Cash Based Physical Therapy: A Better Model
Insurance isn’t always better.
Don’t get me wrong. I am grateful for health insurance as a concept and the privilege of having certain medical expenses partially or fully taken care of. But working in healthcare, I also am very aware of the limitations that come with the health insurance model of care. Particularly in the world of physical therapy.
Physical therapy clinics that work under the insurance based model have their hands completely tied. Even with the best intentions to provide care for their patients, low reimbursement rates from insurance have made them have to focus on quantity over quality in order to run a profitable business. Walk into most insurance based outpatient clinics and you will find a sea of patients scattered around the room doing different exercises with 1-2 very overwhelmed looking PTs just trying to survive the day. This is how most new grad PTs start their careers and many will stay in this model for years before getting completely burned out and potentially even leaving patient care. I went into my first job knowing that my end goal was to work in a cash based model. I knew that staying in the insurance based model would have me out of the profession within 5 years of practicing. It just is not sustainable.
Individualized quality care.
By far the most significant benefit that the cash based physical therapy model brings is the freedom to only see patients one-on-one. That almost seems like it would be a given but it is a luxury in the world of physical therapy. Without the pressure to squeeze multiple patients into a one hour slot, I can focus 100% of my attention on YOU. Patients are used to going to see a doctor and being lucky if they even get five minutes to get all their questions answered. With the cashed based model, you get a full hour with your PT. No more rushed appointments. I have the ability to give patients something so rare in the medical field today: time. That time affords me the freedom to dive deeper into a patient’s injury to ensure we are treating the root cause of what is going on, not just throwing a bandaid treatment technique at the problem.
Get better faster.
Increased one on one time spent with your PT means you will start to see results faster. Which means you get back to what you love quicker! In the insurance based model, I would be lucky to spend 15 minutes one on one with a patient before I would have to switch my attention to my other patients. This back and forth left me relying on passive treatment modalities (ie: heat packs) that I could '“set and go” to be able to manage multiple people at once. In the cash based model, I have more time to effectively treat patients to get them the results they are looking for.
Life is busy. Get some time back.
Insurance based physical therapy clinics typically tell patients that they need to come in 2-3x per week for treatment, for up to 12 weeks. That’s a big time commitment. Between taking time off work in the middle of the day or working around kid’s schedules, multiple treatment sessions a week just isn’t feasible for many patients. At Tempo PT, we typically see patients 1x per week initially and then transition towards less frequent visits as you start to get stronger and more independent. Committing to a physical therapy plan of care should not feel like a disruptive time burden on your life.
No surprise bills months after treatment.
Copays. Coinsurance. Deductibles. Out of pocket. To understand the lingo of insurance is confusing to say the least. Most people are surprised to realize just how expensive using their insurance for physical therapy can be. And that realization usually happens well after treatment has finished. Patients usually see a copay around $50 per visit which would equal ~$150 per week for physical therapy (for about 40 minutes total of one on one time with their PT). And that price could be even more for someone with a high deductible insurance plan! Because insurance companies don’t like to be forthcoming with information on how much they will actually cover, many patients find themselves with a bill in the mail for hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars 2-3 months after treatment ends. WIth cash based model, you know the exact amount of your investment from day 1 with zero surprises. And it is not uncommon to actually SAVE money by going out of network for physical therapy.
