Cash-Based Physical Therapy

Many physical therapy students and physical therapists are interested in private practice. While private practice can instill some independence with providing high-quality patient care, often physical therapists are still restricted in how we manage our patients. A solution to this problem is cash-based therapy. More and more frequently we are seeing clinics preferring to avoid insurance altogether or have an option of paying cash instead of charging insurance. With the current Medicare laws, patients who are Medicare eligible are not allowed to receive care in exchange for cash. Should a Medicare beneficiary run out of approved visits and want further treatment, they are out of luck. With the proposal of the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act of 2013, Medicare beneficiaries will be allowed to seek care privately from physical therapists and other health care professionals. Check out this APTA form to show your support for the bill!

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