MEMO Monitor - July 2025
- lauriemiller4
- Jul 29
- 9 min read
A word from the Co-founders
MEMORehab has been steadily growing since our initial release 2 1/2 years ago. We now have license holders across Australia, including many of the largest teaching hospitals. In these settings, independent research shows that the program is more efficient than traditional care and generates significant revenue!
We are on the cusp of international expansion, with trials being initiated in overseas clinics. Since the last newsletter, the number of Allied Health Professionals following the company on social media has topped the 1600 mark and two of our customers have mentioned us on television! We have changed our pricing structure so that sole practitioners can start with a lower license fee, added new partnerships and continued to develop our programs. To find out more, read on…
Contents
Dissemination of Knowledge
MEMORehab Helping to Secure Grants
Participants Benefit from MEMORehab even if Memory is Not their Only Issue
Macquarie University using MEMORehab to Train Future Neuropsychologists
Company Updates since the last newsletter (July 2023)
Programming Updates since July 2023
Tips on Billing
We welcome your feedback and questions: https://www.memorehab.com.au/contact
Kyle Cortesi, Laurie Miller, Pranshu Midha
Did you know? |
Our customer base:
|
1. Dissemination of Knowledge
MEMORehab is committed to advancing rehabilitation research. The company has had 4 presentations accepted at international conferences in the past two years. Importantly, there have also been 2 conference presentations and one paper submitted for peer review based on independent investigations that used the MEMORehab program. You can find all of these abstracts on the Evidence page on our website: https://www.memorehab.com.au/
In addition, there is a paper under peer review from an independent university team that examined MEMORehab’s outcome and feasibility shortly after its release.
Take home messages from the research projects…
MEMORehab was found to be 63% more efficient that traditional 1:1 care
With their MEMORehab Organisation license, Neurorehabilitation services at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital generated more than $90,000 in revenue!
Post-training gains on memory tests were significant and as good as (if not better than) those achieved by an in-person memory training course.
There is a very high level of satisfaction reported by participants, with 100% of anonymous responders saying they’d recommend the course to others.
The program can pinpoint which strategies are most effective. Specifically, asking about the origin of a person’s name was more beneficial than asking about the spelling of the name when encoding strategies were compared.
When digital and non-digital program components were compared, participants felt that they learned equally from both.
Clinicians couldn’t always cover the interactive-session material within an hour. Solutions include using longer sessions times, scheduling an initial orientation meeting and/or booking extra sessions using the Instant Meeting function.
Some participants felt there was too much to accomplish between sessions. Recommendations include trying only introductory levels of a computer-based exercise in the week it is assigned, scheduling a routine time to watch the short presession videos and making the associated quizzes more obviously optional.
2. MEMORehab Helping to Secure Grants
Six out of eight applications for Small Hospital or Allied Health Grants to examine MEMORehab’s usefulness have been successful. Winning a grant like this is a great way to get a research career underway, to branch out into rehabilitation research or simply to find out if MEMORehab will work in your setting.
The grants awarded so far cover a license for MEMORehab or MEMOResearch for 1-2 years as well as some equipment (e.g., tablets) and/or some research assistant salary. They are usually for amounts of $5,000-15,000. Some of the successful applications include grants available through specific departments, Benevolent/Wishlist funds, a Kickstarter grant and the SLHD Allied Health grant. They are currently being run in Westmead, Concord and Royal Melbourne Hospitals as well as Austin Health.
Although this type of research is carried out independently of our company, if you decide to apply for a grant, we can help with program descriptions for ethics applications, information about how the program handles data security, flyers for recruitment, etc. If you’re interested in pursuing this, look for the research grants available in your setting and get in touch if you’d like advice about an application. Note: latest round of SLHD Allied Health grants due by Aug 25th.
Did you know? |
Making the purchase argument … There are several ways that we can help you convince your colleagues and/or upper management that a MEMORehab license is a good idea.
|
3. Participants Benefit from MEMORehab even if Memory is Not their Only Issue
Sometimes clinicians lose time and potential participants (especially at the beginning of their license period) because they are waiting for the “perfect” participant to come along… i.e., a person who is motivated, computer-savvy, and with intact cognition except for a memory impairment. As we all know, patients rarely complain of memory issues in isolation. Most present with additional cognitive, mood and motivation issues. Be assured; MEMORehab can probably help in these cases.
Although MEMORehab focusses on improving everyday memory, to do that, it includes training on paying attention, getting better sleep, what foods to eat, the importance of exercise, how to improve organisation, how to avoid distraction, as well as how recognise (and deal with) stress/anxiety and depression, etc. Hence, there are a number of issues related to executive functioning, emotion and general brain health that are covered. By delivering the content in a step-wise fashion, the participant learns how all these factors affect everyday memory and they are given tips on how to improve each one.
It has been our experience that clients should be considered appropriate for the program so long as they complain of mild to moderate memory issues (irrespective of their cause) and have the following: 1) access to a computer/tablet and Wi-Fi; 2) some experience with using a computer (e.g., at least has an email address); 3) the sensory and motor abilities to interact with a computer/tablet; 4) conversational English skills.
Did you know? |
Help with recruitment… Our company can supply you with modifiable recruitment flyers for participants and referrers. You can also be listed on our website’s Clinician Register for no extra charge. |
4. Macquarie University using MEMORehab to Train Future Neuropsychologists
Macquarie University’s neuropsychology clinic has been using MEMORehab for almost a year. Students on their first placement can be supervised while suppling the intervention either 1-1 or small groups. on placement 1 at the neuropsychology clinic since the second half of 2024. Overall, nearly half of the 2024 cohort have some experience with the program so far.
