in many ways after a car accident.
We focus on your function and help you perform a wide variety of activities. Whether you’re having physical, cognitive, and emotional difficulties, an OT can help. We see each person as unique and tailor our approach to you.
An Occupational Therapist can help you with activities like:
- Preparing you and your home for your discharge from hospital
- Restoring basic activities, like bathing, dressing, grooming and personal hygiene
- Getting you back to activities like home making, finances, meal planning, community access
- Leisure and recreation
- Getting back to school or work
- Return to driving
Click here to learn how an OT can assist you in different stages of your recovery.
Is OT covered by ICBC?
Occupational therapy is covered under ICBC’s Enhanced Care model.
Unlike other health professions, OT does not have pre-approved treatments. Your ICBC claims specialist must approve OT involvement. To get approval, you will need a referral from your GP or a doctor’s note.
If ICBC has already approved funding for Occupational Therapy for you, simply email us the written authorization, and we will find an OT available to assist you.
ICBC must approve OT services before you start working with an OT.
How to start?
After reporting a claim to ICBC, you can contact our Referrals Team to discuss your needs. There are many ways that you can do that:
- By phone, at (604)696-1066
- By email, at referrals@ot-works.com
- By sending the referral form to us by email or fax
You’ll need to provide a GP referral for OT services.
What documents are need to get started?
You will need to provide some personal information, ICBC claim details, and a GP note.
The GP note should state the reason for referral and that the OT referral is related to the MVA.
Our Referrals Team will then guide you through the process.
If you are not sure if OT has been approved, our Referrals team will contact ICBC and/or your legal counsel on your behalf to secure funding.
Will ICBC pay for everything?
If you have an open claim with ICBC, and they approve OT services for you, you don’t have to pay anything out of pocket. ICBC will pay for services approved by them. ICBC won’t pay for services that are not approved.
How long does it take to start working with an OT?
It depends, but our goal is to make the whole process as fast and seamless as possible.
Our Referrals team will keep you posted during the whole process and inform you of any longer wait times.
Who will contact ICBC to get approval for Occupational Therapy?
Our Referrals team will contact ICBC and/or your legal counsel on your behalf to secure funding.
Where are OT services delivered?
Our OTs work in the community, and can see you in your home, workplace or in a community setting (park, community center).
We can also offer telehealth if that’s appropriate for your situation.
OT Works! has OTs available in the following areas:
- Lower Mainland: Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey, North & West Vancouver, Richmond, Delta, Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Langley, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows
- Fraser Valley: Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack
- Sea-to-Sky: Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton
- Sunshine Coast: Gibsons, Sechelt
- Vancouver Island:
- South: Victoria, Esquimalt, Sooke, East Sooke, Saanich, Sidney, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin
- Central: Nanaimo, Parksville, Ladysmith, Qualicum Beach, Port Alberni
- North: Campbell River, Courtney, Comox, Cumberland, Fanny Bay, Nanoose Bay, Union Bay
Are your OTs approved by ICBC?
All our OTs are university-educated professionals, registered by the College of Occupational Therapists of BC, and authorized by ICBC to provide OT services.
Get started today
If you are ready to start your rehabilitation after a car accident, contact us today.
Our OTs will be happy to help you getting back to the life you love!
Photo by Daniel Xavier from Pexels
Telehealth
When clients can access few other services, occupational therapy via telehealth is a vital link to wellness.
About Telehealth
Telehealth refers to using electronic communications to manage a client’s health and wellbeing. OT Works! is delivering telehealth services during the COVID-19 outbreak. Care by telehealth is therapy that is:
- Provided via phone, email, text messages or video
- Live, private and confidential
- Guided by the College of Occupational Therapists of BC (COTBC) and the Provincial Health Services Agency (PHSA)
How OT can help with Telehealth
Telehealth allows clients to safely receive the prompt care they need while social distancing is required. Through telehealth, our therapists help clients:
- Maintain or improve workplace tolerances
- Develop a daily structure that simulates their typical (work) day
- Create healthy routines
- Increase resiliency
- Deliver health education
- Promote connection with the workplace and decrease isolation
OT Works! Telehealth Approach
OT Works! therapists provide a creative healthcare service that develops client-centered solutions that are:
- Cost Effective
- Customized to optimize outcomes (including remote session length and frequency)
- Tailored towards cognitive and emotional gains
- Focused on the long-term goals, including Return to Work
- Provided with integrity and therapeutic value
Services Considerations
The following services are difficult to deliver remotely, yet we have solutions to help:
- Home environment – possible with video technology
- Objective assessments of range of motion and strength – possible with video technology
- Functional assessments (e.g. transfers, stairs, community access) – inferred from client reports, questionnaires, camera observations and medical documentation
- Wheelchair or home safety assessment – if urgent, in-person assessments can be considered after completing a client risk assessment and while using personal protective equipment.
Get Started
All of our therapists at OT Works! are certified with the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC) and have additional training in areas such as mental health, brain injury rehabilitation, home safety and chronic pain.
We’re here for you when you need us.
E-mail: info@ot-works.com
Phone: 604.696.1066 ext 1000