Faster Recovery and Improved Levels of Care for All
Seeing a physical therapist through direct access as your primary care option not only prevents unnecessary visits to your physician, but also has been shown to increase satisfaction levels, provide better outcomes, and increase likelihood of completion of care.
Fewer Visits to Completion
There is increasing evidence showing that patients are able to complete their course of care more quickly by way of self-referral versus physician referral. Health Services Research (HSR) conducted a study that shows that 27% of patients utilizing direct access not only had fewer visits, but had lower overall costs on average. Blue Cross Blue Shield also released figures showing that patients through referral spent 65% more time in treatment, generating 67% more claims on insurance, with 60% more office visits.
Frequency of Care
When seeing a physician, patients typically schedule a follow-up appointment a few weeks or months later. In a physical therapy setting, a patient will see their physical therapist 2 or 3 times a week (or more for in-patient rehabilitation), over a period of several weeks. This positions the therapist to identify any side-effects or harmful changes in the patient’s condition that can occur between physician visits. More frequent treatment creates additional opportunities to evaluate progress and make adjustments that can expedite recovery.
Fewer Emergency Room Visits
The overuse of emergency rooms in the United States is costing over $38 billion a year in wasteful spending. Many patients turn to the emergency room because they lack access to timely primary care services as emergency locations are often the only option to receive a full range of services immediately, regardless of ability to pay. Overcrowded ERs impacts quality of care, as hospitals and institutions struggle to keep up with demand. Self-referral to physical therapy for non-urgent injuries can help alleviate stress on the system.
Alleviating Strain on the Healthcare System
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) projects that by 2025 there could be as many as 30,000 less physicians than are needed to cover all patients, a result of the growing number of older patients who require two to three times the amount of care combined with the aging population of physicians themselves.
A shortage of doctors would increase delays for patients, leading to a lesser quality of care and, ultimately, less effective outcomes. The inclusion of physical therapy in a patient’s treatment plan is instrumental to alleviating the foreseeable shortage, giving patients an affordable treatment option that will keep them healthy long-term.
Improving Overall Healthcare
Historically, the referral system was a one way street, from physician to physical therapist. Direct access, in many cases, offers physical therapists the ability to refer patients to physicians (and other specialists) and to recommend x-rays, medication or surgery they deem beneficial to the patient. Integrating multiple practitioners creates an optimized healthcare model, allowing doctors to provide the highest level of care to their patients.
Combining the forces of physical therapists with pain management specialists, orthopaedic surgeons, neurologists, etc. can lead to faster and more comprehensive treatment, maximizing the quality of healthcare overall.
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