In collaboration with Evelyn Harvey, students can do something similar at Westmead Hospital. Over time, all of the cohort will gain exposure to cognitive rehabilitation from their first placement.
If your setting could use MEMORehab to train students and increase the services you provide, talk to us about getting an educational discount for our products.
Participant Quote:
"I found it valuable and informative. It helped me to refocus and gave me more confidence than I’ve ever had in my life. Great combination of learning and exercises. My family have all noticed an improvement in my memory and stimulation, I’m a different person."
5. Company Updates since the last newsletter (July 2023)
Webinar
An APS-accredited CPD webinar was created and has been running for the past two years: Memory Disorders and Using MEMORehab for Cognitive Intervention https://www.memorehab.com.au/apscpdtraining
This webinar is offered 4 times per year and is mainly attended by Psychologists, Neuropsychologists and Occupational Therapists. A recording of the session is available afterwards for those who cannot attend in person.
Website
The entire website was redesigned for a more professional and modern look. As a result, there have been improvements in usability and display of our programs.
Research publications are continuously updated and blogs of interest to clinicians are regularly added.
A new pricing structure is presented and a Clinic License can now be purchased directly from the website
New Partnerships
Our company has formed collaborative partnerships with Clare Batkin, YOUR OT TUTOR; Parish Rawlins, Passion Occupational Therapy and Brellah, The Health Care Collaboration. You can find all our partners on our home page: https://www.memorehab.com.au/.
New Research App
MEMOResearch was developed as a tool that allows for online data collection as well as memory training. It can be used to test memory pre- and post-intervention or as a stand-alone tool to compare different groups on Face-Name Association Learning, Route Memory and Verbal Auditory Memory. This has been used to secure two grants so far and there are plans for Macquarie University to use it for student projects. https://www.memorehab.com.au/memo-research
6. Programming Updates since July 2023
A Satisfaction Questionnaire is automatically sent after the Core Training finishes and a notification reminder to complete this is sent again after 3 weeks.
Additional items on the Demographics Form (completed by participants) have been made optional to protect privacy.
Increased flexibility has been added to the scheduling manager to allow for changing of session times if things don’t go according to the original plan!
Several errors in the coding of responses on exercises and quizzes have been corrected.
Clinician Quote:
"I found it very helpful that the website has an option to
reschedule the session dates easily."
7. Tips on Billing
Australian clinicians have billed for MEMORehab in a variety of ways and under different funding schemes. The following provides a few examples of ways in which funding has been approved. Note: NDIS has recently made cuts to travel reimbursements for OTs, which may make the videoconferencing option of MEMORehab even more attractive.
NDIS Billing Example
The example shown here is for Occupational Therapy (OT) hours (at a rate of $193.99) funded through the NDIS Capacity Building Budget, specifically under the Improved Daily Living line-item.
Each participant is billed for 2x 30 min pre- and post-training assessments and goal setting/review. Group sessions were billed at a rate of 1 OT hour for each of 3 participants.
Weekly Group Sessions
Session Duration:
75 minutes for the group session and post-session guidance
15 minutes for setup (assisting others to join, ensuring technology is working)
60 minutes for preparation (reviewing videos, slides, and MEMO set homework exercises) (NOTE: as the clinician becomes more familiar with the program, this prep time may decrease)
10 minutes for emailing or following up for a participant
Billing Calculation:
Total time per week: 160 minutes (1:3 ratio)
Cost: $172.44 per week per participant
Total for six weeks: $1,034.60 per participant
Total Course Cost
License Cost: ~$98 per participant
Total Cost for Group Sessions (172.44 x 6) = $1,034.60
Total Course Cost per Participant: $1,326.60
NIISQ Billing Example
The approach outlined below led to the approval of funding for 12 sessions with one participant. (Twelve, rather than six sessions were considered necessary in this case so that content could be delivered more slowly and some sessions would be spent on joint viewing of the educational videos and coaching during the practice exercises.) Using the Clinical Psychology rate of $280 per hour, the total billed was $3,360
In the intervention plan, the goal was: Improve Memory and Motivation
The intervention aims to teach adaptive and compensatory strategies to improve attention, memory, and executive functioning.
Given the client's age and affinity with technology, it was hypothesized that this online method would be engaging, maximizing the client's participation and supporting their acquisition of these skills.
ICARE Billing Tips
iCare is a government insurance program covering interventions in two main areas:
Workplace injuries
Motor vehicle accidents
iCare Allied Health practitioners set their own fees and receive payments directly into their registered account. In the first two years post-injury, participants are in the interim program (CTP coverage). After two years, they are reassessed to determine if they qualify for the Lifetime Care, which is for permanent conditions.
Participants' care needs are typically assessed every 6 months initially, and then every 12 months, depending on the stability of their condition. Many participants with brain injuries, along with their practitioners, would benefit from MEMORehab.
OTHER Funding Possibilities
DVA Rehabilitation
My Aged Care as Short-Term Restorative Care
Clinician Quote:
"It's been so nice to see clients feeling proud of themselves for being able to remember more than they expected when they try clustering or staggered rehearsal. It's a lovely confidence boost."
Did you know? |
Help with recruitment… Our company can supply you with modifiable recruitment flyers for participants and referrers. You can also be listed on our website’s Clinician Register for no extra charge. |
