For more information

Enhanced Spinal Conservative Care Pilot Programme 

Admin Step 2 of 2

 
Book your final onboarding appointment here

How does this work?

Now that Discovery has updated you on the relevant Conservative Spine Care Programme for which you have been authorised, thank you for choosing Genie Health as your partner in health.  We look forward to supporting you on your journey to better health, through our Virtual platform and app, supported by…

Our Virtual Physical Therapy program is a 10-week personalized and comprehensive multi-disciplinary program delivered via cutting-edge technology. Our highly trained clinicians remotely assess and monitor your progress, adjusting the program as needed—all from the comfort of your home. You’ll benefit from video call sessions, guided and monitored home exercises, and secure chat functions for any questions or concerns between sessions. Trust our compassionate team to guide you toward recovery.”

Research shows that Virtual Physiotherapy is equally as effective as in person Physiotherapy.  Furthermore, by empowering the patient to take care of their recovery and rehabilitation in the comfort of their own home environment reduces the dependency on visits to a healthcare provider. 

It is with this proven virtual care approach, that we are excited to be part of the Discovery Conservative Spine Care Programme in improving the lives of patients suffering from spine pain.

Spinal pain is one of the most prevalent medical complaints across all Discovery Health Administered medical schemes, accounting for costs exceeding R2 billion per annum. Appropriate out-of-hospital conservative management of back pain has proven to deliver good outcomes and may prevent the need for surgery.

Frequently asked Questions

Who is this programme available for?

Discovery Health explains this for us:

The Spinal Conservative Care Programme is an out of hospital benefit, available on all Discovery Health Medical Scheme plans except the Essential Smart Plan, Dynamic Smart Plan and the KeyCare Plans.  It is also available for the following medical schemes managed by Discovery:

  • Anglovaal
  • Bankmed
  • Engen Medical Benefit Fund
  • Glencore
  • LA Health
  • Multichoice
  • Remedi
  • Retail
  • TFG Medical Aid Scheme
  • Tsogo Sun and
  • University of KZN.

 
The aim of this programme is to allocate eligible members with severe spinal pain an outpatient basket of care to help them manage their pain conservatively.

The benefit is only accessible to eligible patients that are at high risk of surgery, including members: 

  • Who have had a medical admission for back or neck pain and have received communication directly from Discovery advising that you are a possible candidate for an assessment.
  • Who have consulted a network spinal surgeon or network spinal GP (after 18 June) and are referred as an eligible candidate for the programme based on the spinal surgeon or GP’s clinical decision and assessment. This referral will be done via HealthID 1 only (HealthID is Discovery Health’s secure partner platform). A written referral is not accepted as clinical criteria is included in the referral.

Should you be identified as eligible via Discovery Health protocols, following conservative hospital admission, or via a network spinal surgeon or spinal network general practitioner, enrolment is not guaranteed and is subject to the member meeting specific clinical entry criteria at the assessment. If you meet the clinical entry criteria, only then will you have access to the programme.

Members have access to either in-person care at one of our Conservative care networks of physiotherapists or chiropractors, or as a new programme addition from June 2024, members may access a virtual programme through our Virtual Physical Therapy partner, Genie Health SA.

What options are available?

Option 1 – Virtual Care programme with Genie Health SA

  • Access to a 10-week personalised and comprehensive multidisciplinary programme, delivered virtually, via cutting-edge technology by Genie Health SA’s team of highly trained clinicians. Our team will remotely assess and monitor the member through-out the programme, adjusting as and when needed, all from the comfort of your own home.


Option 2 – In-person care:

  • Up to a maximum of 8 in-person sessions (including the assessment consultation) with your chosen, highly trained network physiotherapist or chiropractor over a 24-week period.

 

How does the programme work?

