Did you know you don’t have to be referred to a physical therapist by a doctor in most states now! Physical therapists are direct access primary healthcare providers.
Physical therapy graduate programs have shifted to requiring all graduating therapists to receive their Doctoral Degree in Physical Therapy. Physical Therapists are required to be licensed in the state of which they practice. They also carry their own professional malpractice insurance and have a their own governing board which dictates their scope of practice and establishes practice ethics and guidelines.
Many insurance companies do not require a prescription from a doctor for PT. All you have to do is call or walk into a PT clinic of your choice - not the doctors, you choose who you want to go to depending on the practice discipline and for your comfort level - ask for an appointment, and that’s that. Often, the physician is familiar with a clinic and will refer a patient to this clinic. But many times, the physical therapists on staff may not be as competent as a different physical therapist would be of who specializes in your specific injury.
When accessing a PT clinic directly, the front office staff or the PT will call your doctor for a prescription specific to what you are being seen for. It's typically a good idea to have a PT prescription unless you know that your medical insurance company does not require a prescription for reimbursement purposes.
If you decide to ask your doctor for a prescription for physical therapy, your doctor is not able to deny you a prescription for physical therapy nor can your doctor dictate treatment. This is left to the evaluation, assessment, and diagnosis of the Doctor of Physical Therapy.
If you don’t have medical insurance, then a prescription is not necessary at all. Most PT clinics have a cash pay program with a discount for those patients paying cash. Your physical therapist will then perform an evaluation, set up a treatment plan, and forward any documentation to the physician that you indicate. If you do not have a physician, your PT records will still be meticulously detailed and maintained in the clinic.
Just as you would seek out feedback regarding a physician that you are planning on seeing for a specific issue, the same process should be followed when seeking out a physical therapist.
A physical therapists scope of practice is very broad. Just as doctors specialize in a specific area, i.e. internal medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics, etc., physical therapists also specialize in various areas of practice. I've listed examples of various practice specialties:
Areas of Specialization Include:
- Orthopedics - Orthopedics has sub-specialites such as specializing in rehabilitation of specific joints, i.e. Knee, Hip, Shoulder, Ankle, Hand/Wrist, Spine, etc.
- Hand Therapy
- Geriatrics
- Wound Care
- Pediatrics
- Cardio-Pulmonary - Phase I - IV Cardiac Rehab
- Neurological Rehabilitation
- Aquatic Rehabilitation
- Vestibular
- Hospital Inpatient Physical Therapy
- Extended Care & Skilled Nursing Physical Therapy
- Home Health Physical Therapy
- Sports & Conditioning Physical Therapy
- Emergency Medicine Physical Therapy
- School System Physical Therapy
Every Physical Therapist is required to sit for a national board examination following the successful completion of their graduate program. Prior to being licensed in a specific state to practice, each physical therapist is issued by that state's board of physical therapy the expected practice ethics and guidelines. The physical therapist is required to sign a document stating that these ethics and guidelines are known and understood. After the state board has reviewed the application and gathered all the necessary information, then the state will issue a license to practice as long as all requirements are met.
