Direct Access

In today’s blog, we will be discussing direct access. For those of you who do not know, direct access is when a patient can see a physical therapist without needing a doctor’s referral!

Physical therapists are well-qualified, both through formal education and clinical training, to evaluate a patient's condition, assess his or her physical therapy needs and, if appropriate, safely and effectively treat the patient. Physical therapists are also well-qualified to recognize when patients demonstrate conditions, signs and symptoms that should be evaluated by other healthcare professionals before therapy is instituted. Physical therapists recognize when it is appropriate to refer patients to these other healthcare professionals for further consultation.

The bottom line is that physical therapists are the musculoskeletal experts and deal with conditions of movement, involving muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, etc. Physical therapy has shown to significantly decrease healthcare cost, which is a massive problem in our country (as show in the picture). The profession should have direct access nationwide and the research is vast to support this. In the state of Connecticut we do have direct access, however, some insurance companies may require you to have a doctor's referral before seeing a physical therapist, so please check with your provider.

If you feel that you are in need of any physical therapy, or interested in hearing more about direct access with a physical therapist, please call Dynamic Edge PhysioTherapy at (203) 978-3343.