Why you should consider out of network Physical Therapy
Most if not all insurance companies pay for some form of physical therapy. This is also the reason why the physical therapy field has taken a step backward. We all know of at least one person who has been to physical therapy and still has pain and limited mobility. In this blog, I am going to explain why you might want to consider a cash pay therapist over the therapy clinics the insurance companies send you to.
Too many or not enough Sessions
You would think that going to see a therapist 3 times a week for 8 weeks would be plenty of time to fully recover and get you back on your feet. However, quality is always better than quantity. The therapist is not always the cause for the quality. In most cases, it is the clinic itself that is the problem. Many name-brand clinics are insurance mills. They get you in and get you out so they can maximize the hour. In these sorts of clinics, one therapist might be in between 3 clients. He or she may be instructing exercises with one while having a heating pad on another and watching the last on E-stem. It does not take an expert to know that if you are focused on one thing you are efficient, when you focus on many things you have to split that efficiency. So, the quality of care diminishes.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are clients that need that 3 times a week but may only get 2 times a week and half of the time. In many situations, this is because of the type of insurance you carry, or your policy will only cover so much. Both of these situations leave the patient with a negative stigma towards physical therapy because they don’t get better.
Specific Treatment Specific Regions
In our health care system, a diagnosis and treatment is specific to the symptoms and the area that symptom points to. The problem with this is it never gets to the root of what is causing these symptoms. In the insurance model of physical therapy if you complain about knee pain that is the only area a PT is allowed to treat. It does not matter if your knee pain comes from your foot, or a weakness in your hip in most cases this is all the therapists can do and expect to get paid. With limited areas to treat the sort of treatment is limited as well. Depending on the insurance company, Ice, E-stem and a couple of rehabilitative exercises are all a patient will receive over the course of treatment.
Why Consider Cash Pay
1. In most cash pay models the therapist dedicates all his or her attention to the patient in front of them. You do not share time with other patients, and you are not limited to the type of treatment the insurance company will pay for. Some therapists specialize in different areas and are able to use specific modalities and therapies to help the patient reach their desired goal.
2. fewer days and shorter recovery period. Time is valuable and for most working adults taking an hour off a day 2-3 times a week is a lot. Because a cash pay therapist is not restricted by time and treatment recovery time can be cut in half. What might have taken 3 days a week may only require one day a week. What would normally take 8 weeks can be cut down to 4 weeks. This varies greatly by therapist and treatment, but recovery success is highly increased.
3. Insurance Reimbursement. If a cash pay therapist has the right program for SOAP notes and documentation and has an understanding of the insurance carriers and the system, they may be able to submit a bill for reimbursement. The difference is instead of the clinic waiting to get paid the patient waits to get paid. Getting some of your money back is great but what’s even greater, your therapist is not looking at the time or split between other clients.
Dynamic Fitness & Rehabilitation
When it comes to cash pay physical therapy more and more clinics are moving towards this model. Patients are fully recovering and having their quality of life restored by simply putting the focus back on the patient and not how much their insurance cover. Dynamic fitness and Rehabilitation is located in Tampa, fl. We are partners with Rezalo Health and Performance to help us treat every phase of the recovery process. Our mission is to heal the patient form the inside out. We will work with the individual to find the root cause of their pain and limitation and work with their budget and schedule to help them reach their goals.