According to Web PT, approximately half of all Americans over 18 will suffer an injury lasting more than three months each year. All of these people could benefit from physical therapy treatment. Most of us have found ourselves working with a physical therapist, for one reason or another.
If you have ever worked with a physical therapist, you probably traveled to his or her office and worked out on a variety of machines.
To help our CDPAP patients, we have put together this guide on in home physical therapy.
What Does a Home Health Physical Therapist do?
In-home physical therapists focus on helping their clients return to the tasks of everyday life. They do basically what other physical therapists do in their office. You can expect an in-home physical therapist to provide care for injury or illness related physical issues that limit your mobility or ability to participate in activities you enjoyed prior to your illness, surgery, or injury.
Whether you and your physical therapist focus on your mobility or other aspects of normal daily activity, your in-home physical therapist will travel to your home and use one-on-one engagement to help you overcome physical barriers that result from injury or illness.
The need for in-home physical therapy services increase when a client suffers from difficulty in mobility or travel and when travel to see a physical therapist is challenging due to transportation issues or physical location. Although some people who meet with their physical therapist in their homes, are physically capable of traveling to an office, there are many reasons why they may benefit from in-home physical therapy treatment.
One service that many in-home physical therapists provide, pre and post surgery rehabilitation, pays special attention to predictable in-home needs of their clients.
Working with a physical therapist prior to surgery improves recovery time. Working with a physical therapist in preparation of an anticipated recovery also allows you to establish a plan and to preorder assistive equipment prior to your actual need. This service allows you to return home with an established plan of action for your recovery. Rather than travel to an outpatient physical therapy office, you can spend your time focusing on getting well.
You will find that many physical therapists have taken on the responsibility of speciality training in gerontology. These specially educated providers have particular knowledge to help them support people in training for age related injuries and challenges. Other services that you will find readily available through in-home physical therapy are fall prevention and balance training.
Whether you find yourself unsteady on your feet due to a minor infection or a major health issue, an in-home physical therapist can help you make the accommodations necessary to live safely in your environment. A simple assessment of your living environment by a specially trained physical therapist can reduce the risk of falling and minimize the risk of further injury.
Why Use In-home Physical Therapy?
There are many reasons why you might want to use an in-home physical therapist. Some of the reasons you might wish to use an in-home physical therapist include:
Convenience:
Having your physical therapist travel to you negates many of the challenges that make physical therapy clients unlikely to attend their physical therapy appointments. When your physical therapist travels to you, you don’t have to worry about rain, icy road conditions, or simply waking up late one morning. Participating in in-home physical therapy allows you to focus your full attention on your healing process.
Reduced Stress Levels:
Many people find outpatient physical therapy spaces stressful. In the physical therapist’s office, a client is often asked to train on novel machines in a space akin to a gym. No one goes to see a physical therapist when at their personal best. Some clients find waiting in crowded spaces and dealing with strange machinery off putting when they are already struggling with a physical impairment. Many people find comfort in the ability to receive physical therapy in their own space.
One-on-one Instruction:
When you obtain your physical therapy in your home, you have the undivided attention of your physical therapy specialist. Physical therapists working in an outpatient setting will often oversee the care of more than one client at a time. This is simply not the case when you receive your physical therapy care in your home. You are likely to benefit from this specialized and focused care. Indeed, a 2016 study discussed in The Journal of Physical Therapy Science found that home based physical therapy was more effective long term than traditional physical therapy training for the same period of time.
Direct Application of Learning:
When you work with your physical therapist in your own home or office, you take some of the guesswork out of the instruction you receive. Working within the exact space where you perform your day to day tasks, allows your physical therapist to understand what you do that could cause injury and improves the likelihood that instruction will be clear, meaningful, and helpful.
Rather than suggesting that you move in a particular way to do your laundry or to carry out your trash, your physical therapist can model the exact movement required with the object that you will actually be using. This allows the physical therapist to see any movements that increase potential injury, allows for real life problem solving, and improves the likelihood that the client will understand and remember the proper movement.
Simplified Training:
When you walk into a physical therapist’s office, you will quickly notice a variety of machines, gadgets, and exercise equipment. Although each of these instruments has a purpose, they are not often things we have access to within our homes. By meeting with your physical therapist in your home, you are limiting the instruments you will use in training to things you will continue to have access to long after you have healed. This means that not only will your training be easier for you to replicate in your home, you will be more likely to continue with your training long after you have discontinued physical therapy.
How much does in-home physical therapy cost?
Although how much you as an individual pay for in-home physical therapy will depend largely upon your insurance coverage, the average amount a person pays for this service is approximately $75 dollars an hour. The service may cost you anywhere from a $20 copay to $350 per session with no insurance.
