Do I need a referral / prescription from my doctor in order to schedule an appointment?

In most cases, you do not. Under California's Direct Access Law (AB1000), patients can seek the care of a physical therapist without a prescription from a medical doctor for up to 12 visits or 45 days, whichever occurs first. After that, a physician must sign off on your plan of care or provide a prescription in order for you to continue your treatment.

What if I haven't seen a physician or don't have one? How can I continue past Direct Access?

Over the last 15 years, we have developed a large network of skilled physicians in the community that we can refer our patients to. Ask your physical therapist for a recommendation and they will be happy to provide you with physicians that can best help with your specific condition.

What is your appointment cancellation policy?

Since we treat a lot of patients, we want to ensure that other patients are able to take advantage of appointment times that become available. To allow ample time for us to fill your appointment, we kindly ask that you provide us with 24-hour advance notice for any cancellations. Cancellations and no-shows without 24-hour advance notice are subject to a fee.

What if my doctor referred me to a different facility? Can I still choose to come to Rehab United?

Absolutely! In most cases, as long as your doctor has written a prescription for physical therapy, it's valid at any provider. That said, additional steps may need to be taken for HMO and authorization-based policies, so give us a call and we'll be happy to verify your benefits prior to your first visit.

I've been discharged, but my pain is returning. What should I do?

If you are continuing your home exercise program with the frequency recommended by your therapist and you are aggravated by those activities, limit the program to the select few exercises that feel good for a few days to see if you can independently return to normal. If modification isn’t working, call or email your therapist and trouble shoot your independent program. Still having pain? Call our office and schedule an appointment with your therapist for a hands-on look with recommendations for progressing with further PT or a doctor’s follow-up.

I want to get back into all of my high level activities (hiking, gardening, sports) and I am worried about re-injuring myself. How do I get back?

Slowly reintroduce yourself to the activity with short bouts to judge your tolerance to increasing your activity. Call or email your therapist to get recommendations on a progression. Explore Rehab United’s Fit Societe classes (your 1st week is free) and personal training options to further prepare yourself for increased activity.

I can’t remember or I have lost my home exercise program. What do I do?

Contact the front desk and/or your therapist and they will be happy to put together a packet of exercises so that you can continue with your recovery.

I still get soreness with activity. Should I continue to heat and/or ice?

If while you were being treated either heat or ice helped to control residual soreness from activity, continue to utilize these to allow you to be pain-free. Follow the guidelines set during your treatment for frequency and duration of heat or ice. Contact your therapist if your pain is new/different or if there was a sudden increase in your pain levels. Consider massage therapy to improve muscle extensibility and decrease soreness after activity.

I am having pain in a new area, can I just come back?

We want to continue to help you with your pain. With a new area of pain, scheduling an injury screen will allow your therapist to quickly assess the area and determine if it was caused from the prior injury or if you should return to your doctor for a referral for physical therapy.

I injured a new body part or re-injured myself and want PT, do I have to go to the doctor?

If it’s the same body part/injury, call the front desk and inquire about the current prescription on file and they can check if you need to return to your doctor. A new injury may require a trip/call to the doctor to get a prescription to begin physical therapy.

What if I want to come in just to keep up with my exercises and make sure I have someone guiding me, making sure my form is correct? What are my options?

We are more than happy to continue working with you as a private-pay patient/client. Please call the front office and ask about our Wellness Therapy rates or see our Pricing page.
We invite you to try out Fit Societe workout classes to continue strengthening and conditioning your body. Please call the front office to ask about the program, class rates and schedules. *Remember, your first week is FREE!

Can I use my insurance for massage?

Unfortunately, we do not bill massage services under insurance. All massage therapy and wellness services are considered "cash pay" and do not use insurance billing codes.

Can I come in for massage even if I'm not a Physical Therapy patient?

Absolutely! Our massage services are available to everyone. We do, however, provide a special discount for our physical therapy patients to help enhance their treatment experience.

Do I need an appointment for massage or do you offer walk-in appointments?

Our massage therapists tend to get busy, so we highly recommend scheduling an appointment ahead of time. We accept walk-in appointments based on therapist availability.

Do I need a prescription for massage?

No. Since our massage services are private-pay only, we do not require a prescription.

Do you offer package pricing discounts for massage?

Yes, we do! Here is a pricing list of our most commonly purchased packages. Additional package options are available, as well. For information on additional massage session packages, please contact the location nearest you.

What type of training do your massage therapists have?

All of our massage therapists are licensed by the state of California. The scope of their individual training and education varies, however, and can be found within each of their biographies on our Team page.

Can I use my insurance for custom orthotics?

We do not accept health insurance for custom orthotics. This is a fee for service that we offer our clients and the community due to our specialty and biomechanical expertise.

What's included in the cost of the orthotics?

Our flat rate for custom orthotics covers a comprehensive foot and ankle evaluation to determine if you are a candidate for custom orthotics. If it is determined that you will benefit then the casting therapist will proceed with the full evaluation, measurement in weight bearing and non-weight bearing, the casting process, shipping the molds to our manufacturer, and the fitting phase of the device. Additionally, the casting therapist will cover all aspects of shoe selection, break-in period, and additional rehabilitation suggestions and follow through. The goal is to get them right, feel good, and we want you to use them.

