There are few things more frustrating in life than feeling pain and not knowing how to fix it. What’s worse? If you are waiting to see a doctor, undergoing expensive and unnecessary testing, waiting to get a referral, and then being sent to a specialist. These steps can be time-consuming and expensive, but the good news is they can be avoided by starting the road to recovery with the help of a physical therapist.
If you are experiencing muscular pain and decreased mobility in your body, physical therapy is an awesome step to recovery! Our team is committed to adding mobility, decreasing pain, and providing an understanding of your injury and prevention to every patient. Our objective is to educate patients about the benefits of manual therapy and how our hands-on approach can help patients without the use of pain killers or expensive surgeries.
There are many ways in which patients can benefit from direct access including cost savings and convenience.
For many individuals who are suffering from acute pain or chronic pain, one of the biggest issues is the time it takes to get the care they need or get on the pathway to recovery. With direct access, patients can connect directly with a physical therapist and avoid having to go through all of the necessary steps we mentioned above just to be seen. When there are almost half a dozen steps that need to be completed in order before a patient can even be seen by a physical therapist, that patient needs to experience and live with their pain for quite some time.
With direct access, patients don’t have to go through all of those half a dozen steps just to be seen by a physical therapist. Many people elect to put up with pain or chronic issues for quite some time until they become severe enough to see a qualified healthcare professional. This mindset stems from several different reasons and excuses which include but are not limited to just putting it off until there’s time in our busy schedule, when we can afford it, or the all too common one of how the pain will go away with time.
When you’re trying to live without pain or get back to feeling healthy, you shouldn’t have to deal with excuses when you’re trying to see a physical therapist. In the old days, once you set your mind on actually seeing a physician for a referral, you had to get over the hurdle of actually booking the appointment. Patients typically wait for an average of several weeks before they can even see a physician, and then who knows how many specialists or doctor visits after that they might need as we’ve outlined earlier.
Fortunately, you don’t need to jump through many hurdles anymore to see a physical therapist near you, as dozens of states across the country now offer direct access which will allow you to Book an Appointment with a Physical Therapist today without requiring a referral.
Patients no longer have to wait weeks on end just to get a referral or deal with their pain for days on end without getting any relief. With direct access, patients can see a physical therapist and get the care they need faster and with fewer headaches.
The next way in which patients can benefit from direct access is by saving money. As we’ve outlined earlier, one of the biggest headaches associated with dealing with your chronic pain or soreness is the fact that you have to visit multiple doctors or specialists just to get a referral before you can even go to a physical therapy clinic near you. Each step along the way means that you’re potentially spending hundreds of dollars trying to book appointments, travel to and from locations, all the while dealing with significant pain without treatment.
When you’re able to directly connect with a physical therapist and cut out many of the middlemen that clog up the process, you can get better faster and save money in the long run. Another great factor about direct access when it comes to physical therapy is that you can directly connect with qualified professionals who can quickly diagnose and treat the issues at the root cause from a manual therapy standpoint.
Before a physician might refer you to a physical therapist, they might try some other solutions including medications or specialist recommendations. This means that you could be taking prescriptions that only mask the problem instead of identifying the root cause of your issue and working on improving your well-being for the long-term.
With direct access to physical therapy, patients can save money and directly connect with a qualified physical therapist who will work with you to identify and evaluate your symptoms, establish your function and capabilities, and then begin to help you recover and improve your function over time.
Direct access is the ability for a patient to take advantage of the services provided by a physical therapist without a referral from a physician. Direct access has essentially removed the middle man of the process – the referral from a doctor. This can cut costs for patients because there is no longer a need for unnecessary tests or potentially lengthy wait times to receive a referral from your doctor or specialists. Direct access allows patients the ability to take their recovery into their own hands and to receive care faster.
For those patients who don’t need a specialist’s opinion or all the extra testing and evaluation that a traditional doctor’s visit would provide, direct access gives these patients the ability to directly connect with a physical therapist and get on the pathway to a successful recovery quicker.
Although each state is unique, according to the American Physical Therapy Association, there are generally three different levels of physical therapy direct access depending on which state you are in. These different tiers and levels help establish what kind of care you can receive and whether or not there are additional considerations or restrictions that need to be met before you can directly connect with a physical therapist near you. The first tier is limited patient access which only allows certain patient populations to gain access to evaluation, wellness, and fitness from a physical therapist under certain circumstances. These certain circumstances can include patients with previous medical diagnoses or a previous referral from a physician.
The second tier to direct access is patient access with provisions. This patient population provides access to evaluation and treatment from physical therapists with a few restrictions such as: time limit, visit limits, or a referral requirement if a patient must undergo a specific treatment like spinal manipulation.
The last tier of direct access is unrestricted patient access which takes place in twenty states. Essentially, this occurs when there are zero restrictions or guidelines for a patient to receive treatment without a referral.
Below are the lists of our physiotherapy locations and their direct access availability:
Limited Patient Access:
Patient Access with Provisions:
Unrestricted Patient Access:
At Results Physiotherapy, our physical therapists serve our patients through manual therapy combined with exercise and education. Each physical therapist develops a personal relationship with their patient to understand their medical history as well as an in-depth understanding of their musculoskeletal pain and physical impairments. After this assessment, our physical therapists are equipped to introduce personalized exercises to strengthen any impaired muscles to rebuild mobility. Lastly, during one-on-one treatments, our physical therapists will educate their patients about the functionality of their body and how to prevent future injuries.
To ensure the best route to recovery for each of our patients, we are continuously monitoring our patient’s progress to see which approaches are more effective to suit the needs of the individual. Before recommending a course of treatment, our physical therapists are educated and trained to evaluate the individual as a whole to provide the best action plan to improve the life of each patient. We believe that in order for our patients to receive the best outcomes, each patient will work with the same physical therapist at each visit.
This relationship-based approach with our patients is our top priority which is why we are offering telehealth appointments through virtual therapy and concierge in-home physical therapy at this time. Our goal is to be able to serve each patient at their convenience and with the safest regards to everyone’s health. Contact us today to schedule your first appointment!
