by Mike Basten PT, DPT, MTC
Over the past 20 years, more states have granted patients in pain direct access to physical therapy without a physician referral. Although the state of Arizona has already offered this type of access for several years, it was not until recently that insurance companies began paying for physical therapy without a physician referral. Direct access is just one of the many reasons you should look at physical therapy first. There are many more.
There is mounting data proving that visiting a physical therapist first might reduce costs and improve the overall outcome of injury rehabilitation. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) just released a landmark study, ‘The Economic Value of Physical Therapy in the United States,’ that confirms that physical therapy (PT) can help Americans live better lives while saving the health care system millions of dollars annually.
Historically, the process from injury to recovery has been to see a physician, try medication, receive diagnostic imaging, rest, and hope for a resolution. If the problem was not resolved, the next step was to try physical therapy and maybe some sort of medical intervention such as injections or surgery. However, because of the increasing cost of medical care, insurance companies and patients have been looking for methods to lower the cost of rehabilitation. One of these methods is to try PT first for musculoskeletal problems.
Top Three Reasons to Seek PT First for Pain
1. Reduce or Eliminate Pain without Drugs or Opioids.
Physical therapy provides the opportunity to reduce or eliminate pain through specific therapeutic exercises and hands-on manual therapy techniques. Additional treatments such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and taping techniques can also reduce pain during recovery.
Physical therapy has evolved greatly over the past 20 to 25 years, as have the patients it serves. Due to costs and other factors, the goal now is to fix the problem as soon as possible with as little healthcare use as possible. PT enables the therapist to treat the cause of the pain early on and to begin the rehabilitation by restoring the proper mechanics that may be causing the pain.
A 2018 study analyzed 200,000 commercial and Medicare Advantage insurance beneficiaries seeking treatment for low back pain. It found that those whose initial referral was with a physical therapist, chiropractor, or acupuncturist compared with those whose index visit was with a primary care provider decreased odds of early opioid use by 85%-91% and lowered low-term opioid use by 73%-78%.
2. Savings on Diagnostics
Being able to go directly to physical therapy is cost-effective. For example, a patient avoids paying for a visit to a doctor for a referral, and the doctor may order costly diagnostic tests before determining that PT is the suitable treatment method. A qualified therapist will work to prevent unnecessary diagnostics in your recovery that can increase out-of-pocket costs and impact your long-term well-being. They will also work with your doctor to explore pre-surgery, post-surgery, and no-surgery options for a full recovery.
In many cases, if physical therapy can address the reasons contributing to pain, you may be able to avoid surgery altogether. If you do need surgery, pre-surgery PT can improve mobility and strength and help get you in better condition, making it easier to recover from surgery with postoperative PT more quickly and with better outcomes.
When looking at patients who went to PT first, there was an average savings of over $250 in one study and over $1,000 in another. Overall, there were substantial savings across the board with less imaging, less medication, and even less treatment.
3. Improve Mobility.
If you have difficulty with standing, walking, or transitioning, such as moving from a sitting to a standing position, exercises to improve flexibility and strength can improve your ability to move with greater ease, making everyday activities more enjoyable. Physical therapists can help identify areas where you are not moving correctly, predispose you to future injury, and correct those movements to keep you injury-free. A PT can also instruct and fit you for an assistive device such as a cane, crutches, or other assistive devices designed to improve your mobility.
PTs are also trained to recognize when physical therapy is not the proper or best first course of action and can point patients in the best direction. The physician-PT team is still the standard when dealing with musculoskeletal problems and guiding those in pain toward a full recovery.
Seeking full recovery is a journey with no shortcuts and no finish line. A journey that will lead to amazing and fulfilling results. At Foothills Sports Medicine Physical Therapy, our therapists embrace the journey. We take you, your pain, and your full recovery seriously and don’t believe a good enough recovery is good enough. We aim to do everything we can to help you regain your full, healthy life.
If you have any questions regarding direct access to physical therapy, contact your nearest Foothills Sports Medicine Physical Therapy clinic and schedule a complimentary pain assessment.
