Be Wary Of...
Common Misconceptions about Physical Therapy
You Can Choose! It is a common misconception that you have to go where your doctor refers you. In Colorado you do not have to obtain a referral to see a Physical Therapist, but there are some insurance plans that require you to have such. However, you are still able to go to a facility of your choice. Sport & Spine receives the majority of our patient referrals from Friends & Family spreading the word. Now who has your interests at heart more than your friends and family? Remember just because a physician recommends a place, doesn't mean they offer the best of care. Take the time to do your research. We at Sport & Spine have the support of many physician's as well as our past & current patients.
Hospitals cost you more! Often times physicians will refer a patient to an in hospital or physician owned therapy practice. What they don't tell you is that this often cost the patient more. Hospitals and physician owned practices often have higher negotiated rates with insurance companies than private practices typical do, and that means the higher the rate the more you pay for many insurance plans.
In-Network Providers are not always best! Most insurance companies require providers to drastically reduce their rates in order to join the insurance companies network or be considered an In-Network provider. Lowering fees means that the providers have to find creative ways to keep quality up but at the same time keep treatments affordable at the rate the insurance has negotiated. This is often times a difficult task. At Sport & Spine we currently accept most insurances but continue to watch the trend of insurance companies lowering reimbursement significantly, even though the expense delivering care continues to rise. We hope to stay in network for most insurances, but may have to make the difficult decision to drop some lower reimbursing insurances to maintain a High Quality of Care and Customer Service as that is our number one priority.
Don't Just Trust Your Body To Anyone, or Your Recovery!
Not all Physical Therapists are the same. In fact many professionals that offer physical therapy are not licensed Physical Therapists nor do they hold a degree in Physical Therapy. Also, most therapists specialize in certain areas of the body more so than others. Depending on your injury, pain, and rehabilitation needs, it can be very disadvantagous to receive therapy from a non-specialized therapist. With many surgical repairs there is a small window of opportunity for optimal recovery and if you are not receiving top notch care during that time frame it can negatively affect the recovery permanently. Some important questions to ask when choosing a therapist would be:
1.) What type of patients or cases do you most see?
2.) How long have you been practicing?
3.) Are you familiar with my condition and symptoms?
Don't let your provider eat up your visits!
Depending on your rehabilitation needs some episodes will take just a few visits to recover while others will require an extended amount. However, there is typically a norm for how many visits it will take to recover. If you feel that you are not seeing much improvement it never hurts to obtain a second opinion. Often times, people wait until all of their yearly visits have been used up or they have utilized all of their funds before they realize the provider they were seeing may not have been the best provider for that particular case.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to use the ask a physio box on the home page or call our clinic. 303.655.8699
