Many people leave injuries and painful medical condition symptoms untreated due to lack of financial resources. Some people may have health insurance that doesn’t cover physical therapy, or they may not have health insurance at all. But it’s important to prioritize your health; therefore, you must weigh out the long-term financial effects that your initial treatment option may have, from physical therapy to surgery.
Read on to learn about the long-term cost of physical therapy as your first treatment option and five reasons why virtual physical therapy may be a more economical option for you.
What is the cost of in-person physical therapy compared to other treatment options?
If you’re struggling to recover from an injury or managing the pain from a medical condition, there are a few treatment options that you can consider for long-term results. Three of the most common include in-person physical therapy, injections and surgery. But the difference in prices between them may surprise you. And for many people, the cost of physical therapy is a significant deciding factor.
When it comes to persistent or worsening pain in a body part, many people may turn to injections, such as cortisone or hyaluronic injections. Over the course of one year, a study showed that injections could cost a patient an average of $13,606.
And when people turn to surgery as their first course of action for treatment, the costs can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. The cost of treating your pain or injury by going under the knife can average out to $36,772.
Physical therapy comes out as the least expensive option for long-term pain and injury treatment. It can cost patients an average of $3,992 over the course of 12 months. That means PT comes out to about one-third of the cost of injections and one-eighth of the cost of surgery.
5 reasons that virtual PT is an economical option for patients
We’ve seen how much more affordable the cost of physical therapy is versus other initial treatment options. Now it’s time to explore the different options available for PT.
Many people may assume that in-person physical therapy is the only way to work with a certified physical therapist. But there is an online option as well. It’s important to explore the economics surrounding virtual physical therapy.
The financial benefits for doing virtual physical therapy include:
- Similar insurance coverage to in-person therapy — You might think that a different medium of physical therapy would affect insurance. But it’s unlikely that an insurance company that covers in-person physical therapy wouldn’t have the same coverage for virtual physical therapy. At Agile Virtual PT, the copay and deductible is the same for Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid patients as in-person sessions.
- Low out-of-pocket cost for uninsured — People without insurance can still get the virtual physical therapy treatment they need for $110 or less by self-paying at Agile Virtual PT. While the assessment is $110, the following sessions are even less than that at $90 per appointment. Our physical therapists even offer free messaging and video exercises.
- No transportation costs — One of the biggest obstacles people have for getting the treatment they need is transportation. Whether it’s the price of gas, taking a car service or jumping on public transport, it costs money to get to and from a physical therapy clinic. There is no transportation necessary for virtual physical therapy, as it all takes place in your own home.
- Time savings — Your schedule can get quite busy, and sometimes the commute to an in-person physical therapy takes too much time out of your day. With virtual physical therapy, you save valuable time in your schedule that can be utilized for other responsibilities and errands.
- HSA and FSA accepted — At Agile Virtual PT, you’re able to use your Health or Flexible Spending Accounts to pay for your virtual physical therapy. These can give you additional financial options that will allow you to get the treatment you need for your pain or injuries.
Agile Virtual PT can help you with the cost of virtual physical therapy
Everyone deserves to have access to physical therapy. And for many people, not only is virtual physical therapy an effective option, but it can also be a more economical decision than in-person PT. That means that you’re able to get the treatment at an affordable price, all from the comfort and convenience of your home.
If you’re curious about the cost of virtual physical therapy sessions, then be sure to contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.