It’s an interesting fact that the PT industry takes a business dip in January. Why? We know there aren’t fewer people being diagnosed with issues related to musculoskeletal pain, and the amount of surgeries requiring post-operative PT may actually increase.
And, with all the people trying to start the year off by getting into better shape, it’s probably peak season for nagging pain and new injuries.
The typical industry response sounds logical: insurance deductibles “reset” at the new year, and people are either avoiding medical care, or getting expensive, elective surgery done right away so they meet their deductible faster.
If you have a patient living with musculoskeletal pain or dysfunction because they have a high deductible plan, the most cost-efficient thing they can do is consider physical therapy. For the cost of a single MRI, that patient could receive nearly 10 visits with a physical therapist. In both cases, the dollars spent go against the deductible, but with PT, the pateint receives treatment for the root cause of their pain.
At Results, we make it even easier: give us a call and schedule a free consult with a licensed PT. The patient can tell the therapist what’s going on, they can conduct an assessment, and determine whether PT is a good option. Or, they may recommend some exercises to try, and check back in a week or two. Of course, if it’s serious, they will refer back to the patient’s HCP, with a detailed review of their findings.
Studies have consistently shown that early physical therapy intervention saves the patient time, money and a whole lot of pain. For example, a low back pain study concluded that patients who received PT first (and the faster the better) recovered faster than patients who received imaging, injections, opioids, surgery, etc. And they saved nearly $3,000.
Don’t let pain or insurance deductibles change the way your patients want to live their lives.
Results can help.