  • To kick off your journey to recovery, you will need to Book your Onboarding Appointment using the link in the button at the top and bottom of this page.  You will receive confirmation of this booking.
  • In this appointment, a skilled onboarding specialist will explain the Genie Health system to you, answer any questions you have, assist you in loading the Genie app to your device of choice, and ensure that you can log in and activate a video call.  
  • She will then run through a few short questions with you, that will go a long way in assisting the physiotherapist in their session
  • Once this is complete, she will book an online appointment with one of our physiotherapists, at a time convenient to you. 
  • The online physiotherapy consultation is up to 40 minutes long. The physiotherapist will assess your condition through questioning and evaluating movements using our secure in-app video feature.  She will also validate if the programme is the right fit for you, and if so, you will get:
    • Daily exercises and tasks as part of a home exercise programme within the Genie App
    • Educational resources to view
    • Outcome measures to answer


Who is going to be taking care of me?

Our highly skilled clinicians are made up of physiotherapists and biokineticists that have had post graduate training in the management of pain and spine pain recovery.  


Communicating with the care team

You can at any time securely message your care team, and they will get back to you. The care team will also have live video telehealth calls with you to review your daily progress. The team will quickly (reactively and pro-actively) respond to any issues they see coming from your metrics (pain scores, range of motion, compliance to the programme, questions and answers on surveys).

The follow-up video telehealth physio calls are very focused, as the physio will have all of your required data at their fingertips. They will correct issues they see, introduce new concepts into your programme and tell you about major considerations based on the phase of recovery you are in. You will get regular physio video calls based on your progress and phase of recovery. There may be interim video calls with the clinical team if they see something that needs correcting before your next official telehealth physio call.

How long is the programme

The Virtual Care programme is 10-week personalised and comprehensive multidisciplinary programme, that is ideally positioned to empower you in your recovery journey.  It is a dynamic programme, being adjusted based on your progress and response to treatment. 

Do medical aid benefits cover this treatment?

Yes, Discovery Health (and its managed schemes as listed above) covers the Conservative Spine Care Programme from risk, meaning that this is a covered benefit, and is free to eligible members.

Can a patient use their local therapists on this platform?

During the launch, the programme will be staffed by hand-picked physiotherapists and biokineticists. After the launch, we will open the programme up to qualified local and regional physiotherapist and biokineticist groups.

Does the patient need to be “tech savvy” to use this?

No, a patient does not need to be tech savvy to use this programme. We designed the programme to be easy to use, even if the patient has never used a smartphone or tablet before. The patient will need access to good Wi-Fi or cellphone service, and a fairly modern smart device (tablet or cellphone that is not more than five years old) that can run apps from the Google Play Store or the Apple iStore. The platform itself is all about connecting the patient to their programme and to their remote clinical team. We’ll launch a webpage version in 2024.

What should I do if I am interested in learning more?

You can reach out to Discovery Health through the internet or your Discovery Health app for more information.

If you have been directed to this page by a link received from Discovery, you are most likely eligible to take part in this programme.  Please go to the “Book your onboarding appointment here” button below to be onboarded and start your journey.

What should I do if I am interested, but not a member of Discovery Health Medical Scheme?

We will keep your name and email on file and as things progress we will reach out to you.  Please log a query under Contact Us on the Genie Health website. 

Book your final onboarding appointment here

Clinical Consent - Conservative Spine Care Programme

This consent applies to the practices of Buhrs Physiotherapist Inc & Herbst JA Biokineticist Inc

Please read these terms and conditions carefully, as they are important in clarifying and managing expectations and form the basis of your consent to treatment. If you have any questions, please contact your administrator or healthcare practitioner through the App, who will assist you with your query.

