Coaching

If you want to tackle new mobility skills in the comfort and context of your own home with a physical therapist, I have extensive experience in doing mobility training in home, school, clinic, and hospital settings with children and adults with a wide range of physical disabilities.   

Outfitting- Wheelchair Evaluations

My hub is Shoreline, WA. I  do wheelchair evaluation, trial, order, and fitting sessions either in my clients' homes within ~15 miles my hub  and/or at their wheelchair shops in Mountlake Terrace, WA.   My private practice is mobile and not based out of a clinic.  I do see out-of-state clients as long as they can meet with me locally.  

First session: This session occurs with the client and me without the wheelchair supplier present and lasts around two hours. These evaluations involve observing how you sit and move,  doing a detailed examination of your body when you are in and out of your wheelchair,  taking in-depth measurements of your current wheelchair, and discussing what you do and don't like about your current and past wheelchairs.  After the session, I send the you, the client, a detailed report with next steps for trying out and ordering a new wheelchair or modifying the current one. 

Second session: At this session,  the wheelchair supplier, client, and I meet to try out other wheelchair configurations, components, and frames/ bases  and sometimes do pressure mapping to prepare for the order session. The length of this session depends on how many new things that the client needs and wants to try out before proceeding with the order.  For a straightforward situation, this takes about one hour. For more complex orders, this can take several hours over more than one session. 

Third session: The wheelchair supplier, client, and I meet to go through the order form for the new wheelchair configuration, components, and frame or base together. This typically takes one to two hours and is sometimes combined with the 2nd session.  After this session, the wheelchair supplier sends me the quote to review, and then I write the Letter of Justification for the client and wheelchair supplier to review. Once the Letter is finished, I sign it and any other forms required by insurance to the client and wheelchair supplier. Then the wheelchair supplier gets them signed by the doctor, reviewed by the supplier's billing team, and sent to insurance for authorization. If the insurance company denies part or all of the order, they notify the client and wheelchair supplier who notify me. We then discuss the need for a PT Appeal Letter. 

Forth session: Once the wheelchair is authorized by insurance, the frame/base and components are ordered by the wheelchair supplier who assembles them at their shop. Then the wheelchair supplier, client, and I meet for at least one session that is at least one hour long to fit the new wheelchair to the client.  If issues with the fit and/or performance arise after session, follow up sessions are sometimes needed with the wheelchair supplier, client, and me to get things right.