As an endurance athlete you need your body to work for you. In order to stay healthy and have a successful season it is important to have multiple successful training blocks. Whether you're training for a race or just enjoying the outdoors, you know that keeping your body in peak condition is essential for success. That's why physical therapy is so important for endurance athletes. It can help prevent injuries, improve performance, and speed up recovery times. But when it comes to paying for physical therapy services, there's often a choice between using insurance or paying out of pocket. At Golden Endurance, we believe that seeking cash-based physical therapy services is the better option for endurance athletes. Here's why.
1. You need a provider that understands you
Therapists at Golden Endurance specialize in running and cycling related injuries. They are up-to-date on the literature regarding tendinopathies and bone stress injuries commonly seen in an endurance population. The difference between missing a stress fracture diagnosis not only has important implications for your season, it has important indications for your life.
Moreover, you have more one-on-one time with providers to troubleshoot. When you use insurance to pay for physical therapy services, your therapist may have to see multiple patients at once in order to maximize their billable hours. This can mean that you don't get the personalized attention you need to make progress in your treatment.
You get what you pay for at Golden Endurance: one hour sessions with a physical therapist. No techs or assistants. Your therapist can focus solely on you and your needs during your sessions. This can lead to more effective diagnosis, better treatment, and faster results.
2. You have more control over your treatment
When you use insurance to pay for physical therapy services, the insurance company often dictates the terms of your treatment. They may limit the number of sessions you can have or require pre-authorization for certain types of treatments. This can be frustrating and can prevent you from getting the care you need.
When you pay for physical therapy services out of pocket, you have more control over your treatment. At Golden Endurance you work with your therapist to develop a customized treatment plan that meets your specific needs.
At Golden Endurance we also offer continuity programs in the form of coaching and strength training. Say you buy six sessions of physical therapy but only end up needing three in person sessions; because we do not contract with insurance we can roll the remaining visits into three months of remote strength programming. This not only makes you more resilient, but also allows us to work on more performance medicine- something that is not covered by insurance in standard physical therapy clinics.
3. It saves you time and money
It may seem counterintuitive, but paying for physical therapy services out of pocket can actually save you money in the long run. When you use insurance to pay for physical therapy services, you may be responsible for co-pays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket expenses. These costs can add up quickly, especially if you need multiple sessions. It is not uncommon for patients to get surprise bills of 200-400 dollars for a fifteen to thirty minute session through insurance because their deductible hasn’t been met.
When you pay for physical therapy services out of pocket, you know exactly what you're paying upfront. This can help you budget for your treatment and avoid unexpected expenses. Plus, if you're able to get the care you need in fewer sessions thanks to more personalized attention and customized treatment, you may end up spending less overall.
In the example above we discussed the possibility of rolling visits from physical therapy into remote strength programming. Not only have we gotten you better faster, but we’ve saved you time to not have to come in for appointments.
4. Your goals are our goals
Insurance companies often dictate which treatments they will cover and which they won't. This means that you may not have access to the most cutting-edge treatments and therapies that could benefit you as an endurance athlete.
When you pay for physical therapy services out of pocket, your therapist may be able to offer you a wider range of treatments and therapies that insurance companies won't cover. At Golden Endurance we are not just trying to get you back to walking pain free so you can move about your house. This is the extent of therapy covered by insurance. At our clinic, your goals are our goals. If your goal is to race 100 miles then we’re here to make that happen.
5. We treat you like close friends
Because you are committing to us we are committing to you. Expect us to periodically check in with you, even if you haven’t seen us for a period of time. We want to make sure your goals are being met.
We are adamant about close communication between you and your therapist. We want there to be an open line of communication and we want you to feel comfortable using it. As a cash-based practice we do not take on a high volume of clients, that is because we want to take care of the clients we already have.
At Golden Endurance we firmly believe seeking cash-based physical therapy services is the better option for endurance athletes. It gives you more control over your treatment, more personalized attention, and may even save you money in the long run. We're committed to providing our patients with the highest quality physical therapy services, and we are ready to help you achieve your goals- whether that’s getting off the couch pain free or racing an ultra through the mountains.