“The raw cost of physical therapy without insurance [varies] depending on the appointment type and setting,” says Okon Antia, a board-certified physical therapist and owner of Campus Motion Physical Therapy and Cryo Sports Recovery in Houston, Texas. “An initial evaluation visit at a private office [typically costs] between $150 and $200. At a hospital facility, [the cost] would range from $400 [to] $500. A follow-up visit [may cost] $80 to $120 at a private office and $300 to $400 at a hospital facility,” he adds. These numbers will vary based on region as well as other factors.
“Insurance coverage for physical therapy has declined significantly over the past 5 years, thus dramatically reducing physical therapy practice profit margins,” notes June Srisethnil, a physical therapist and a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist (OCS) in Portland, Oregon. “As the cost of doing business has increased, the cost per physical therapy session before insurance has increased nationwide,” she adds.
Contributing Factors to the Cost of Physical Therapy
Dr. Srisethnil explains that the cost of physical therapy involves both direct and indirect factors. “Direct factors are driven by the type of service provided, length of session, provider specialty, geographic location and contracted reimbursement rates from insurance companies,” she says. Indirect factors include the total cost of attending physical therapy based on an individual’s unique circumstances, such as needing to take time off work for appointments, whether there is a waitlist, the cost of delayed care in the event medical services are not immediately available, any co-payments for primary care visits prior to a referral and the cost of childcare to attend appointments, she adds.
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