Patients are becoming more cost cautious while seeking medical treatments when healthcare expenses continue to climb. The days of the $10 copay are long gone, as they are for many other practitioners and professions. Physical therapy is distinct in that it is a recurring service; typically, patients will be visited 2-3 times per week for several weeks, making it an investment in both time and money. Here are five strategies for getting physical therapists for elbow, hip, and knee pain in Philadelphia.
Research and Interview your potential choices of clinics/therapist
There are several methods to physical medicine, as well as numerous clinic kinds. We advise patients to be smart consumers and study their options online. Yelp and Google reviews are excellent sources of information about former patients’ satisfaction and insight into the physical therapist’s approach. Check the clinic’s review sites to see how active they are and search for how much time the physical therapists spend with their patients.
In addition, several clinics provide free injury assessments. Consider these free sessions to be an interview with physical therapy expert Philadelphia, not merely a method to gain additional insight into your problem.
Understand your insurance benefits ahead of time
However, medical billing and insurance is a murky industry; it is not like buying from a restaurant menu. Varying insurance companies pay different amounts to clinics for treatments, and each plan may cover at different levels. We always advise people to call their insurance company to find out what their plan covers. The following are the most important things to know about your insurance provider:
- Deductible: How much you must pay out of pocket before insurance begins to pay their share.
- Copay/Coinsurance: After you’ve met your deductible, this amount is either a flat rate (copay) or a percentage (coinsurance) that you’ll pay for each visit.
- Out of Pocket Maximum: Some plans include an out-of-pocket maximum, which is the total amount of money you will spend out of pocket in a given year before insurance will cover 100% of your expenses. This might help with planning if you are undergoing a procedure where the medical expenditures would be more significant.
- Visit limitations: A large percentage of plans will limit the number of physical therapy appointments a patient can receive each year. This is particularly helpful in preparing if you believe your specific situation will necessitate a substantial number of physical therapy visits.
- Pre-Authorization: Some plans require your physical therapist to submit information to the insurance company for you to receive prior permission to attend physical therapy. Even though your plan allows for up to 60 physical therapy sessions in a calendar year, they may be distributed in tiny batches of 3 or visits at a time.
Call the clinics and inquire about their billing and payment policies
Billing for physical therapy services varies from clinic to clinic. Contracts with insurance carriers may differ amongst PT firms. Some carriers pay a flat charge for each visit, which means that no matter what is billed, the visit is capped at that amount. Others pay based on the specific services your therapist invoices them for. Your prospective clinic should be able to give you an idea of how much a typical visit would cost. Using this data and the characteristics of your specific plan, you should estimate the expenses of care for a month or two.
Make sure your Physical Therapist is helping solve your problems
Every physical therapist for elbow, hip, and knee pain in Philadelphia has a somewhat different perspective, and patients have various priorities. Whatever path a patient takes, please ensure that your physical therapist employs their most effective tool: critical analysis at every appointment. Ensure that the physical therapist assists you in resolving your condition and providing direction rather than simply executing specific treatment procedures. Physical therapists are available to assist you in understanding how your physical therapy fits into your life. Be diligent in documenting how your problems affect you in your everyday life, and question how the physical therapist addresses those concerns in the sessions.
Be consistent and commit to the plan
Most physical therapists will advise you that overextending a care plan leads to inconsistency and noncompliance with treatment regimens. It’s the same as taking an antibiotic; take as directed and complete the bottle. Taking antibiotics seldom reduces their efficacy in eradicating the infection. Physical therapy is quite similar in that it requires constancy in treatment to achieve physical benefits. However, the body takes time to recover, so consistency is essential in getting people where they want to go. Set a goal and agree on a timetable with your physical therapist to achieve it.
