Q: When should I arrive and how long will my first visit take?

A: You should plan to arrive at least 20 minutes before your appointment time to fill out paperwork. Other options would be to have the paperwork mailed to you, pick it up at one of our offices before your appointment date, or fill out the necessary paperwork before your initial visit.Your first office visit will take approximately 1 hour.

Q: What should I bring for my first appointment?

A: You should bring your doctor’s referral, insurance cards, and completed paperwork.

Q: How should I dress for my appointment?

A: You should wear comfortable clothing such as shorts or sweatpants and a t-shirt or tank top.

Q: Do I need a referral to be seen by a physical therapist?

A: No, as of 1/1/2014 you may self refer for physical therapy treatments for up to 12 visits, or 45 days before a physician referral is required. If you are using health insurance to pay for your physical therapy you should verify your coverage and insurance requirements with your insurance carrier.

Q: How many visits will I need?

A: Your insurance policy commonly dictates how many sessions are allowed in a year. Also, the number of visits may be determined by your doctor or the authorizing agent at the insurance company. We will assist you in making the most of your coverage by providing state of the art treatment, and by teaching you how to care for yourself.

Q: What is included in physical therapy treatment?

A: Every patient is evaluated on their initial appointment to customize a treatment plan of care. Typically, patients will be treated with physical therapy modalities to help reduce their acute symptoms, and then instructed in exercises to optimize their recovery and prevent a relapse. In addition we help education our patients on the pathology behind their symptoms in order to empower them to make wise choices in the future.

Healthy Workplace – Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much does it cost to enroll in the EIP?

A: Absolutely nothing. Once the program is in place, you’ll only be charged on a case-by-case basis for individual employees with early warning signs and/or symptoms for injury.

Q: If we address complaints about fatigue and soreness with the EIP program, how exactly does this save us money in workers’ compensation claims?

A: With EIP, you’ll invest a little over a hundred dollars to save thousands later. Reduction in claims lowers your ex-mod, and being proactive lowers all the direct costs of medical care and insurance premiums. And these are only the direct costs. You’ll also save on indirect costs, which can be up to 17 times the amount of direct costs. These include loss of production, all the costs associated with training replacement employees and damage to employee morale.

Q: How will I know whether a complaint can be handled by EIP rather than workers’ compensation?

A: If it involves soreness, fatigue or numbness without evidence of blood or broken bones, EIP is the best option for saving you time, money and future aggravation.

Q: What about in the case when a specific job position has led to frequent employee complaints of forearm and shoulder pain? Can EIP or another of your programs help?

A: Yes! In this case, if you don’t address this issue you risk being fined by OSHA. We can conduct an On-Site Ergonomics Evaluation. This documents and demonstrates your attempt to identify and correct workstation design problems. Employees will be trained in how to perform a specific job with a minimum of adverse effects. If warning signs/symptoms occur, they can be addressed immediately with EIP.

Q: How will we know if we’re dealing with a work-related injury or something that happened off the job?

A: Wherever the injury occurred, you’re still dealing with the consequences of an injured employee. The most effective choice is to be proactive. Helping to resolve complaints early preserves workplace relationships, promotes employee morale and saves you money. A disgruntled employee easily could manipulate an off-the-job injury to appear work-related anyway. With the EIP in place, you’re sending a positive message to your employees. Sure, there may at first be more use of EIP, but this tapers off significantly once employees learn they will not be penalized for complaining about early warning signs. They’re taken care of; you’re taken care of.