How to Handle More Physical Therapy Patients with New Healthcare Coverage

With Obamacare on the brink of becoming reality, it is likely to change the way you run your physical therapy office. For one thing, more Americans will now have access to health insurance – and you can better believe they’ll be using it.

Expect Increased Demand

Not only will more citizens have access to healthcare through federal reforms, more of our population is aging. That means additional senior citizens will be joining the ranks of those lining up at physical therapy offices to gain relief from aches and pains. And because many of them are remaining active in their waning years, they will likely have new maladies springing up. According to the current healthcare reforms, rehabilitation for injuries will be a priority.

Physical therapists, in particular, will be in high demand. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (you can view the entire Occupational Handbook here), this is one of the fastest growing occupations and the industry is expected to grow by 45 percent by the time we reach the year 2020. That could result in a huge shortage of qualified professionals.

How Will You Accommodate Extra Patients?

Is your physical therapy practice up to the task of meeting increased demand? While the expected demand is great for physical therapists currently in a clinic, it could be bad news for patients who just want to get an appointment and get relief. In fact, it’s expected that patient wait times will increase dramatically.

So how can you capitalize on this situation? For one thing, you can encourage patients to start on their therapy as early as possible. The longer they wait to begin treatment for physical injuries or medical conditions such as strokes, the harder it will be to get an appointment – and rehabilitation will become more difficult.

It’s also important to make sure your office procedures are streamlined and efficient. Now is the time to put in place a standard operating procedure that ensures patients are quickly and accurately processed.

One way you can gain time to see more patients is by installing a FIT® Bodywrap system. Because this infrared heat therapy system is self-administered and it’s safe to spend up to an hour in each body wrap session, you are freed up to attend to more patients. And your patients will be ready for more intense physical therapy after their joints and muscles have become relaxed from the gentle, therapeutic heating qualities of far infrared ray administration. That’s a win-win!

Many insurance policies cover the cost of a FIT® Bodywrap session, too. Chances are you can easily snap this service right into an existing insurance claim.

Be prepared for an influx of new patients as federal healthcare reforms are put into place and our aging, active population looks for relief from aches and pains. Simply installing a FIT® Bodywrap in your clinic could add up to thousands of more dollars in revenue each month!