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Can I choose my Physical Therapist?
YES!
Your Health, Your choice. Always! At Balance For Wellness Hands-On Physical Therapy, we are actively providing information to the public to enhance the understanding that Your Health is Your Choice. Always.
What does that mean? As an individual seeking medical advice for any ailment, you always have the choice to take the given advice or to seek a second opinion. You have the choice to receive services from a particular physician, hospital, specialist and you guessed it, a physical therapist. As an individual purchasing insurance to cover medical costs or paying out-of-pocket, you have the legal right to spend your dollars where you feel you are receiving the services that you desire.
- Did you know that you do not have to go to the physical therapist that your doctor recommended?
- Did you know that you can go to a physical therapist without a referral from a physician?
- Did you know that when you receive a list of physical therapists from a physician’s office that all of the available therapy offices may not be listed?
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, please read on...
There are situations where a physician may own a physical therapy practice and therefore recommend that all clients that he/she provides services to also receive services from their physical therapists. This is called a Physician Owned Physical Therapy Practice or POPTS. If you do not already rely on a particular physical therapist for services, you may take the advice of the physician and receive PT from their clinic. However, if you have established a relationship with a physical therapist, you have the right to tell the physician that you will return to that therapist for treatment. If the physician insists on using their clinic, find another physician.
In October of 2004, legislation was passed in Pennsylvania to allow physical therapists to evaluate and treat clients without a physician’s referral. This practice is called Direct Access Physical Therapy. Direct Access allows you, the client, to seek advice from a physical therapist regarding any neuromusculoskeletal ailment. Simply stated, if you have an ache, pain, injury, loss of balance or any other symptom that is related to the nervous, muscular or skeletal system, you should consult your physical therapist for guidance on how to treat the issue at hand. This allows you to seek advice and treatment before the “injury” becomes too severe. Because physical therapists are trained in evaluating the body for injury or mal-alignments, we are also trained to restore the body to function. If you think that the “nag” that you have been experiencing is not severe enough to seek medical advice, think again. A physical therapist can help relieve that “nag” before it turns into a persistent “pain” that you will then need medication or perhaps surgery to treat.
Finally, not all physicians know every physical therapist in their area and vice versa. Become familiar with a physical therapy practice in your neighborhood or ask others for recommendations and establish a relationship with a therapist that you can refer to as “My Physical Therapist”. Then, when your body needs a “tune up” you will feel confident in the professional who will be providing services to you.
I look forward to the honor of being called “Your Physical Therapist”!
Sincerely,
Dr. Lorri
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