So How Much Did My Physical Therapy Cost?

I still haven’t received my bill from my physical therapist yet for my knee problem. But, I did get my explanation of benefits from my insurance provider so I know how much my bill is going to be. I cannot believe how much it cost!

$222/visit

The first visit I had, I can understand that cost and I’m okay with that cost. My condition was evaluated and that was some real one-on-one time. The second visit, well, it was cut short for one so it was less than an hour (50 minutes). Then I spent 10 minutes on an exercise bike while the trainer sat and pedaled next to me. Then I was given an ultrasound treatment (which did feel nice for a few hours after the visit) and the trainer taped me knee (only to have it unravel by the time I went to bed). The last five minutes were spent reviewing my homework exercises. To me, it wasn’t worth the continued visits since the trainer said they would be the exact same thing.

After my insurance, each visit cost almost $65. Let’s say that I stuck with the program for the rest of the five weeks at two visits/week. That would have been $650. I knew I had to fess up to my doctor since I saw her again a little bit ago. Her response? She asked if I received some exercises to do. I told her that I did and I have been doing them and I am also trying to be more active overall. I also said I was concerned about the cost. She understood and gave one of those smiles like, “Yeah, I know they are pretty ex-pen-sive!” but she couldn’t say that LOL. But she approved.

A few changes have made a huge difference. My weekends are basically pain free now. During the week is a different story, though, since I still sit for long periods and it hurts my knees. Inactivity has taken a toll on my body and it is going to take some time to reverse it but it can be done. I am making progress, though :)

Posted by Tricia on September 2, 2008 at 12:58 AM in Insurance |
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  1. C responded:
    Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 1:26 am

    I know. Isn’t it expensive. I have been going to a chiroprator doctor for a few months now, to the tune of $55 a visit. They wanted me to go for 2 visits a week, but I can’t afford that. I have been going once a week, but that is still too expensive, even with insurance coverage. I orignally started to go for numbing in my hand. I went to my family doctor and after doing some tests, he suggested that I start exercising. It has gotten a little better with the physical therapy, but I am going to stop going, since it is too expensive. I hear ya.

  2. James@capitalcouplesfinance.com responded:
    Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 7:52 am

    Yeah…been there. Last summer I shattered my elbow and broke my arm in 8 places. This put me in PT for 6 months and my insurance only covered me for 24 visits. At 2-3 visits a week, that didn’t even last for half of the time I had to go. Luckily, the PT office agreed to let me keep coming and just pay the amount the insurance would have paid had I still had coverage ($43 per visit). Overall, I probably paid about $2000.

  3. Angela responded:
    Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 8:34 am

    I fell AT WORK and broke my foot and you wouldn’t believe the non-sense I went through with workmans comp. They had to approve every friday if I could go the next week. Then as I got back to work they transfered me to a store for 2 weeks over an hour away and since our whole departement went we carpooled. I couldn’t keep up with therapy and and work. I also got a hefty 295 bill from the emergency clinic I went to when I fell. It’s currently in collections in MY name as I am waiting for the store to pay. MAJOR BIG BOX retailer. They have the money. I hear ya on the cost of physical therapy.

  4. Matt responded:
    Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm

    Ouch! I can not believe how much it costs just to be well or get better! Between lack of insurance coverage and high deductibles it is a wonder anyone is able to survive these days. My insurance has a $2,000 deductible per year before they begin to pay anything (after that it is 100% though). I suppose it would be great in horrible circumstances like an accident but it really dissuades me from wanting to get regular checkups or do anything proactive.

  5. Esther responded:
    Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 3:52 pm

    Tricia, I have the exact same knee problems you have, and I have found that those knee support wraps that you can buy at the drug store help me quite a bit. Don’t get the kind that are only for use during sports. Just buy the regular open kneecap velcro-adjustable wrap braces that you can wear every day and for extended periods. I usually wear mine when I’m doing chores and stuff at home (they can even be worn under jeans or chinos). I take them off when I exercise. My condition has improved greatly over the last month, and I hope to be back to 100% very soon. Good luck!

    BTW, I’m “lucky” enough to have a good insurance plan, and so I went through physical therapy for at least 2 months (twice a week visits). I can honestly tell you that you are not missing a thing by skipping out on the therapy sessions and doing the exercises by yourself. Incidentally, a waitress friend gave me the tip about the drug store knee braces…

  6. katie responded:
    Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 6:07 pm

    As a physical therapist (who is not getting paid these kind of hourly rates). If you are not significantly improving within 4 visits…. I would suggest finding a different Physical Therapist. Also I am assuming that you went to a private practice did you speak to the owner about payment? Are you definitely going to be billed for this? Very often the explanation of benefits does not necessarily mean that you will be billed…. Good luck with the knee, glad to hear you are feeling better.

  7. Jonathan responded:
    Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 7:01 pm

    I had to do some PT as well recently. I think the first visit cost nearly $400 before insurance. I stopped going after 3 visits due to the cost (wonder how much the PT keeps vs. the hospital) and also the time commitment during the day.

    I just tried to pay attention and have them write everything down so I could repeat it at home.

  8. Tricia responded:
    Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 11:18 pm

    Esther - thanks for the tip about the knee brace! I did like the taping they did, but it just didn’t stay long at all. If that tape wasn’t so expensive I’d buy some and try to do it myself.

    Katie - where I live, I’m limited to only a few places to go for therapy. I didn’t go to a private practice, it was through a hospital. That’s probably a big reason I couldn’t find out how much the visits cost before hand. I’m pretty sure I am going to be billed for this - but I have no idea when the bill will arrive. Our hospital is horrible at timely billing.

  9. JD responded:
    Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 6:30 pm

    Hey Tricia,

    I just ready your first blog post here. Is it just the medical bills that caused the debt. I’ll have to read more on your blog. I just googled “debt blogs” and yours was the first to show up. I just got done writing a post about how pissed I am at Wells Fargo…. and wanted to see if anyone else might be feeling my pain. You obviously are feeling the pain… I saw the title of the previous post that said you made it to 8K or so. I hope you reach your goal. It would feel so weightless.

  10. Allie responded:
    Posted: November 11th, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    I went to a PT that charged $72 per 15 minutes, which works out to $288 an hour. (Yeah, I can see why they don’t quote it hourly.) It was for plantar fasciitis and I initially went to get deep tissue massage, which my doc said might help. I ended up just going to two sessions, which were just her showing me some exercises, kind of making sure I was doing them right, then wandering around and looking out the window or joking with her colleague while I did the exercises and stretches. She never did do the massage. I quit going and was just googling to see if this was a total ripoff (my insurance paid 90 percent minus my deductible) or if it was in line with what they usually charge. For $288 an hour, I expect a lot more than a kind of gross communal room and a glorified gym teacher sort of supervising me while I do some exercises! (No offense to PTs - but this woman clearly wasn’t 100 percent focused and reminded me of the gym teachers that would say “give me 100 sit ups” and would then wander out into the hall to chat with another teacher…)

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