Keeping Health Care Costs Down & Quality of Care Up – Physical Therapy!

Whether it’s a service or a product, most people look for the highest quality at the lowest cost. It’s clear medical costs have been on a perpetual incline, and more people are aware of the need to keep costs down. However, how many people are willing to shop around for the lowest price along with high quality when the insurance company is footing the bill or at least most of the bill? Sure, they should pay most of the bill because people pay premiums, but one way to help prevent premiums from going up is to support privately owned medical and/or rehabilitation centers. This is a way to aid in keeping healthcare costs down and quality of care up.
An easy way to determine the highest cost places at which to receive your medical and/or rehabilitative care is to consider the nature and scope of the company who owns the medical and/or rehabilitative services offered. Whether in radio commercials or newspaper ads, it’s not uncommon to hear about how the medical and/or rehabilitation company owns numerous facilities in numerous locations. This is an instant cue that attending such a facility will most likely command a much higher cost to the healthcare system for each session attended. Anything owned by a hospital includes what are called ‘facility fees’, again inflating costs, while there are viable alternatives which not only lower costs, but also avail patients’/consumers’ the benefits of capitalism. There is no advantage to receiving outpatient orthopedic physical therapy from a company who can charge ‘facility fees’ versus one who cannot.
While there are some services that can only be received at a hospital, outpatient rehabilitation certainly isn’t one of them. Hospitals and large corporations have opened up numerous outpatient physical therapy facilities throughout the region and they continue to grow. By virtue of the ‘power of numbers’ they are able to negotiate higher reimbursements with insurance companies than your typical private, physical therapist-owned center. A colleague recently sold his busy practice because insurance reimbursements were not high enough to pay his expenses. However, a large corporation could afford to take over his practice and pay these expenses. How? Because they have many locations and were able to negotiate much higher reimbursement and therefore could afford to stay in that location. Physical therapist-owner out, large corporation in. Treatment sessions times now dictated by corporate policy.
Increased healthcare costs contribute to increased insurance premiums to consumers. With increased revenues collected by large corporate and/or hospital entities comes increased opportunity not afforded the private medical and/or rehabilitation professional. Perhaps most readers have noticed that their physician has become employed or has become affiliated in some way with hospitals and/or large corporations. Alliances are formed between various physicians and these hospitals and corporations. Since physicians have been the primary source of physical therapy referrals over the years, when hospitals and/or corporations team up with physicians, competition based upon quality of care becomes a thing of the past. This is not to say you won’t be well cared for in these centers, however, there is now a direct line of referral from the employee or affiliate to their own or affiliated rehabilitation center.
This is why it is important to do your own research. Interview physical therapy centers yourself, visit them and then make your own decision. Additionally, consider that physical therapists are legally able to evaluate and treat without a physician referral. However, depending upon your insurance, you may need a prescription from a physician in order for your physical therapist to obtain reimbursement. At ProPT&Rehab Physical Therapy, we assist in this process.
As a privately owned physical therapy center, I am able to offer patient’s ‘quality perks’ they are typically unable to receive elsewhere. Patients are able to attend physical therapy in our center without a specific time restraint and with no extra charges. We’ve had patients attend from 2 to 4 hours based upon need and motivation. Some often wonder what I could do with someone in that time period and don’t know why that much time is needed.
Come visit for a free consultation and you’ll find out. If you don’t have that much time to spend, no problem, we are able to structure a program in accord with your time constraints. Also, return visits the same day are permitted without extra charges.
If the public wants this type of care to perpetuate into the future, than people need to take the initiative to determine the best place for them. Start by coming in for a free consultation. Start by evaluating physical therapist-owned, privately owned physical therapy centers.
See Testimonials and actual patient treatments on the Testimonials page at:
CapeMayPhysicalTherapy.com and/or MaysLandingPhysicalTherapy.com
See Testimonials from: Jack Facciolo, D.O. Rio Grande, Chief of Ortho surgery at Cape Regional; Suketa Nanavati, MD Cardiologist of Cape May Court House (treated as a patient); and Dr. David Rayfield, Northfield, who traveled over an hour for physical therapy care in Cape May based upon word of mouth.
PRO PT & Rehab is located 650 Town Bank Road; N. Cape May, (609) 884-9800, and 4450 Black Horse Pike, Unit 3960, Festival At Hamilton Shopping Center; Mays Landing (609) 829-2664.