Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. - 8:00 am-5:00 pm Saturday - 8:00 am-12:00 pm We know that this could be your first time attending physical therapy and that you may have questions concerning what to expect. To make your experience as comfortable as possible we have compiled a number of frequently asked questions with our responses. We hope that our explanations adequately prepare you for your initial visit and do not hesitate to call with any other questions that you may have. 1. “What should I wear for my first appointment?” 2. “How long will my appointment last?” 3. “Will it hurt?” 4. “Will I have to buy equipment or join a gym?” 5. “Will I see the same therapist every time?” 6. “How long and how often will I have to come to therapy?” 7. “Do I need a referral from my doctor to receive physical therapy?” 8. “What insurance companies do you participate with?” 9. “How does CPTC handle billing and insurance claims?” 10. “What if I have to cancel an appointment?” 11. “How do you handle office copayments?” 12. “Will I have to pay for supplies to aid in therapy if I get them from CPTC?” 13. “My doctor recommended another place for rehabilitation, but I would like to come to CPTC. What do I do?” 1. “What should I wear for my first appointment?” Most patients choose to wear loose, comfortable shorts and a t-shirt or tank top for comfort and ease of movement. The therapist will perform a thorough and thoughtful evaluation that often includes an assessment of your total body alignment and body mechanics. If you are attending PT for a back, neck, or shoulder problem we may ask you to wear a hospital top that opens in the back (females) or to remove your shirt (males). We also have a variety of sizes in athletic shorts and tops for you to wear should you choose to wear your work or professional clothes to the clinic. TOP 2. “How long will my appointment last?” Initial evaluations are scheduled for one hour. You should plan on arriving 30 min prior to your appointment to complete the required paper work. You can expect subsequent visits to last 30-45 min depending on your individual plan of care. TOP 3. “Will it hurt?” The therapists at CPTC do not believe in the “no pain, no gain” philosophy and we will always put your comfort first. During the initial evaluation, however, we may work to reproduce your pain for diagnostic purposes and you could experience some soreness after your initial evaluation as a result. This discomfort will be temporary and relieved with your individualized therapeutic program. TOP 4. “Will I have to buy equipment or join a gym?” No, our staff takes pride in “helping you help yourself” which means finding ways to make your treatment plan fit you and your lifestyle. Our therapists are equipped to teach you a home program that will rely on minimal equipment. TOP 5. “Will I see the same therapist every time?” Yes, at CPTC the Physical Therapist who performs your initial evaluation will serve as your primary therapist and will direct your plan of care. Should your schedule require that you see another therapist you may have that option and our therapists will work together to ensure continuity in your care. TOP 6. “How long and how often will I have to come to therapy?” After your initial evaluation the Physical Therapist will go over a comprehensive plan of care with you including treatment duration and frequency, which may vary depending on your diagnosis and the severity of your impairments. TOP 7. “Do I need a referral from my doctor to receive physical therapy?” The necessity of a referral is usually determined by the coverage requirements from your personal insurance company. All Medicare patients need to have an active referral from their referring physician within one month of the physical therapy initial visit in order to receive coverage from Medicare for the treatment. Typically most medical insurance companies do not require a referral in order to provide coverage for a physical therapy visit with us; however we do always verify this information when we verify coverage with the insurance company prior to the initial appointment. Having a referral will only aid the physical therapy process regardless of whether or not the referral is actually required. A written referral from a physician can give a solid document on background information and prospective goals for our physical therapist to reference. TOP 8. “What insurance companies do you participate with?” For a list of insurance companies that we are in network with, click here. If your insurance company is not listed please call us at (919) 967-5959 to inquire. If we are not certain that we are in fact in-network with the questioned insurance provider we can verify the information for you. TOP 9. “How does CPTC handle billing and insurance claims?” We will file with your insurance company as a courtesy to you. However, after 60 days, if your account has not been settled, the responsibility will then shift to you. It is our impression that bills should be settled within 60 days and will therefore require that you become actively involved in settling your account. Please be aware that secondary insurance will be your responsibility to file and collect. All supplies are payable at the time of service and cannot be charged. We will file for any covered supplies allowed by your insurance carrier. There may be a difference between an out of network insurance company’s usual and customary charges and our fee schedule. The patient would be responsible for any difference not paid by insurance. This does not apply to current contracted carriers. TOP 10. “What if I have to cancel an appointment?” We do cancel and reschedule appointments without penalty as long as we are given notice of the appointment change at least 24 hours prior to the appointment. If something urgent arises and you are unable to give us more than 24 hours notice, then we can still cancel and reschedule your appointment. There is a $20.00 no show/cancelation charge that may be billed to a patient that does not give more than 24 hours notice of the change. Each case is taken into account with these charges and is determined by our office manager and clinic director after the cancelation is made. TOP 11. “How do you handle office copayments?” It is our policy to accept copayments for each office visit after the therapy session. The payments will be based on insurance coverage and other factors such as purchasing supplies if they are desired. We accept payments by credit/debit cards (VISA and MASTERCARD only), personal checks, and cash…HOWEVER it is rare that we have exact change on hand, so we prefer our patients pay with check or cards. TOP 12. “Will I have to pay for supplies to aid in therapy if I get them from CPTC?” We do stock many devices and instruments that patients may use to assist with their therapy. These items can be purchased for use by the patients. We do take patient’s insurance companies coverage into consideration and attempt to get as many items covered by insurance as we can. Certain insurance companies have policies that cover certain therapy items and therefore the patient is not responsible for the cost of the equipment. At the same time there are some insurance companies that do not cover therapy items or do not cover specific ones at all. Regardless, the CPTC staff will check with the insurance companies and follow steps needed according to each case to insure that the patients are responsible for as little cost as possible for equipment. TOP 13. “My doctor recommended another place for rehabilitation, but I would like to come to CPTC. What do I do?” Speak with your physician about his/her rational for referring you to an alternative clinic as there could be a specific reason behind such a recommendation (aquatic therapy, neurological rehabilitation, etc). As a patient you have a right to choose a Physical Therapy clinic that works for you and we recommend that you discuss all of your treatment options openly with your referring physician. Comprehensive Physical Therapy Center · 115 Timberhill Place · Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Phone: (919) 967-5959 · Fax: (919) 968-1478 · Email: cptc@bellsouth.net