Faqs

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What's the difference between Osteopathy, Chiropractic and Physiotherapy?

Osteopathy stands as the oldest profession of the three, making its mark through the manipulation of the body’s various structures and organs to ease areas of congestion or restriction, so that injured or diseased tissues can function better and have a better chance to heal. It champions the body’s wholeness and its innate healing mechanisms, and prioritises a searching for and an understanding of the causes and contributing factors involved in a patient’s pain or injury. There can be a broad range of hands-on techniques employed, and some practitioners will find preference in working predominantly with one or two approaches, such as mostly muscle and joint manipulation, or gentle fascial and ligamentous balancing, or combining neurological and movement retraining. If you haven’t already, check out the biographies of our Osteopaths to get a feel for how each of them work, and give us a call if you’d like further information.

Chiropractic can also have a broad spectrum of practice, but classically, it employs a system of optimising a patient’s health through the manipulation of the joints of their spine. This is based on what’s known as the Neurological model of treatment, which highlights the connection of the body’s nervous system to all of its structures, such that if the nerves that pass out of the spine are afforded a free and uncongested passage – perhaps assisted by manipulation – then the organs and structures that those nerves connect to will then also have a better chance to function well and remain healthy. The Chiropractic profession started up in America shortly after Osteopathy, and quickly made its way around the globe to Australia, which is one reason why Chiropractic is more established and well-known in this country than its older cousin, Osteopathy.

Physiotherapy was born out of the Nursing profession, from the need and subsequent success of promoting healing and restoring patients’ function in the hospital system through the use of practitioner-assisted and patient-generated movement. It remains part of the Medical model of health care, and these days is applied in various specialty areas, such as women’s health, cardiorespiratory health, sports performance and neurological rehabilitation. Physiotherapists are generally great at devising, structuring and progressing programs of retraining and rehabilitation on the basis of a patient’s physical examination findings and or their medical diagnosis.

What's the difference between Acupuncture and Dry Needling?

Both Acupuncture and Dry Needling involve the insertion of fine needles at specific depths into specific parts or “points” of the body. The philosophy behind and effects of the two approaches is where the major differences are found.

Acupuncture is a whole health system of practice, based on years of study and subsequent understanding of Chinese Medicine, previously developed and layered over millennia. Acupuncture is directed at “points” – which may be local to or away from an injured area – to open up the whole body’s flow of energy, to help it function and heal. If you haven’t already, check out the biographies of our Acupuncturists to get a feel for how each of them work, and give us a call if you’d like further information.

Dry Needling is a single technique, rather than a profession, often employed by a wide range of manual therapists, such as osteopaths, physiotherapists and massage therapists. It typically targets tight bands of muscle tissue that might be strained or sensitive, and aims to elicit a softening or release of this tightness, for better circulation, function and healing.

How many appointments will I need?

Improvements in pain and movement can often be experienced within just a few treatments, although this of course varies; depending on the severity of the patient’s condition, and how easily the causative factors might be addressed for that person. Sometimes, treatment helps patients manage their pain or injury over time, or helps with preventing further progression of their condition, and so treatment can continue more periodically, at intervals of weeks or months at a time.

Funding & Payments

Our experienced Reception team are across all avenues of funding, including HICAPS and approved funding from My Aged Care, NDIS, Medicare CDM Plans, Work Cover, and Veterans’ Affairs. If you’re not sure what funding might be available to you, feel free to phone or email with any questions you might have. Please note there is a Gap Fee for patients using Medicare CDM Plan funding, in line with the remaining appointment cost. Cash or Card payments are otherwise accepted, including Amex.

Do I need a referral?

No referral is needed for patient-funded appointments, including the use of Private Health Insurance – you can just Book Online or give us a Call, and you’re in!

Where payment is provided by a third-party, such as Medicare, Work Cover, DVA or My Aged Care, we’ll need the relevant referral or paperwork that outlines the approved funding and helps us set up your treatment plan. Give us a Call if you need help with working out what paperwork you might need.

Before my First appointment?

Be sure to fill in our online New Patient Form ahead of time, which you can open and submit from your Appointment Confirmation email. Let us know if you haven’t received it, in case it’s landed in the wrong email address, or got stuck in your spam or junk.

We recommend checking out our location map to help get your bearings if you’re visiting our clinic for the first time.

Some parking is available onsite, or alternatively on-street, in front of the clinic along Bowman Road.

Cancellation Policy

Caloundra Osteo is a busy clinic and at times we have a long waiting list for appointments with our practitioners. We appreciate your understanding that the time set aside for your appointment has been kept for you, and that if you are unable to attend, another patient waiting for an appointment may miss the opportunity to take it.

A Cancellation Fee of 50% applies where less than 24 hours’ notice is given to reschedule or cancel an appointment, including non-attendance. We do of course take extenuating circumstances into consideration, but if you need to cancel, please give us as much notice as possible.

Many thanks in advance for your cooperation, as we do our best to accommodate and coordinate all appointments.

At Caloundra Osteo, the provision of safe and quality health care is our principal concern. This requires a strong relationship between our practitioners and our patients, based on trust and confidentiality.

We regard your health information as confidential. Your personal information is handled in accordance with the practice’s Privacy Policy and is consistent with Commonwealth and Queensland law.

You are entitled to know what personal information is held about you, how and under what circumstances it may be disclosed, when consent is required for these purposes, and how it is stored.

Access to your information

You have the right to access your information. You may ask to view the information or ask for a copy of a part or of the whole record. You are not required to give reasons, but you may be asked to clarify the scope of the request. If you find that the information held is not accurate or complete, you may have that information amended accordingly.

At your request, your health information held by Caloundra Osteo will be made available to another health service provider. Often a request will need to be in writing. Access to some information may be limited in some circumstances, but in such an event we will advise you of the reasons.

We may charge a fee if it incurs costs in providing access, particularly if records need to be copied. Typically, it’s about $25 but may be higher for larger files.

Parents/guardians and children

Although this may surprise some parents, privacy laws apply to children as well as adults. Under the Privacy Guidelines, a child’s right to privacy of their health information may at times restrict access by parents/guardians to that same information.

Collection, use, and disclosure of your health information

Allied health practitioners must keep clinical records. For most practitioners it is a government requirement, and information about your medical and family health history is needed to provide accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatment.

We will only seek information that is relevant to your health. This information is generally collected directly from you or otherwise with your consent. However, from time to time we may receive information from others (for example, X-ray images and referrals from other practitioners). When this occurs, we will wherever possible make sure you know we have received this information.

Some information about you may be provided to Medicare or your private health insurer, if relevant, for billing and rebate purposes. This information generally does not include your detailed clinical records but may depend on the terms of your insurance policy.

There are circumstances where a health practitioner is legally required to disclose information. An example of this is a subpoena or other mandatory reporting requirements.

Generally, workers compensation and traffic accident schemes require patients treated under those schemes to agree their health information can be shared with the scheme and its insurers.

It is necessary for us to keep your health information for as long as is required by law (generally 7 years after your last consultation, but longer in some circumstances).

Clinical records are stored and transmitted securely and safeguarded against loss or damage.

We will inform you if we intend to transfer your clinical records to another practitioner or clinic, or if we sell or close this clinic.

Have some questions?

If you have questions or concerns related to the privacy of your information, we invite you to discuss these with the clinic or your practitioner.

If you are dissatisfied, contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at 1300 363 992 or access further information via www.oaic.gov.au.

Faqs

FAQs

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Access to your information

Parents/guardians and children

Collection, use, and disclosure of your health information

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