Cash Pay VS Insurance
Cash-Based Physical Therapy: Why It's Different (And Why It Often Gets Better Results)
One of the most common questions I get is:
"Do you take insurance?"
The short answer is no.
At Modern Movement Physical Therapy, I operate as a cash-based practice.
And while that may sound unusual at first, there is actually a very intentional reason behind it.
In fact, the decision to become a cash-based clinic is one of the main reasons I opened my own practice in the first place.
The problem with the traditional insurance model
When most people think about healthcare, they assume insurance automatically makes things more affordable.
Sometimes that's true.
But when it comes to physical therapy, the reality can be a little more complicated.
Over the years, insurance reimbursement for physical therapy has steadily declined. As reimbursement decreases, many clinics are forced to see more patients in order to remain profitable.
That often means:
Double booking patients
Treating multiple people at once
Shorter one-on-one treatment times
Increased reliance on aides and technicians
Earlier in my career, I worked in that environment.
Patients were frequently scheduled in 15-minute increments and therapists were expected to manage multiple patients simultaneously.
As you can imagine, it becomes difficult to deliver truly individualized care when you're constantly bouncing between treatment tables.
That's not the type of practice I wanted to build.
What most people don't realize about insurance
Many people assume physical therapy will only cost them a small co-pay.
Sometimes that's true.
Increasingly, it isn't.
High deductibles and co-insurance plans have become much more common over the past several years.
What I frequently hear from new patients is:
"I thought insurance was covering it, but I was still paying $100 or more every visit."
Research published in Health Affairs has shown that out-of-pocket healthcare expenses have continued to rise as employers shift more costs to consumers through high-deductible health plans.
For many patients, the actual cost difference between insurance-based physical therapy and cash-based physical therapy is much smaller than they initially expect.
What makes a cash-based practice different?
The biggest difference is time.
Every session at Modern Movement is one-on-one with me.
Not a technician.
Not an aide.
Not three other patients being treated at the same time.
You.
That allows me to spend more time evaluating movement, identifying contributing factors, adjusting treatment plans, and making sure we're actually addressing the root cause of the problem.
It also allows me to provide whatever treatment is appropriate during that session.
If you need dry needling, we can do dry needling.
If you need shockwave therapy, we can do shockwave therapy.
If you need spinal manipulation, mobility work, strengthening, or a combination of several approaches, we can do that too.
There are no additional charges based on which treatment is used.
The treatment plan is driven by what you need, not what an insurance company will approve.
The advantage of treating the whole person
One of the most frustrating insurance restrictions is the tendency to compartmentalize care.
A patient may come in with shoulder pain, but the real issue could involve the neck, upper back, posture, and movement patterns throughout the body.
In a traditional insurance model, there are often limitations regarding what can be addressed.
In a cash-based model, I can treat the entire movement system.
And that's important because the body rarely operates in isolation.
The shoulder affects the neck.
The hip affects the back.
The ankle affects the knee.
When we can address the full picture, outcomes tend to improve.
What does treatment at Modern Movement look like?
Every patient begins with a comprehensive Initial Evaluation.
This includes:
A detailed history
Movement assessment
Diagnosis and clinical impression
Education
Initial treatment
Development of a personalized plan
From there, follow-up sessions are designed around your goals and your needs.
Whether you're recovering from surgery, training for a marathon, dealing with chronic pain, or simply trying to stay active, the treatment plan is individualized to you.
Not a template.
Not a protocol.
You.
Can you still use insurance?
Potentially.
While I do not bill insurance directly, I can provide a superbill that many patients submit to their insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
Every insurance plan is different, but this gives patients the opportunity to pursue reimbursement while still receiving the type of care they want.
The bottom line
The goal of physical therapy shouldn't be to simply get through as many visits as possible.
The goal should be results.
At Modern Movement Physical Therapy in Scottsdale, the cash-based model allows me to spend more time with patients, provide truly individualized care, and focus on what is best for the person in front of me.
Because when healthcare becomes less about volume and more about quality, everyone benefits.
Take good care of your body, it's the only one you have.
Yours in health,
Dr. Michael Price