Photo: 123RF
Physiotherapists say too many patients are quitting treatment before they've recovered from injury because ACC funding is 20 per cent too low.
A quarter of all first injury claims to ACC are treated by physiotherapists - in the last year ACC paid out on just over 754,000 claims at a cost of $164 million.
There are two pathways for physios to claim funding from ACC, but practitioners say neither pay enough and their part-charges have had to rise to the point where many cannot afford treatment.
An independent review of ACC funding for the sector is about to get underway. President of Physiotherapy NZ, Kirsten Davie, says it's been a long time coming.
ACC deputy chief executive of System Commissioning and Performance John Bennett says it has no control over how much practitioners charge for sessions, and while the contribution percentage has remained 60 percent, the per consultation prices that it pays providers has increased.