Are custom orthotics a "crutch"?

Often clients are worried that by wearing orthotics they are creating a “crutch” or a false support for their foot or body. It is important to note that when a foot presents with a structural deformity, the body must compensate to get the foot flat on the ground. Those compensations can be very limiting and often are associated with non-foot injuries up or down the biomechanical chain.

An orthotic can be looked at similarly to wearing glasses -the eye has a biomechanical deficit that is being corrected to normal by an external device. The orthotic operates in the same way allowing the foot, the first part of our body to touch the ground in function/walking (gait), to go through normal sequencing, speed, distance, and mechanical form. This allows the rest of the body to engage in normal motion and function.

Do I have to pay for services upfront, or do I pay after my insurance has processed my claim?

To help ensure accuracy and avoid a large balance at the end of your treatment, it is in our best practices to collect your estimated patient responsibility at each visit.

What insurances do you accept?

Rehab United is a contracted provider with most major PPO/POS plans, Tricare, Medicare, Workers Compensation, select HMO plans, and accepts auto claims with MedPay coverage. For patients with policies that we are not contracted with, we offer competitive self-pay options to enable elective access to quality care. For a list of insurances that we accept, visit our Insurance page and select the region where you will receive your care: California or Washington.

Will my insurance cover the cost of my physical therapy treatment?

Each Policy is different which is why our staff will provide you with a “Quote of Benefits” prior to initiating your treatment. Based on your insurance’s contract with Rehab United and your policy limitation, we can determine an estimated patient cost for each appointment. (Please refer to Insurance Terminology for details)

Do you need to know about my other health insurance?

YES! If you have ANY other health insurance, even if you do not feel it is relative, it is imperative that our staff be made aware. In order to ensure accurate billing, we need to be aware of any and all health coverage you are enrolled with.
AUTO ACCIDENTS – If you have an open Auto Claim due to a Motor Vehicle Accident, please inform our staff. If you have Medical Pay through your claim, billing would be submitted directly to the Auto Insurance Company.

What is the billing process for my treatment?

• There are several steps involved in billing physical therapy claims to an insurance company. Below is a brief breakdown of the standard process:
  • If you have a remaining balance after the claim has processed, you are expected to pay the difference. If you have a credit of overpayment on your account, Rehab United will issue you a refund accordingly.
  • Once Rehab United receives the Payment/EOB, our Billing Department will post the payment details to your account which will reflect the final claim determination.
  • Payment is assessed and issued with an Explanation of Benefits (EOB). The EOB will be sent to you as the member and to Rehab United as the billing provider.
  • Once your insurance receives the claim, the bill will be processed according to your policy benefits and the contractual fee schedule.
  • The CPT Codes generate a bill that is transferred to a HCFA-1500 Claim Form. The claim form is then submitted to your insurance either by Electronic File or mailed in paper form.
  • Based on the treatment provided within your appointment, your physical therapist will bill Common Procedure Terminology (CPT) codes.
  • Rehab United will obtain a Quote of Benefits to determine your estimated patient responsibility, which will subsequently be collect at the time of check-in for your appointments.
• While the information provided is common billing practice, it is important to understand there are exceptions to this example and several steps in between to complete the process. Rehab United works diligently to ensure clean billing to avoid delay in payment, however, it is not uncommon for there to be interruptions. Generally, claims are expected to finalized between 30-45 business days. If there is missing information, incorrect details or a miscommunication between the provider and the payer, there may be a delay in the process. Rehab United monitors and actively works outstanding claims that have not finalized as expected to avoid unexpected cost to our patients.

My Quote of Benefits states that I owe for my annual deductible, however, I think I met that through surgery. Do I still have to pay my deductible to Rehab United?

Your insurance will process your medical bills in order that they are received. Your surgery may not have been billed to your insurance yet. Our office will agree to collect your copayment/co-Insurance amount rather that the deductible cost with the expectation that your deductible will be satisfied. If your insurance processes your physical therapy claims towards your deductible, you will be responsible for the balance owed.

I paid my copay/co-insurance/deductible at every appointment but I received a statement stating that I owe a balance. Why?

When our staff obtains a quote of benefits from your insurance, they tell us what your benefits are and what your responsibility is for physical therapy. Based on the information provided, our staff estimated your patient responsibility for each visit. Once claims are submitted to your insurance with specific procedure codes, it's possible that your insurance will process it different than initially quoted. In these (rare) instances when we are misquoted, our staff does our due diligence to contact your insurance regarding the discrepancy to see if the balance is valid or if your insurance made a processing error. If your patient responsibility is a CO-INSURANCE, it is likely the reason for your balance. For example, your insurance covers your physical therapy treatment at 80%, leaving you with a 20% co-insurance responsibility. Because your coverage is based on a percentage rather than a flat rate, the amounts can slightly vary depending on the treatment codes billed at each appointment.