Online Exercise Programme

  1. The progress of your physical recovery will be monitored through the App. You will first be assessed by a physiotherapist through the App. A physiotherapist will then prepare an exercise programme for you, which will be loaded onto your profile on the App after your first session.  The exercise programme will be designed to improve your recovery.
  2. It will consist of several sessions, specific to your needs. The programme is typically for 10 weeks and may be extended for additional 4-week periods should this be recommended.  Your exercise sessions will be scheduled on the App. You will be monitored remotely by a team of biokineticists and/or physiotherapists, in an asynchronous manner. This means that you will not be monitored in real-time but may have a real-time consultation with a practitioner from time to time, should this be required. A video of your exercises will not be stored, although the completion of your pain scores and compliance with the programme will be reviewed regularly. While we will try to ensure that the same practitioner monitors you during all your sessions, this may not always be possible. Different practitioners may, therefore, monitor you during the sessions.
  3. There will be no physical in-person contact with your attending practitioner (physiotherapist / biokineticist). Your evaluation will be done, and your progress monitored through the App only. If the attending practitioner is of the opinion that you need to consult a healthcare practitioner in person, you will be referred to an appropriate practitioner. We cannot be held responsible should you injure yourself while performing your exercises. Therefor, if you feel uncomfortable at any time during the exercises, you must immediately stop and contact the attending practitioner who will guide you further.
  4. The programme is not intended to replace, but rather complement any treatment that you are currently receiving. You may continue to consult your preferred healthcare practitioners while you follow the exercise programme on the App.
  5. The benefits of receiving the services on the App include the following:
    • Lower cost than receiving in-person treatment;
    • Performing the exercises in the comfort of your own space (such as your home) with no need to travel to a healthcare practitioner;
    • Better outcomes compared to when exercises are done without monitoring by a healthcare practitioner;
    • Higher patient satisfaction due to the feedback and support received through remote monitoring.
  6. It is important that you complete the exercise programme to fully benefit from it. If you do not keep up with the required frequency and accuracy of exercises you may experience poor outcomes
  7. It is also important that you follow the instructions precisely with every exercise and give accurate feedback on pain levels. Failure to do so may result in injury, strain, or pain. If you do not report your pain scale accurately on the App, the exercises prescribed may be inappropriate for you.
  8. Interactions with the physiotherapist and biokineticist will only occur through the App. To ensure that this can be done successfully, please ensure that the device you use is of good quality. You must also ensure that you have sufficient data and that the data transmission speed is of good quality. Your device and data should meet the following requirements:
    • Mobile phone or tablet
      • Android – version 8.0 or later
      • iPhone – iOS 15. 0 or later
      • iPad – iPad OS 15.0 or later
      • iPod touch – iOS 15. 0 or later
      • Mac – Mac OS 12.0 or later with Apple M1 chip or later
    • Data speed requirements: 4Mb per second or faster
  9. The costs for the services (evaluation, exercise programme and remote monitoring) are described in the document entitled “Financial Consent”. The costs of the device you use to run the App on and any data costs incurred to access the App and to engage with a practitioner remotely are for your own account.
  10. You should be aware that if you have an unstable internet connection while using the App, you may experience a time delay. There may also be a delay in feedback from the attending practitioner should your exercises not be updated. This may impact the evaluation of:
    • your progression,
    • assessment of your pain scores,
    • range of your movement,
    • compliance with the exercise program, and
    • your comments to or requests for support from the attending practitioners.
  11. You have the right to refuse to receive services through the App. You may also terminate the remote services received through the App at any time. You should then consult a healthcare practitioner in person. You are obliged to inform your administrator or attending healthcare practitioner of your intention to terminate through the App.

Personal Information

  1. Your personal information will be processed in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
  2. You should note in particular that by agreeing to receive the services through the App, your personal information will be shared with the attending healthcare practitioners, other healthcare practitioners who provide care to you, your medical scheme and your scheme’s contracted service providers, including its administrator. If you do not agree with this sharing of your information, you should not proceed with receiving the services through the App.

    Legal

    The practitioners who will render the services to you are registered in South Africa. All services they provide will be rendered in South Africa even if you choose to do the exercises in another country. This consent shall be governed, construed, and enforced according to the laws of the Republic of South Africa in South Africa.

  3. If any change occurs in the legislation or enforceable policy that requires changes to the services delivered through the App, we will contact you regarding these changes.
  4. Any disputes that may arise from your use of the App and the services on the App, which we cannot resolve between ourselves, will be resolved by arbitration.

    Consent

  5. I agree to the terms and conditions, which include being evaluated and re-evaluated by a physiotherapist, doing the exercises and being monitored virtually by a physiotherapist or biokineticist.
  6. I understand that I may withdraw from the programme at any time.
  7. I confirm that I am familiar with the Privacy Policy of Genie applicable to the App. I fully understand my rights and obligations concerning my personal information processed by the healthcare practitioners and Genie, and in particular with whom it will be shared.
  8. I confirm that I am 18 years or older and mentally competent to agree to these terms and conditions and provide the consent.
  9. I consent of my own free will and confirm that I have not been forced or unduly influenced to provide the consent.

