ICBC CL489F: Physiotherapy Progress Report

ICBC asks a treating physiotherapist for this report when a patient is not recovering as expected or new barriers to recovery appear. It compares initial and current findings for work, daily activities, symptoms and objective measures, then sets out barriers, a SMART treatment goal and prognosis. ICBC has no physiotherapy initial report for crashes on or after May 1, 2021: the first appointment is billed as an Initial Visit.

Who completes it

The treating physiotherapist completes the whole form and certifies that a treating therapist completed it. The patient's part is consent to share it with ICBC; without consent, ICBC sends a request letter (CL491) citing the Insurance (Vehicle) Act.

How to fill it in

Invoice information

Enter the claim number, date of accident and date of report (dd/mmm/yyyy), your ICBC vendor number, an invoice or reference number, and the payee name and address. Start from the current CL489F on ICBC's partners site: ICBC updates its templates, requires the most recent version and discourages saving personal copies of the template.

Client information and Practitioner information

Give the client's name, date of birth and Personal Health Number, then your name and practitioner number. The assessment block asks for the date of this assessment, the number of treatment sessions to date, the date of the previous assessment and the date of first visit, which frame the initial and current findings compared later in the report.

Relevant pre-accident history and Medical investigation or specialist

Say whether you know of prior injuries or medical conditions at the time of the accident, choosing up to three from the list (such as chronic pain, concussion, depression or prior surgery) with details on possible impact on recovery. Then list crash-related investigations or specialist referrals, such as MRI, CT scan or orthopedic surgeon, with dates and findings if known. ICBC expects all clinically relevant information, including intervening events or new injuries.

Work status

Tick what the patient was doing on the date of the accident (full time, part time, self-employed, seasonal, training, student, retired, unemployed), give job titles, and pick current work, training and school status from the lists. ICBC's help text asks you to give reasons for any absence, confirm modified duties or hours on a graduated return, and say whether a patient with no job to return to is able to return.

Return to work planning

Fill this in only if the patient has not returned or is on a graduated return. List the main work-related functional limitations against job demands, with initial and current findings and whether demands are met, and say whether the information is self-reported or from objective testing against employer-confirmed job demands. State whether you support a graduated return to work (GRTW) now, its earliest start date and duration, and any safety concerns or restrictions; if you support it, ICBC's recovery specialist will contact you.

Activities of daily living (ADL)

Indicate whether the patient can perform the self-care, homemaking, caregiving, sport and leisure tasks they did before the accident. ICBC's help text limits homemaking to essential tasks (not landscaping, gardening, pool maintenance or pet care) and caregiving to unpaid pre-accident care of dependents under 16 or unable to hold regular employment. For tasks the patient cannot do, record ADL demands, initial and current findings, and whether demands are met.

Assessment findings

Record subjective findings related to the accident, including symptom location, frequency, duration and intensity, with optional outcome measures, and objective findings such as observation, range of motion, strength, neurological signs, special tests and palpation. Both have initial and current columns, so show what has changed since the first assessment rather than repeating the initial picture.

Diagnosis

Identify the primary diagnosis, the most serious or significant injury, and up to three other diagnoses caused by or related to the accident. Each row uses pick lists for nature of injury (for example sprain or strain grades, WAD I to IV, concussion or disc injury), body part and orientation, plus a comments box for detail.

Recommended Physiotherapy Care Plan

List up to three primary barriers to recovery (functional, physical, psychosocial, employer, medical or compliance) and the primary treatment goal, written to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. ICBC's built-in example: improve neck range of motion to the full pre-accident range within 4 to 6 weeks to support return to work as a truck driver.

Prognosis and recovery timelines, and certification

Choose whether you expect a return to pre-accident function with continued physiotherapy, from options such as a discharge date, a functional plateau, or unable to determine with the reason. Say whether active rehabilitation would help now; ICBC does not accept passive stretching, relaxation or other passive treatment as active rehabilitation. Add the next reassessment date if applicable, certify, and select consent or an ICBC request under section 28 or 28.1.

Common mistakes

Completing and invoicing a progress report that ICBC did not request; ICBC funds progress reports only when an ICBC claims contact asked for one.
Submitting with sections blank. ICBC will not pay an incomplete report, and a completed version must be resubmitted to qualify for payment.
Using an old or personally saved template. ICBC requires the most recently available template and does not pay for improperly completed reports.
Leaving out intervening events, new injuries or other factors affecting function; ICBC's program guide requires all clinically relevant information that could affect funding decisions.
Calling passive stretching, relaxation or other passive treatment active rehabilitation; the form's help text says these are not accepted as active rehabilitation.
Invoicing more than 45 calendar days after the service; ICBC may decline to pay late invoices from Recovery Network firms.

Submitting and payment

How to submit it: ICBC Recovery Network members upload it through the Health Care Provider Portal (HCPP, preferred) or the HCPIR application, and physiotherapists outside the network use ICBC's email submission process. Recovery Network firms must invoice within 45 calendar days of the service.
Who pays: ICBC funds the report only when an ICBC claims contact requested it, and Recovery Network firms bill it as the 'Progress Report' service type in HCPIR or HCPP at the rate in ICBC's fee schedule (CL534).

Good to know

No physiotherapy initial report applies to crashes on or after May 1, 2021. The first appointment is billed as an Initial Visit, covering assessment and treatment, once per patient.
The legacy Physiotherapy Initial Report (CL489E) relates to pre-May 2021 claims, and ICBC's April 2025 newsletter says initial visits for those older crashes no longer carry a reporting requirement either.
Complete every section before submitting. ICBC will not pay an incomplete or improperly completed report; an incomplete one must be completed and resubmitted to qualify for payment.
A Treatment Plan (CL751) is also required when treatment falls outside the 12-week early access period or exceeds the current approval, so it may be due alongside a requested progress report.

Get the official form

Download the current version from the source each time; forms change without notice.

Physiotherapy Progress Report

Official page PDF

Fill it with Vero

Upload the fillable PDF once and Vero Documents fills it from the visit note and the chart, ready for you to review and sign. Download, print, or email the finished form, with the patient’s consent.

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How this list is checked

A form is listed only after its name and number were confirmed on the issuing agency’s or insurer’s own website, or in the form itself. Each entry links to that source. The list was last checked in October 2026. Forms change without notice, so download the current version from the official page before you fill it in.

Sources for this guide

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Frequently asked questions

Is there an ICBC physiotherapy initial report?

Not for crashes on or after May 1, 2021. The first appointment is billed as an Initial Visit, which includes the initial assessment and a standard treatment and is billed once per patient unless ICBC approves otherwise. The legacy Physiotherapy Initial Report (CL489E) relates to older claims, and ICBC announced in April 2025 that initial visits for pre-May 2021 crashes no longer include a reporting requirement.

When do I complete a CL489F?

Only when an ICBC claims contact asks for it. ICBC may request a progress report when a patient is not recovering as expected or additional barriers to recovery have been identified. ICBC will not fund a progress report that was completed and invoiced without a request from the claim representative.

Do I also need a treatment plan?

Possibly. The form notes that a Treatment Plan must be submitted when treatment is requested outside the Enhanced Care early access period, the first 12 weeks after the crash, or when more sessions are recommended beyond the current approval. A Treatment Plan (CL751 for physical treatment) may therefore be due at the same time as a requested progress report.

How is the CL489F paid?

Recovery Network firms invoice ICBC through HCPIR or HCPP using the Progress Report service type, at the rate in ICBC's Fee Schedule for Health Care Providers, within 45 calendar days of the service. ICBC pays only for requested, fully completed reports on the current template; an incomplete report must be completed and resubmitted before it qualifies.