New regulations allow Physical Therapist to evaluate your injury without a referral and provide treatment for a limited number of days if the PT meets the following criteria:
In order to provide treatment without a script/referral to a patient for ten consecutive business days, the PT must possess a doctoral degree in physical therapy or have completed thirty (30) continuing competence units in differential diagnosis. If a PT with a doctoral degree has completed a fellowship or residency, the number increases to 15 consecutive business days.
All patients without a referral must sign a disclosure form prior to treatment. At Carter Physiotherapy all our PT’s can with start treatment without a referral. A referral can come from an MD, DO, Physician’s Assistant, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Dentist, Podiatrist, or a Chiropractor… and it can come from any of these professionals licensed anywhere in the United States.
This has nothing to do with insurance regulations or reimbursement, and it still applies to our clinic even though were are not in-network with insurances.
If obtaining a PT Referral is proving difficult, please let us know as soon as possible and we can suggest a variety of options for getting one quickly and easily.