Financial Consent - Conservative Spine Care Programme

This consent applies to the practices of Buhrs Physiotherapist Inc & Herbst JA Biokineticist Inc

Please read these terms and conditions carefully. They are all important. The terms and conditions constitute an enforceable agreement between us. If you have any questions, please contact your administrator or healthcare practitioner through the App, who will assist you with your query.

 Payment

  1. You remain responsible for the payment for the services provided (assessment by a physiotherapist and the preparation, deployment and monitoring of an exercise programme by a biokineticist or physiotherapist).
  2. You should note that we are obliged by law to include codes on your accounts that identify the services that you receive from us (procedure codes) and stipulate your diagnosis (ICD-10 codes). Without these codes, your medical scheme might not reimburse for these services.
  3. We will submit a copy of the account to your medical scheme on your behalf, should it be determined that there are benefits to cover these services. It is anticipated that your medical scheme will pay the amount directly to the relevant practice, as the Discovery Conservative Spine Care Programme is a risk funded benefit.  Should the scheme for some reason pay this into your own account, it will be your responsibility to pay this across to the relevant practice in settlement of services rendered.
  4. In the unlikely event that after the submission of your account to the medical scheme that the claim is rejected or not settled in full, you will be required to make a payment in settlement of services rendered.
  5. The costs of the device you use to run the App on and any data costs incurred to access the App and to engage with a physiotherapist or biokineticist remotely are for your own account.
  6. You are responsible for paying all outstanding accounts, including charges incurred by us for any dishonoured payments, as well as collection and legal fees (on an attorney-own client scale) for accounts we must collect. We will hand outstanding accounts over for collection to debt collectors or attorneys. You may be listed as a ‘bad payer’ at credit bureaus if you do not pay these accounts.


    Legal

  7. These terms and conditions shall be governed, construed and enforced according to the laws of the Republic of South Africa in South Africa.
  8. Any disputes that may arise from your use of the App and the services on the App, which we cannot resolve between ourselves, will be resolved by arbitration.


    Agreement

  9. I confirm that I am 18 years or older and mentally competent to agree to these terms and conditions.
  10. I agree to the terms and conditions of this Financial Consent, including to ensure payment for the services that I will receive through the App.
  11. I confirm that I have not been forced or unduly influenced to agree to the terms and conditions.

* Please note that by clicking on this button, you are agreeing to our above terms & conditions and verifying that you have read and understand them.

Miss Cloudia Barr

BSc Physiotherapy
Cloudia is originally from Cape Town but is currently enjoying a quiet life out in Stellenbosch. She is passionate about understanding pain and how the body is able to heal itself under the right conditions.
Watch Video

Ms Riana van Wyk

B.Sc Hon (Biokinetics) Northwest University
I have been in private practice since 2006 and joined Genie Health SA in 2023. I feel passionate about empowering people to take responsibility for their own health. I look forward to helping Genie Health patients achieve their goals.
Watch Video

Bertie Herbst

Quality Director, Genie Health South Africa
MSc. (Medicine) Biokinetics, University of the Witwatersrand.
I am the Quality Director for Genie Health South Africa. My role ensures optimum standards with a service of excellence across our digital healthcare platform. My team of administrators and clinicians assist me greatly to achieve these high-level services to a world of digital healthcare.
Watch Video

Stella Yardley

Clinical Director | B. Sc (Physio) – UCT
Being part of the Genie Health SA team from the start has been an exciting journey as we embark on providing digitally enabled recovery to patients who may or may not have had access to care before. It’s always been my passion to see people thrive in their full potential and to help achieving this where I can. I enjoy spending time outdoors and being with friends and family fills my cup.
Watch Video

Deon Buhrs

Executive Director | South Africa

Watch Video

Clinical Consent - Enhanced Spinal Conservative Care Pilot Programme

This consent applies to the practices of Buhrs Physiotherapist Inc & Herbst JA Biokineticist Inc

Please read these terms and conditions carefully, as they are important in clarifying and managing expectations and form the basis of your consent to treatment. If you have any questions, please contact your administrator or healthcare practitioner through the App, who will assist you with your query.

