If your life is anything like mine it’s becoming busier and busier. Between work, family, and other responsibilities there doesn’t seem to be much time leftover.

So, when that shoulder starts bothering you after doing some weekend yard work, trying to squeeze in time to see your physical therapist can be a challenge. It may even cause one to put the appointment off for weeks or months.

If there’s any silver lining around what was the COVID-19 situation for the field of physical therapy it’s that it made us as therapists realize there is a change in the healthcare market to create new more convenient and accessible ways to deliver care.

The most common of these is virtual or on-demand physical therapy. Think physical therapy via Zoom.

While this may seem impossible to do, since physical therapy can be a very hands on profession, there is much that can be accomplished. Much of what we do as physical therapists is education. Education about a condition, prognosis, and treatment. Certainly with digital exercise programs and remote therapeutic monitoring (more about that in another post) connecting with clients remotely is becoming easier than ever.

And why shouldn’t our field move in that direction? Every other aspect of our lives is. Physical therapists should embrace the fact that meeting our clients where they are is becoming easier.

All this being said, if you’re in need of physical therapy but might not have much time, consider virtual PT and get the guidance you need to get back to the things you love, all from the comfort of wherever you find yourself.

Dr. Caleb Fontes PT, DPT

In the world of physical therapy timing can be everything. One minute you’re playing basketball with your son on the driveway on a Sunday afternoon and the next you’re sitting on the ground clutching your swollen black and blue ankle!

What to do? Seems like you’ve sprained your ankle but what should you do next? It would be nice to talk to or see someone who knows the appropriate next steps.

Unfortunately, in this day and age it can be difficult to get in to see your doctor, let alone see your doctor to get a referral to PT then get in to see the PT! By that time you might be past the whole situation all together.

Luckily most people have direct access to PT! What is direct access to PT you might say? Well, as you may have figured by this point, that’s what this post is all about.

Being in California, we’ll tailor this post to those in California. First things first though. What exactly is direct access to PT?

Simply put, it is the ability to see a PT without seeing your physician first. No referral or prescription for PT necessary.

In recent years the profession of PT has transitioned to a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree as the entry level of education needed to become a licensed PT. One of the reasons is to accommodate for direct access! When seeing a PT first the PT must be able to partly do the job of a physician to rule out more serious problems that are outside the PT’s scope of practice.

If the evaluating PT does find something more insidious they are required to refer to the patients physician. If the injury is within the PT’s scope then they may proceed to treat.

All this sounds great, and it is, but there are some caveats. Each state had different rules regarding how patients can access their PT. As mentioned above, we’ll focus on California for now. In the state of California patients may work with a PT for 45 days or 12 visits whichever comes first. If treatment is to continue beyond this point a referral from the patients doctor is needed.

Another caveat is that some insurances may not allow the patient to see a PT without a referral. Each person should contact their insurance for their specific rules.

One way to avoid this altogether is to pay cash for your therapy. In this case things are much simpler, not only in accessing care but in clarity of billing as well. For details on cash pay services we will discuss this in another post.

If you’re interested in PT please contact us! We strive to give our clients the easiest and best options to work with us.

Fill out a contact form and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

Be careful out there on the court!

Dr. Caleb Fontes PT, DPT