November 22, 2022
Norton County Hospital's Rehabilitation department has made the move to a new location, but there’s much more to the transition than just a physical address. For example, the department offers virtual visits, as well as more space and additional equipment. An added benefit is that patients can pull right up to the door in their vehicles.
Department manager Kellen Jacobs said this move provides an opportunity to expand upon what the outpatient rehab has offered up until this point.
“We have great staff, wonderful therapists who treat patients really, really well,” Jacobs said. “We've always had very high patient satisfaction survey results.”
About Norton County Hospital Rehabilitation
Norton County Hospital Rehabilitation is primarily an outpatient therapy operation. The facility offers physical, occupational and speech therapy. Therapists also treat patients who are being treated in the hospital.
“In a rural health clinic, you kind of have to be a ‘jack of all trades,’ and all of our therapists definitely are. I’m going to speak on physical therapy primarily, because that's my role. We see every diagnosis, every possible condition that somebody might have. We are primarily manual therapy-based and therapeutic exercise instruction-based therapists,” said Jacobs.
With a virtual component, patients are able to mix in virtual visits with in-person appointments. People may feel more comfortable checking in virtually, even if the threat of COVID has eased some. This option is also desirable for patients who have to travel quite a distance to the hospital. And, it’s a great advantage for people who need an element of flexibility to accommodate their daily schedules.
Sometimes, a preferred therapist is not available at the facility—but that person may be available for a virtual session. This helps with program adherence. The more a patient “likes” a particular therapist, the greater the chance that patient will keep up with his or her therapy.
How do patients schedule a virtual visit?
Fortunately, there’s real no difference between scheduling a virtual visit and an in-person one. Patients can call the outpatient rehab office as they would normally do. If a patient is interested in doing virtual therapy, the receptionist will get him or her in touch with the patient liaison. Norton County Hospital Rehabilitation enlists a third-party company called Joint Recovery Services to help provide therapy, because the company has a specific platform Norton County uses.
“The patient liaison will contact that patient prior to the appointment and make sure they have all the necessary things lined up before that first visit. For example, making sure their technology is acceptable and they've run the patients through a couple trials,” said Jacobs. “That way, on that very first visit everything goes nice and smoothly. For the patient, really nothing changes.”
Patients can find the new location at 711 N. Norton Ave. Patients can make an appointment by calling 785-874-2222.
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