MA Reopening: Bay State Physical Therapy Reopens

BURLINGTON, MA — Baystate Physical Therapy, as a health care provider, remained open through the Massachusetts lockdown, but only by telemedicine or for the most urgent cases. But with the state's phase one reopening, Burlington's location was able to expand services again, Monday.

Burlington and Woburn Managing Partner Mat Procopio encouraged residents with chronic pain not to put off getting care, especially with so many using less-than-ergonomic home offices, like the kitchen table.

"The body gives you warning signs when there's something wrong," Procopio said. "The longer term, the more chronic an injury, the longer it can take to fix it."

The Woburn location remains closed, because it is inside a closed YMCA, Procopio said, but patients can go to Burlington for care.

Procopio described how the Burlington clinic has operated through the lockdown, the measures in place for reopening, and how it has affected them.

As an essential service, they've been open for patients coming with urgent need, following surgeries like joint replacements.

"If they didn't get their hands-on treatment, they'd lose a lot of function and ability," Procopio said.

"We've also been doing some telehealth, which is brand new to the industry," he continued. "We couldn't get paid for it by insurance companies before this whole thing started."

But telehealth is limited, of course: manual therapy isn't possible, beyond some self-massages and stretches. Still, Procopio said, they hope it will remain an option once the outbreak is over.

As health care providers across the state begin to catch up on delayed treatment, demand for physical therapy will likely increase, Procopio said. Patients who have put off surgeries will need follow-up therapy.

"We're expecting a big increase," he said.

The clinic has taken serious measures to make sure they can safely deal with that increased volume. Like everywhere, they've stepped up their cleaning protocols and they're wearing masks.

"We'll take non-contact temperatures for all staff and patients as they come in the door. We're requiring that all patients wash their hands or hand sanitize as soon as they walk in," Procopio said. "We're staggering staff schedules to reduce the number of people in the clinic at any given time."

Anyone who is immunocompromised will be treated in a private treatment room, he added.

The chairs in the waiting room has been removed, and people will be asked to wait for their appointments in their cars. Patients will be asked to leave family at home, unless it's medically necessary or the patient is a minor.

During the lockdown, the clinic has seen a decrease in overall volume, although it began to reverse in the last few weeks. The clinic has had to cut costs, Procopio said. But they're focused on cleaning and providing care.

"It's a safe environment," Procopio explained. "If people are putting off their needs, their aches and pains, there's going to be long-term consequences for that."

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Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.