Online Exercise Programme

  1. The progress of your physical recovery will be monitored through the App. You will first be assessed by a physiotherapist through the App. A physiotherapist will then prepare an exercise programme for you, which will be loaded onto your profile on the App after your first session.  The exercise programme will be designed to improve your recovery.
  2. It will consist of several sessions, specific to your needs. The programme is typically for 8 – 12 weeks long, and may be extended for additional 4-week periods should this be recommended.  Your exercise sessions will be scheduled on the App. You will be monitored remotely by a team of biokineticists and/or physiotherapists, in an asynchronous manner. This means that you will not be monitored in real-time but may have a real-time consultation with a practitioner from time to time, should this be required. A video of your exercises will not be stored, although the completion of your pain scores and compliance with the programme will be reviewed regularly. While we will try to ensure that the same practitioner monitors you during all your sessions, this may not always be possible. Different practitioners may, therefore, monitor you during the sessions.
  3. There will be no physical in-person contact with your attending practitioner (physiotherapist / biokineticist). Your evaluation will be done, and your progress monitored through the App only. If the attending practitioner is of the opinion that you need to consult a healthcare practitioner in person, you will be referred to an appropriate practitioner. We cannot be held responsible should you injure yourself while performing your exercises. Therefor, if you feel uncomfortable at any time during the exercises, you must immediately stop and contact the attending practitioner who will guide you further.
  4. The programme is not intended to replace, but rather complement any treatment that you are currently receiving. You may continue to consult your preferred healthcare practitioners while you follow the exercise programme on the App.
  5. The benefits of receiving the services on the App include the following:
    • Lower cost than receiving in-person treatment;
    • Performing the exercises in the comfort of your own space (such as your home) with no need to travel to a healthcare practitioner;
    • Better outcomes compared to when exercises are done without monitoring by a healthcare practitioner;
    • Higher patient satisfaction due to the feedback and support received through remote monitoring.
  6. It is important that you complete the exercise programme to fully benefit from it. If you do not keep up with the required frequency and accuracy of exercises you may experience poor outcomes
  7. It is also important that you follow the instructions precisely with every exercise and give accurate feedback on pain levels. Failure to do so may result in injury, strain, or pain. If you do not report your pain scale accurately on the App, the exercises prescribed may be inappropriate for you.
  8. Interactions with the physiotherapist and biokineticist will only occur through the App. To ensure that this can be done successfully, please ensure that the device you use is of good quality. You must also ensure that you have sufficient data and that the data transmission speed is of good quality. Your device and data should meet the following requirements:
    • Mobile phone or tablet
      • Android – version 8.0 or later
      • iPhone – iOS 15. 0 or later
      • iPad – iPad OS 15.0 or later
      • iPod touch – iOS 15. 0 or later
      • Mac – Mac OS 12.0 or later with Apple M1 chip or later
    • Data speed requirements: 4Mb per second or faster
  9. The costs for the services (evaluation, exercise programme and remote monitoring) are described in the document entitled “Financial Consent”. The costs of the device you use to run the App on and any data costs incurred to access the App and to engage with a practitioner remotely are for your own account.
  10. You should be aware that if you have an unstable internet connection while using the App, you may experience a time delay. There may also be a delay in feedback from the attending practitioner should your exercises not be updated. This may impact the evaluation of:
    • your progression,
    • assessment of your pain scores,
    • range of your movement,
    • compliance with the exercise program, and
    • your comments to or requests for support from the attending practitioners.
  11. You have the right to refuse to receive services through the App. You may also terminate the remote services received through the App at any time. You should then consult a healthcare practitioner in person. You are obliged to inform your administrator or attending healthcare practitioner of your intention to terminate through the App.

