Physiotherapy and Kinesiology treatments are at no charge as long as they follow ICBC approval guidelines*.  Massage therapy treatments do incur a user fee (see our rates**) .   *Physiotherapy specialty treatments such as Shockwave Therapy and IMS sessions for ICBC patients have an additional user fee (see our rates**).

You are pre-approved from ICBC for 25 Physiotherapy visits, 12 Massage Therapy visits, and 12 Kinesiology visits, with presentation of a valid ICBC claim number and beginning of treatment within 3 months of the date of the car accident.

If you are seeking treatment for an ICBC claim after 3 months from the accident, you can still attend treatment for a pending claim by paying the private amount associated with the session at the time of your appointment. Any amounts paid are held on your account as a credit until ICBC contacts us with your decision.

^**User fees will no longer be recoverable from ICBC for claims with an accident date on or after April 1, 2019.  Patients however can submit receipts of user fees to their private health insurer (e.g. Pacific Blue Cross) for consideration of coverage.

It is important to seek physiotherapy, massage therapy, or kinesiology treatment as soon as possible after your car accident in order to promote healing and decrease your pain. There is no such thing as too early.  You do not require a doctor referral, but we always recommend you visit your doctor at some point as they are an important part of your care team.

Receiving physiotherapy, massage therapy, and kinesiology treatment early on can also very likely help reduce any acute pain, and we can at the very least provide expert education and prescribe customized exercises on your first visit on how to manage your pain at home.

Physiotherapists are also recognized as first line practitioners, meaning that they are professionally qualified to assess and treat patients without a referral from a doctor or other healthcare professional.

It is very important that you are always aware of your session limits and end dates (it is the patient’s responsibility to keep track of all end dates related to their claims).  Any treatments that are not honored by ICBC will be billed directly to the patient for payment.

For the initial approval following an accident, your session limits are as listed in FAQ #1, and your end date will be given to us by ICBC.  Approval for treatment is for the number of visits (e.g. 25 for physiotherapy) or the end date given by ICBC, whichever comes first (e.g. approval for treatment expires at the end date even though you have not used the set number of approved visits by the end date, or approval for treatment expires if you have used all of the set number of approved visits before reaching the end date).

In the event that a treatment extension is provided by ICBC (outlined in FAQ #4), your new session limit and end date will be communicated by ICBC to you or the clinic.  If you have forgotten or are unsure of your coverage information, please ask our front staff team or your therapist and they will be happy to provide you with that information.

We do our best to keep our clients informed, but it is the ultimate responsibility of the patient to be aware of their claim status (we recommend you contacting us once a week to check on the status of your claim extension).  Any treatments that are not honored by ICBC will be billed directly to the patient for payment.

If you are approaching your pre-approved session limit or are roughly 2 weeks away from your approved end date and you and your therapist feel that further treatment is required, an ICBC treatment extension can be requested by your therapist. We strongly encourage patients to see their doctor to obtain an extension referral for further treatment before requesting an extension to improve your chances in obtaining an extension approval from ICBC. Once the request is electronically submitted by us, our front staff team will follow up with ICBC until a decision has been made.

We do our best to keep our clients informed, but it is the ultimate responsibility of the patient to be aware of their claim status (we recommend you contacting us once a week to check on the status of your claim extension).

Yes of course! Our number one priority is your care and continuity of treatment is important to maintain the progress you have made from your treatments.  In the event that you surpass your session limit or end date, you are able to continue with treatment by paying the private amount associated with the session at the time of your appointment.  Any amounts paid are held on your account as a credit until ICBC contacts us with a decision. At that time, one of two things will happen:

1. If ICBC approves your extension request: Maple Ridge Physiotherapy & Pain Clinic will refund you in full for any payments you have made for approved sessions.
2. If ICBC denies your extension request: Maple Ridge Physiotherapy & Pain Clinic will update your billing to reflect private sessions/payments and provide you with official treatment receipts which can be submitted to your extended health care provider (e.g. Pacific Blue Cross) or used for tax purposes.

Contact ICBC (604-520-8222) and follow their instructions.  ICBC will usually require a doctor’s referral and additional reports (to be completed by us on your first visit) for coverage to be approved.

Your recovery will usually consist of 3 phases of treatment:

Phase 1 – Injured and in pain = Seek assessment and treatment by your Physiotherapist and Massage Therapist.

Phase 2 – Rehab Phase = Working with your Physiotherapist, Massage Therapist, and Kinesiologist – this phase is implemented early for faster recovery.

Phase 3 – Full function = Working mainly with your Kinesiologist, and occasionally Physiotherapy and Massage Therapy to continue ongoing optimal functional strength and movement.