The 5 Best Ways to Make Sure You’re Getting High Quality Physical Therapy
Not all Physical Therapy is the same. There are a variety of factors which can be used to determine the quality of your Physical Therapy team. Recovery following injury or surgery is often the longest (and definitely most important) part of restoring your function. When it comes to your rehabilitation, quality is what you want. Choosing the right Physical Therapist is paramount to restoring your normative function and returning to a healthy, active lifestyle.
- Outcomes
This is the most fundamental measure of the Physical Therapy service you receive. Are you getting better? Do you feel better following your appointments, or worse? Do you feel encouraged, challenged, and that you have hope for your recovery? Outcomes generally speak volumes about the quality of a Physical Therapy clinic. Ask your clinician about things like the timeline for recovery, their experience with your condition, and how well patients with your diagnosis typically do with their treatments. Keep reading to find out how you can do a quick credibility check as it relates to outcomes.
- Attention
During your appointments, do you have your therapist’s full attention? Is your time split with another patient? The highest-quality care is provided in a one-on-one environment. This separates the therapists who look at the subtle details of your care from those who just stick you on a machine and tell you what exercises to do from across the room. When attention is focused, the quality of care you receive is higher. Don’t settle for a therapist whose attention is divided.
- Credentials
I’ve seen some pretty wild and crazy things in the world of healthcare. You wouldn’t think it, but it’s not uncommon to see an unlicensed person practicing rehabilitation techniques, soft tissue and joint manimulations, exercises, and others. Performing a quick search on your state’s credentialing website will allow you to verify that your clinician is licensed by the state and qualified to provide care. The state of Michigan License Verification website can be found here. Additionally, your clinician should have their license and any additional certificates on display for your viewing.
- Credibility
It’s important to investigate these qualities in a PT practice before attending your first appointment. You can tell a lot about a company nowadays by their online presence – and many of the previously-presented questions can be answered by a simple search. Any high-quality PT practice should have a digital presence – one that should be easily-found online. Take a look at their website, Google and social media presence. Are they active on their Facebook Page, do they make regular updates to their blog and website? Look at the reviews that past patients have left. What are other people saying about the clinic? Pay attention to key words and phrases that hint toward their quality of care, customer service, billing, outcomes, and overall experience. Look for positive and negative reviews. If there are negative reviews, take a look at how the company responded (if they did at all). Here you can find our website, our Facebook Page, and Google Business Pages for our Marquette, Synergy and Ishpeming locations.
- Equipment
It’s been said that a mechanic is only as good as their tools. In the same way, Physical Therapy can be limited to the equipment available to the clinician. It is possible to provide a great service without a lot of equipment. However, having a good space and state-of-the-art tools are certainly helpful in enhancing outcomes and experience. When assessing the quality of your Physical Therapist, take a look around – does the environment around you seem well-equipped to handle your needs? Is your Therapist investing in equipment and technology to improve your experience and outcome? Does your environment instill confidence that you’re in the best place to receive your care?
Physical Therapy is an investment in your time, effort, energy, emotions and money. When you are making such an investment, quality is of the utmost importance. You have a choice in your healthcare, and in your Physical Therapy provider. If you would like to learn more, or to schedule a free consultation, call any of our three clinics in the Marquette area: Marquette, Synergy, or Ishpeming.