Personal Information

  1. Your personal information will be processed in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
  2. You should note in particular that by agreeing to receive the services through the App, your personal information will be shared with the attending healthcare practitioners, other healthcare practitioners who provide care to you, your medical scheme and your scheme’s contracted service providers, including its administrator. If you do not agree with this sharing of your information, you should not proceed with receiving the services through the App.

    Legal

    The practitioners who will render the services to you are registered in South Africa. All services they provide will be rendered in South Africa even if you choose to do the exercises in another country. This consent shall be governed, construed, and enforced according to the laws of the Republic of South Africa in South Africa.

  3. If any change occurs in the legislation or enforceable policy that requires changes to the services delivered through the App, we will contact you regarding these changes.
  4. Any disputes that may arise from your use of the App and the services on the App, which we cannot resolve between ourselves, will be resolved by arbitration.

    Consent

  5. I agree to the terms and conditions, which include being evaluated and re-evaluated by a physiotherapist, doing the exercises and being monitored virtually by a physiotherapist or biokineticist.
  6. I understand that I may withdraw from the programme at any time.
  7. I confirm that I am familiar with the Privacy Policy of Genie applicable to the App. I fully understand my rights and obligations concerning my personal information processed by the healthcare practitioners and Genie, and in particular with whom it will be shared.
  8. I confirm that I am 18 years or older and mentally competent to agree to these terms and conditions and provide the consent.
  9. I consent of my own free will and confirm that I have not been forced or unduly influenced to provide the consent.

Financial Consent - Enhanced Spinal Conservative Care Pilot Programme

This consent applies to the practices of Buhrs Physiotherapist Inc & Herbst JA Biokineticist Inc

Please read these terms and conditions carefully. They are all important. The terms and conditions constitute an enforceable agreement between us. If you have any questions, please contact your administrator or healthcare practitioner through the App, who will assist you with your query.

 Payment

  1. You remain responsible for the payment for the services provided (assessments by a physiotherapist and the preparation and deployment of an exercise programme) complimented with monitoring by a biokineticist or physiotherapist.
  2. You should note that we are obliged by law to include codes on your accounts that identify the services that you receive from us (procedure codes) and stipulate your diagnosis (ICD-10 codes). Without these codes, your medical scheme might not reimburse for these services.
  3. We will submit a copy of the account to your medical scheme on your behalf, should it be determined that there are benefits to cover these services. It is anticipated that your medical scheme will pay the amount directly to the relevant practice, as the Discovery Enhanced Spinal Conservative Care Pilot Programme is a risk funded benefit.  Should the scheme for some reason pay this into your own account, it will be your responsibility to pay this across to the relevant practice in settlement of services rendered.
  4. In the unlikely event that after the submission of your account to the medical scheme that the claim is rejected or not settled in full, you will be required to make a payment in settlement of services rendered.
  5. The costs of the device you use to run the App on and any data costs incurred to access the App and to engage with a physiotherapist or biokineticist remotely are for your own account.
  6. You are responsible for paying all outstanding accounts, including charges incurred by us for any dishonoured payments, as well as collection and legal fees (on an attorney-own client scale) for accounts we must collect. We will hand outstanding accounts over for collection to debt collectors or attorneys. You may be listed as a ‘bad payer’ at credit bureaus if you do not pay these accounts.


    Legal

  7. These terms and conditions shall be governed, construed and enforced according to the laws of the Republic of South Africa in South Africa.
  8. Any disputes that may arise from your use of the App and the services on the App, which we cannot resolve between ourselves, will be resolved by arbitration.


    Agreement

  9. I confirm that I am 18 years or older and mentally competent to agree to these terms and conditions.
  10. I agree to the terms and conditions of this Financial Consent, including to ensure payment for the services that I will receive through the App.
  11. I confirm that I have not been forced or unduly influenced to agree to the terms and conditions.

* Please note that by clicking on this button, you are agreeing to our above terms & conditions and verifying that you have read and understand them.

Clinical Consent

This consent applies to the practices of Buhrs Physiotherapist Inc & Herbst JA Biokineticist Inc

Please read these terms and conditions carefully, as they are important in clarifying and managing expectations and form the basis of your consent to treatment. If you have any questions, please contact your administrator or healthcare practitioner through the App, who will assist you with your query.

