Your health insurance company encourages you to use in network care options claiming this saves you health care dollars. This can negatively impact the quality of your care, and cost you more money, in two ways.

First, in-network Physical Therapy clinics often decide how many visits and what treatments to use, based on what your insurance will cover as opposed to what you need. For example, in network Physical Therapy often prescribes visits 2-3x a week for 8-12 visits. This schedule is based on what your health insurance will reimburse, not on your individual goals, needs, or healing rates. 

I do my New Hampshire physical therapy differently. My treatment plan is based on your needs for the fastest recovery, most sustainable results, and your preference for the type of care you’d like to receive. Some patients prefer to be taught what to do independently, utilizing their own skills to perform prescribed exercises. This typically results in needing less PT follow up for success. Some patients prefer and benefit from a more hands on approach, with skilled coaching, instruction, and encouragement through each repetition. I am available and happy to provide either level of service, or a combination of the two, depending on your pain level, goals for recovery, budget, and preference.

Second, because health insurance reimbursement rates to in-Network Physical Therapy clinics are so low, these clinics are forced to save money by using technicians and aides to provide some services, treat multiple patients per hour, and use treatments that help boost income like ultrasound and heating pads to stay profitable. That’s not how it’s done at my New Hampshire physical therapy clinic.

The best care is delivered when the same Physical Therapist delivers services at every visit. I constantly retest your response to treatment to ensure we are getting the desired improvement. This cannot be done by unlicensed support personnel. You’ll receive the best care through one on one treatment, getting my full attention and expertise during the entire session. I don’t set patients up on exercise and walk away to work with someone else or do my paperwork. I also provide between visit phone or messaging consultations as part of your care to ensure you are making the expected progress between visits with your home program. 

When you work with me at my Amherst, NH physical therapy office or in your home, your care will be directed and performed by a highly skilled Physical Therapist with over 24 years of experience, utilizing detailed instruction, effective hands on techniques, and exercise prescription to get you moving and feeling better.

There are several ways using PT Health Academy for physical therapy treatment can save you money by offering physical therapy without dealing with insurance.

First, because my treatments are personalized, hour long one on one sessions (only with me, no aides or different providers), we accomplish more per visit so there’s often no need for multiple visits per week. 

In insurance covered care with a deductable or copay, you are encouraged to attend 2-3 visits per week as that is what your insurance will cover. However, this often isn’t what you need. And if your copay is $50, that’s $150 per week. Treating 2-3 x per week sounds good unless you see a different therapist each visit, if the therapist is treating multiple patients at a time, if you are riding a bike or treadmill for 1/2 your session, and just completing your home program at each session. Find out what level of care you will be receiving so you can compare reliably.

Second, if you have a large deductible or just carry catastrophic care insurance, my rates are very competitive with other facilities billing through insurance. As I have a flat hourly rate, you’ll know your costs up front. No surprise bills.

If you have out-of-network physical therapy benefits, you can apply these to your out of pocket costs to work with me, often resulting in a lower cost to you per visit than an in-network copay.

New Hampshire physical therapy telehealth offers the convenience of immediate information and guidance when you are injured or hurting. The Physical Therapy evaluation via telehealth appointment is a little different than in person but I can still gather valuable information that guides my recommendations for first steps on your road to recovery. It’s especially helpful when you are stuck at home but need professional help managing pain or injury.

I would recommend an x-ray if you’ve suffered trauma (i.e. accident, fell out of a tree) or an MRI if you have any red flags related to your injury which I will screen you for. Otherwise, these tests are typically an unnecessary expense.

Here’s why:  A good clinical exam, assessing your symptoms and physical deficits guides treatment, not a specific diagnosis. For example, if you have shoulder pain, finding a rotator cuff tear on MRI does not guide Physical Therapy treatment – limited motion, painful weakness, and having a repetitive job that triggers your pain guides what treatment is best for you. This MRI finding can further delay treatment by triggering a specialist visit to an orthopaedic surgeon, whose first step is to start conservative care with Physical Therapy.

Additionally, you’ve been delayed by the unnecessary testing, the additional specialist visit, and fiscally burdened with any copays or deductibles for the testing and specialist visit. Again, a good clinical exam by a New Hampshire physical therapy office will identify the rotator cuff dysfunction and this systemically guides choices for the best treatment. 

Also, MRI and x-ray findings can negatively impact treatment. Many of the diagnoses that patients are labeled with from test results have much misinformation and negative connotations attached to them. This can be damaging to the patient psyche and negatively impact the potential for healing.

For example, if your MRI demonstrates a rotator cuff tear, and you have an uncle Bob that also had a tear and he needed surgery, then you may feel like you need surgery to get better. If you feel you need surgery for full recovery, then you are less likely to have faith and put forth full effort in Physical Therapy. You may think that surgery is the only answer for you.

The truth is, research shows many tears can be rehabbed to an excellent outcome without surgery. In fact there are studies that show professional athletes can return to sport successfully after non surgical treatment of rotator cuff tears. (1) If you’re convinced you need surgery, there is a good chance that Physical Therapy will fail. Wouldn’t you rather rehabilitate with physical therapy than recover from surgery?

(1) Park J-Y, Kim J, Lee J-H, Oh K-S, Chung SW, Park H. Does a Partial Rotator Cuff Tear Affect Pitching Ability? Results From an MRI Study. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. November 2019. doi:10.1177/2325967119879698

Thankfully, in New Hampshire, physical therapy is recognized for the training, expertise, and cost savings it provides. As a result, our state government has allowed patients to have direct access to physical therapy for many years now, no longer requiring a referral.

I can work with you without a PCP referral, just as you can access and pay for chiropractic care, massage therapy, acupuncture, and other care options without a referral.

I am a Licensed Physical Therapist and a Certified Athletic Trainer. With 24+ years of experience, I am thoroughly trained as a New Hampshire physical therapy provider and have extensive experience in injury assessment and treatment.

Forgoing the usual PCP referral saves you time and money and gets your pain reduced and your symptoms healing faster. Rest assured, if I am concerned about any findings or feel your symptoms are outside my scope of practice or skill set, I will refer you to your PCP.

Unfortunately, Medicare restricts me from providing Physical Therapy to its beneficiaries but I can offer excellent wellness services instead that can proffer gratifying results for the best quality of life experience for Medicare patients.

Click here to explore our wellness and functional fitness services.

I treat patients of all activity levels and age groups at my New Hampshire physical therapy practice. I have experience with high school and college athletes and dancers, triathletes, and those just looking to move more safely. I’ve worked with elementary aged clients through retirement age.

I can treat an extensive list of conditions and injuries including but not limited to: ankle, knee, and hip injuries, shoulder, neck, elbow, wrist, and thumb problems, headaches, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, balance deficits, TMJ problems, sport injuries, and post surgery of all types (except hands).

I am especially passionate about low back pain, dance injury recovery, and working with those apprehensive to exercise because of pain. I treat overuse injuries related to typing, driving, lifting, reaching, and gripping. I treat patients who have suffered injury from car, skiing, and falling accidents.

PT Health Academy, LLC values the safety of patients, therapists, and the community. To ensure safety during at-home and in office physical therapy sessions I wash or sanitze my hands between every patient session and I sanitize all shared equipment after use.

I do appreicate that if you have fever, chills, cough, difficulty breathing, body aches, have a new loss of taste or smell, or have had a known exposure to someone with covid-19 in the last 10 days please call the office before your appointment so we can decide if PT should be postponed.