There are a lot of situations that are necessary for visiting a physical therapist in Philadelphia. Direct access is one of the most powerful legal concepts in the field of physical therapyin The United States of America. However, there is a lot of misinformation going around on this topic. Teasing out the truth is not always easy. I thought it would be better to take this chance and put some rumours to rest. Here are some direct access truths that you need to know.

It is not just for private practices

Most people do not think of acute care setting to be a place where patients can go for physical therapy services directly. However, more large health systems and hospitals are starting to provide patients with direct access to physiotherapists. This practice is pretty common all over the world based on the results countries have seen. It is high time we pushed for this amazing trend.

A lot of insurances will reimburse for physiotherapy services without a referral

We understand that the law allows direct access but a lot of practitioners are reluctant to treat their patients with third party insurances because providers assume that people will not pay for services without the referral of a physician. However, in reality, a lot of insurance carriers do not have referral requirements. Regardless of whether the patient came to you through direct access or not, it is always important to practice to verify the insurance details of the patient.

There is a huge demand for direct access physiotherapy services that is untapped

If you are a physical therapist in The United States of America who thinks marketing services to direct access patients is not worth the trouble then you should think again. While it is true that the current direct access patient pool is small, it is crucial to step back and look at the bigger picture. All patients suffering from neuromusculoskeletal issues, only 8% of them seek out rehab therapy. This means that the remaining 92% of the patients who could benefit from physiotherapy treatment fail to get it.

Try to think smarter about what could happen if the numbers were flipped so that 92% of the patients did seek out physiotherapy as a primary care option. If we push things that way, that is where they will go and things will become better. To do that, we have to capitalize on the market conditions. Patients have more financial stake than ever before. Patients are voting with their money and this gives physiotherapists who provide treatment that is less expensive and more effective than other traditional options such as prescription painkillers a huge competition. However, physiotherapists have to unify their effort and promote their value. They have to educate the world about what they do and why patients should first go to them.

Better results for direct patients

Patients who access a physical therapist Philadelphia directly get better results and are more satisfied compared to referral patients. Studies have also shown that direct access patients save up to 75% on physical therapy services.