Online Exercise Programme

  1. The progress of your physical recovery will be monitored through the App. You will first be assessed by a physiotherapist through the App. A biokineticist or physiotherapist will then prepare an exercise programme for you, which will be loaded onto your profile on the App after your first session with the biokineticist or physiotherapist. The exercise programme will be designed to improve your recovery.
  2. It will consist of several sessions, specific to your needs. The programme is typically for 4 weeks and may be extended for an additional 4-week period should this be recommended. 1-week programmes may also be recommended. Your exercise sessions will be scheduled on the App. You will be monitored remotely by a team of biokineticists and/or physiotherapists, in an asynchronous manner. This means that you will not be monitored in real-time but may have a real-time consultation with a practitioner from time to time, should this be required. A video of your exercises will not be stored, although the completion of your pain scores and compliance with the programme will be reviewed regularly. While we will try to ensure that the same practitioner monitors you during all your sessions, this may not always be possible. Different practitioners may, therefore, monitor you during the sessions.
  3. There will be no physical in-person contact with your attending practitioner (physiotherapist / biokineticist). Your evaluation will be done, and your progress monitored through the App only. If the attending practitioner is of the opinion that you need to consult a healthcare practitioner in person, you will be referred to an appropriate practitioner. We cannot be held responsible should you injure yourself while performing your exercises. Therefor, if you feel uncomfortable at any time during the exercises, you must immediately stop and contact the attending practitioner who will guide you further.
  4. The programme is not intended to replace, but rather complement any treatment that you are currently receiving. You may continue to consult your preferred healthcare practitioners while you follow the exercise programme on the App.
  5. The benefits of receiving the services on the App include the following:
    • Lower cost than receiving in-person treatment;
    • Performing the exercises in the comfort of your own space (such as your home) with no need to travel to a healthcare practitioner;
    • Better outcomes compared to when exercises are done without monitoring by a healthcare practitioner;
    • Higher patient satisfaction due to the feedback and support received through remote monitoring.
  6. It is important that you complete the exercise programme to fully benefit from it. If you do not keep up with the required frequency and accuracy of exercises you may experience poor outcomes
  7. It is also important that you follow the instructions precisely with every exercise and give accurate feedback on pain levels. Failure to do so may result in injury, strain, or pain. If you do not report your pain scale accurately on the App, the exercises prescribed may be inappropriate for you.
  8. Interactions with the physiotherapist and biokineticist will only occur through the App. To ensure that this can be done successfully, please ensure that the device you use is of good quality. You must also ensure that you have sufficient data and that the data transmission speed is of good quality. Your device and data should meet the following requirements:
    • Mobile phone or tablet
      • Android – version 8.0 or later
      • iPhone – iOS 15. 0 or later
      • iPad – iPad OS 15.0 or later
      • iPod touch – iOS 15. 0 or later
      • Mac – Mac OS 12.0 or later with Apple M1 chip or later
    • Data speed requirements: 4Mb per second or faster
  9. The costs for the services (evaluation, exercise programme and remote monitoring) are described in the document entitled “Financial Consent”. The costs of the device you use to run the App on and any data costs incurred to access the App and to engage with a practitioner remotely are for your own account.
  10. You should be aware that if you have an unstable internet connection while using the App, you may experience a time delay. There may also be a delay in feedback from the attending practitioner should your exercises not be updated. This may impact the evaluation of:
    • your progression,
    • assessment of your pain scores,
    • range of your movement,
    • compliance with the exercise program, and
    • your comments to or requests for support from the attending practitioners.
  11. You have the right to refuse to receive services through the App. You may also terminate the remote services received through the App at any time. You should then consult a healthcare practitioner in person. You are obliged to inform your administrator or attending healthcare practitioner of your intention to terminate through the App.

 

Personal Information

  1. Your personal information will be processed in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
  2. You should note in particular that by agreeing to receive the services through the App, your personal information will be shared with the attending healthcare practitioners, other healthcare practitioners who provide care to you, your medical scheme and your scheme’s contracted service providers, including its administrator. If you do not agree with this sharing of your information, you should not proceed with receiving the services through the App.


