Health Insurance

WHAT IS DIRECT ACCESS AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE?

By Jackie Oliver, DPT
jackie@excelptmt.com

Direct Access. It sounds like an exclusive VIP backstage pass but, in reality, it’s an all access pass for individuals to see their physical therapist without a doctor’s referral. That’s right, you don’t have to spend time and money to go see a doctor before seeking physical therapy treatment. 

A study done by GALLUP, asked individuals which profession was the safest and most effective for treating neck pain. Overwhelmingly people answered physical therapy.  Though surprisingly when asked what profession they sought treatment from first, only 6% said physical therapy.  Most went to their medical doctor first. 

A lot of people are not aware that physical therapy is a direct access profession. Direct access benefits you in many ways. It streamlines your care, by eliminating the time between a physician’s appointment and getting in to see your physical therapist. By seeing your physical therapist first, you can start to improve your function, decrease pain and restore quality of life without delay. Furthermore, you could save hundreds of dollars on care. Medical doctors may do x-rays or prescribe medications that can end up costing a lot of money but don’t really solve your problems. Physical therapy is a great alternative to dangerous opioids and is often more effective than opioids, and in some cases surgery. If you think that your injury or pain is musculoskeletal in nature, a physical therapist should be your first stop. This will promote optimal outcomes and recovery. 

Not sure if we can help? Physical therapists are highly-trained professionals that are well equipped to be able to recognize if a problem isn’t musculoskeletal in nature and, if necessary, able to refer you on to the proper health care professional to address your issue. Physical therapists are not meant to take the place the of physicians, in fact, we work very closely with them to optimize your care. Keep physical therapy in mind the next time you have an ache or a pain that just won’t go away. We can help get you back to doing what you love. 

Call us today to schedule a thorough physical therapy evaluation in our Bozeman or Manhattan office.

Advanced Training News…we’re at it again!

By Tiffany Coletta
tiffany@excelptmt.com

David Coletta performing a bike fitting David Coletta, physical therapist and co-owner of Excel Physical Therapy of Bozeman and Manhattan, recently completed the BikeFit Clinical Level 2 advanced training in Seattle, Washington.  His instruction included upper level road bike fitting and tri-bike/time trial bike fitting.  David provides bike fitting services out of the Bozeman location and offers both health insurance billing and cash pay options. 

Excel Physical Therapists of Bozeman & Manhattan are CareCredit Providers

By Tiffany Coletta
tiffany@excelptmt.com

CareCredit_Tag_CMYK

Excel Physical Therapy of Bozeman and Manhattan, Montana are CareCredit providers. CareCredit is a personal healthcare credit card which acts like a revolving line of credit for out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. Our office offers the option of no interest for 6 or 12 months. Our patients and their families can use their CareCredit account to pay for deductible, and or co-payments over a $200 minimum balance. 

Apply for a CareCredit account online at www.carecredit.com or via 800-677-0718. Patient Responsibility charges from our office are paid at the end of each visit until our office team can verify active CareCredit account status.

Please inquire with our front office team if you have additional questions at 406-556-0562 for Bozeman or 406-284-4262 for Manhattan or via info (at) excelptmt (dot com).  Thank you for choosing Excel Physical Therapy for your physical therapy needs. We truly appreciate our patients and hope you will consider us in the future and refer us to your friends and family.

What Does Direct Access to Physical Therapy Mean?

By Tiffany Coletta
tiffany@excelptmt.com

Unlike some states where patients require a referral from a physician to be treated by a physical therapist, here in Montana you are entitled to “direct access” which means you are able visit your physical therapist directly whenever you are in pain, no prescription required.  The vast majority of major insurance companies will cover physical therapy the same way, whether or not you have seen a doctor first.  The rest of the country is beginning to follow our lead and the transition to direct access is occurring state by state as both insurance companies and health care providers realize the improved quality of care and reduced costs afforded by its implementation.   

The greatest direct access benefit for patients is the ability to get better faster.  Numerous back pain research articles consistently point to one variable as being the most important in the overall success of a patient’s physical therapy treatment:  How soon the physical therapist was able to begin initiating treatment after the injury.  If the therapist was able to start working with the patient within two weeks of the injury, results were significantly better than those patients who allowed more time to elapse before treatment.   

In an increasingly complex health care system, it is great to know that, here in Montana since 1987, we as physical therapists are able to maximize treatment results for our patients by addressing the problem immediately.

However, we as providers are still at the mercy of an insurance companies own rules despite our Montana state law. Therefore, please always check with your insurance company and their specific physical therapy outpatient benefit rules to ensure maximum reimbursement and coverage for your treatment. Our Patient Service Coordinators are happy to help you through this insurance coordination. Just call either of our offices in Bozeman or Manhattan.

"My PT is great and very knowledgeable.  Has a 'magic' touch to relax tight muscles.  I'm feeling much better than before I came in." --Bozeman Patient

View more testimonials from Excel PT clients »