How do you qualify for home Physical Therapy?
If you struggle with a physical issue that hinders your ability to move normally, and you have circumstances that make it a burden for you to travel for care, you may well qualify for in-home physical therapy. Generally, your physician will refer a patient to an in-home physical therapist when a patient would benefit from physical therapy but would struggle to get to and from a physical therapy provider. However, you may also contact your local physical therapy association for information regarding these services.
Although medical necessity is often required for in-home physical therapy to be covered under insurance, there are instances where in-home physical therapy is covered as an out of network provider. You may also find innovative physical therapists who provide in-home services for clients who prefer to work with physical therapists in their private spaces regardless of their ability to travel to physical therapy offices.
When Does Medicare cover in-home physical therapy?
Original Medicare covers outpatient therapies, like physical therapy, when there is a medical necessity. Medicare covers 80% of these services. Once your physical therapy bill reaches $2080, your medical care provider will be asked to confirm the medical necessity of your treatment. Even if Medicare fails to approve your physical therapy, you may contest this decision.
When Does Medicaid cover in-home physical therapy?
Medicaid covers specialized therapies like physical therapy in your home when medically necessary in some states. However, some states do not cover physical therapy services whether in home or in the community. Service costs for in-home physical therapy are fully paid for those who qualify for Medicaid in states that offer this coverage. Individuals with Medicaid coverage will need the recommendation of a licensed physical therapist to have their care covered in those states where these services are approved.
Best In-Home Physical Therapy Companies in New York
Hudson In Home:
Located in Bronx, New York, Hudson in Home provides those in their community with support. Hudson in Home’s clients have the added comfort of seeing the same therapist at each of their appointments. This helps to further reduce the stress inherent in recovery and allows clients to focus fully on their healing. Hudson in Home is an outpatient physical therapy rather than a home health provider. This distinction may be confusing to some. However, it ultimately means that clients get to receive physical therapy in their home without having to be homebound. Accepting Medicare, Hudson in Home allows you to receive professional in-home physical therapy services even when you choose not to travel to an office.
Hudson in Home provides clients with support for a wide range of issues. Clients will receive individualized treatment plans designed to support post surgery rehabilitation, fall prevention, and gait training. Clients receive care for treatment for specific back and arthritis related issues as well as help regaining a full range of motion after joint replacement.
Access Physical Therapy & Wellness:
Located in Monroe, New York, Access Physical Therapy & Wellness offers clients in-home physical therapy for post operative rehabilitation. Professions provide in-home physical therapy services for clients receiving total hip replacements, total knee replacements, or other short-term rehabilitative needs. In-home services begin with a pre-surgery home visit. At this meeting, a professional provider performs an assessment, determines any assistive equipment that is likely to be needed, and designs a plan to support your safe and effective recovery. Physical therapy treatment is provided in your home, allowing you to rest easy and focus your attention on healing. Individualized strengthening and conditioning interventions are designed to encourage recovery of mobility and coordination for easy return to the tasks of everyday life.
Advance at Home Physical Therapy House Calls:
Advance at Home Physical Therapy House Calls provides in-home physical therapy services to residents of Long Island and Queens. These board certified geriatric specialists are dedicated to supporting personal independence and overall wellbeing in their clients. They increase their client’s health and healing by engaging them in the comfort and safety of their homes.
Individual therapists, working in accordance with your doctor’s treatment plan, help to ensure that you reach your individual goals and build your skills to improve your confidence and return to your everyday life as smoothly and comfortably as possible.
The staff at Advance at Home Physical Therapy House Calls are skilled at supporting clients who struggle with issues of balance that impact gait, any movement disorders, and muscle and joint injuries. These focused professionals can help you deal with issues caused by arthritis, neurological diseases, movement disorders or difficulties in performing everyday tasks that come from simple fitness decline.
Palmer Concierge Physical Therapy:
Offering clients the opportunity to work one-on-one with highly skilled Doctors of Physical Therapy, Palmer Concierge Physical Therapy provides low stress help with your healing process in your own private space. Offering only out of network insurance billing, you are not confined to waiting for medical approval before beginning down the road to recovery. Palmer Concierge Physical Therapy works with clients in their homes, offices, or gyms within Manhattan. Services include pre and post surgery rehabilitation, fall risk assessment and balance training, ergonomic support for the workplace, as well as physical therapy treatment surrounding injury.
IASO In-home Physical Therapy:
IASO In-home Physical Therapy offers professional physical therapy where you are most comfortable. Although limited to private pay in Manhattan, clients in Queens and Nassau County can use Medicare and out of network insurance coverage for their care. This small team of professionals, specially trained in geriatrics, believes in the value of in-home healing support.
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