NDIS Physiotherapy Costs
What are my NDIS Physiotherapy Costs?
At Active Ability, our dedicated NDIS registered physiotherapists support people with disability to achieve goals related to improved function, independence, and the ability to participate in things that are important to you – such as school, work, sport, and family and community activities. Here, we explain what you need to know about NDIS physiotherapy costs.
Who sets NDIS physiotherapy costs?
As with all fees associated with the scheme, NDIS physiotherapy fees are set by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The NDIS regulates service fees – including prices for physiotherapy – to help ensure participants get good value for money from their supports.
The NDIS updates their pricing regularly, typically every 12 months. The costs for different supports are published in a document which was previously known as the ‘NDIS Price Guide’ but is now called ‘NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits’. This document is available to NDIS participants and support providers to help them understand how pricing controls for support and services work under the NDIS. You can access the 2021-22 NDIS pricing document here.
What are our physiotherapy costs for NDIS clients?
At Active Ability, we don’t set an NDIS physiotherapy fee schedule because this is set by the NDIA. This means your NDIS physiotherapy cost will be the same, regardless of which physiotherapist you see and where you live.
Our current fee for NDIS physiotherapy as at 1st July 2021 is: $193.99 per hour of service. We DO NOT charge for travel.
The fee for your physiotherapy will be deducted from the funding you have allocated to that service under your NDIS plan.
More about the NDIS and physiotherapy costs
Physiotherapy is funded under the Improved Daily Living category of your NDIS Capacity Building budget, as are several types of allied health therapies including dietetics and exercise physiology.
This category of your NDIS plan is designed to provide participants with access to support related to their disability, including assessments, recommendations, therapy or training, and assistive technologies such as walking aids.
To receive physiotherapy funded by the NDIS, it must be related directly to your disability and meet the ‘reasonable and necessary’ criteria.
How can physiotherapy help NDIS participants?
Physiotherapists can support people living with a disability in many ways. Physiotherapy can be beneficial for people with a range of conditions, including physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, neurological disorders (such as stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis), and mental health conditions.
As movement and function experts, physios typically help people with their mobility, balance, and issues with their muscles and joints. They may also be involved in managing any pain directly associated with your disability.
NDIS physiotherapists use a range of techniques and therapies, including:
- Assessment and management of your mobility, balance and coordination
- Assessment and management of posture, muscle tone and strength
- Pain management techniques such as hot and cold therapy and dry needling
- Assessment and treatment for gross and fine motor skill issues
- Joint mobilisation or manipulation and massage
- Prescription of exercise programs
- Aquatic therapy (therapeutic exercise in a pool)
- Training of support people to provide your program
- Prescription of special equipment, such as walking aids and braces
- Breathing and mucous clearance techniques for people with lung problems.
NDIS physiotherapy costs and your NDIS goals
It’s important to note that your physiotherapy funding (as with any NDIS funding) must relate directly to your goals.
Goals commonly associated with physiotherapy include:
- Increasing your strength so you can do more things for yourself
- Improving your gross and fine motor skill development so you can keep up with your peers
- Improving your mobility so you can move around more independently at home and/or in your community
- Increasing your coordination and balance so you can learn a new skill, such as riding a bike or kicking or shooting balls for a sport you participate in
- Reducing or managing pain so you can stay active and participate in social activities
- Helping infants and young children achieve developmental milestones such as rolling over, sitting up, crawling and walking.
NDIS physiotherapy funding could be used to support skill development for sports participation
What physiotherapy costs are not covered under the NDIS?
As we mentioned above, the NDIS may cover physiotherapy fees as long as they are directly related to a disability, will help you to achieve your goals, and meet the reasonable and necessary criteria.
The NDIS will not cover physiotherapy costs not directly associated with your disability. For example, if you have an operation that isn’t linked to your disability and need physiotherapy afterwards, this may not be covered. Rather, it may be funded through the public health system. Similarly, if you have pain that isn’t related to your disability, the cost of physiotherapy may need to be covered another way, such as through Medicare.
What is an NDIS registered physiotherapist?
NDIS registered providers need to meet strict quality and safety guidelines set by the Australian Government. NDIS registered physiotherapists can provide physiotherapy services to all NDIS participants – including those who are self-managed, plan managed (where a designated plan manager looks after your funding), and NDIA managed (where the NDIA manages your funding).
At Active Ability, our NDIS registered physiotherapists work with people living with neurological conditions, intellectual disability and/or mental health conditions.
We don’t charge for travel, so you can make the best use of your NDIS physiotherapy funding. We also don’t have waiting lists. This means that if you have an appropriate plan in place, you can start receiving NDIS-funded physiotherapy right away.
As mobile NDIS service providers, our experienced and dedicated physiotherapists can see you at a place that best suits your needs, such as your home, gym, school, or workplace. To ensure you have the best chance of achieving your goals, our physios work in a multidisciplinary team alongside NDIS registered dietitians and exercise physiologists.
Learn more about our NDIS physiotherapy services here, or contact our friendly team on:
(02) 8678 7874, hello@activeability.com.au or via our contact form.