    Legal

    The practitioners who will render the services to you are registered in South Africa. All services they provide will be rendered in South Africa even if you choose to do the exercises in another country. This consent shall be governed, construed, and enforced according to the laws of the Republic of South Africa in South Africa.
  3. If any change occurs in the legislation or enforceable policy that requires changes to the services delivered through the App, we will contact you regarding these changes.
  4. Any disputes that may arise from your use of the App and the services on the App, which we cannot resolve between ourselves, will be resolved by arbitration.

    Consent

  5. I agree to the terms and conditions, which include being evaluated and re-evaluated by a physiotherapist or biokineticist, doing the exercises and being monitored virtually by a physiotherapist or biokineticist.
  6. I understand that I may withdraw from the programme at any time.
  7. I confirm that I am familiar with the Privacy Policy of Genie applicable to the App. I fully understand my rights and obligations concerning my personal information processed by the healthcare practitioners and Genie, and in particular with whom it will be shared.
  8. I confirm that I am 18 years or older and mentally competent to agree to these terms and conditions and provide the consent.
  9. I consent of my own free will and confirm that I have not been forced or unduly influenced to provide the consent.

Financial Consent

This consent applies to the practices of Buhrs Physiotherapist Inc & Herbst JA Biokineticist Inc

Please read these terms and conditions carefully. They are all important. The terms and conditions constitute an enforceable agreement between us. If you have any questions, please contact your administrator or healthcare practitioner through the App, who will assist you with your query.

 Payment

  1. You remain responsible for the payment for the services provided (assessment by a physiotherapist or biokineticist, and the preparation, deployment and monitoring of an exercise programme by a biokineticist or physiotherapist).
  2. You should note that we are obliged by law to include codes on your accounts that identify the services that you receive from us (procedure codes) and stipulate your diagnosis (ICD-10 codes). Without these codes, your medical scheme might not reimburse for these services.
  3. We will submit a copy of the account to your medical scheme on your behalf, should it be determined that there are benefits to cover these services. It is anticipated that your medical scheme will pay the amount directly to the relevant practice.  Should the scheme for some reason pay this into your own account, it will be your responsibility to pay this across to the relevant practice in settlement of services rendered.
  4. Should it be determined that there no be benefits available to cover these services, a payment link will be sent to you immediately after your online assessment by the physiotherapist and again after your personalised programme is deployed to your profile on the App by the biokineticist or physiotherapist. You shall then be required to make payments using a credit or debit card. You will only obtain access to the full exercise programme, once the payments have been cleared. The fees for 2024 are as follows:
    (a) Physiotherapy assessment: R394.50 (including VAT).
    (b) Exercise programme and remote monitoring by a biokineticist and/or physiotherapist per 4-week block: R1157.20 (including VAT).
  5. Should it be determined after the submission of your account to the medical that the claim is rejected or not settled in full, you will be required to make a payment in settlement of services rendered as per point 4 above.
  6. The costs of the device you use to run the App on and any data costs incurred to access the App and to engage with a physiotherapist or biokineticist remotely are for your own account.
  7. You are responsible for paying all outstanding accounts, including charges incurred by us for any dishonoured payments, as well as collection and legal fees (on an attorney-own client scale) for accounts we must collect. We will hand outstanding accounts over for collection to debt collectors or attorneys. You may be listed as a ‘bad payer’ at credit bureaus if you do not pay these accounts.


    Legal

  8. These terms and conditions shall be governed, construed and enforced according to the laws of the Republic of South Africa in South Africa.
  9. Any disputes that may arise from your use of the App and the services on the App, which we cannot resolve between ourselves, will be resolved by arbitration.


    Agreement

  10. I confirm that I am 18 years or older and mentally competent to agree to these terms and conditions.
  11. I agree to the terms and conditions of this Financial Consent, including to pay for the services that I will receive through the App.
  12. I confirm that I have not been forced or unduly influenced to agree to the terms and conditions.

* Please note that by clicking on this button, you are agreeing to our above terms & conditions and verifying that you have read and understand them.