What is dance medicine and how is it different from regular sports medicine?

Dance medicine is a specialized field of medicine known as the field of dance medicine that focuses on the care and treatment of dancers. As performance athletes, dancers are prone to unique types of injuries, both acute and chronic. Dance medicine professionals, who fall under the umbrella of sports medicine, work to prevent dance-related injuries, diagnose and treat dance-specific conditions, and help dancers achieve optimal health and performance. This field encompasses a range of healthcare practitioners, such as physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, sports nutritionists, and orthopedic surgeons, who specialize in orthopedic surgery or sports medicine (MD). With the right care and attention from experts in the field of dance medicine, dancers can continue to pursue their passion for dance while maintaining their physical health and well-being.

What is Cash-based Physical Therapy?

This means you can see your physical therapy team outside of a physician referral and outside of having an existing injury. It also means patients can pay privately and not worry about billing insurance.

And, it is not as expensive as you might think. Yes, you are paying out of pocket, but you are getting a high-quality, personalized experience in return.

We usually don’t think twice about going out to buy nice workout clothes and healthy food, but when it comes to paying out of pocket for better health care we suddenly freeze up. But your health is worth it and it is the best investment you can make. It’s time to change the conversation around cash-based physical therapy, because the reality is that it’s a very affordable and effective way to get you back to doing all the things you love.

So here are the Top 10 reasons why cash-based Physical Therapy might be for you:

1. More one-on-one time with your therapist.

This is the most important piece because one-on-one therapy has been proven to be more effective and successful for patients. Aquacare’s dance medicine physical therapy team is specially trained, so when they don’t have to worry about billing insurance or being reimbursed, there is suddenly more time to focus on building that relationship with the patient and helping the patient achieve their goals!

Most physical therapists went into this business because they enjoy helping people. A cash-based approach allows your therapy team to spend the entire time focusing on your impairments and helping you improve. A win-win!

2. More personalized attention.

When you are working one-on-one with your therapist, you receive a more personalized experience. Each dance – and each person – is different, so it is easy to understand how everyone needs a slightly different – or sometimes completely different – treatment plan. This is where our personalization skills come in and we can focus on where you are and where you want to be.

Aquacare’s expert team will assess each move you make and make adjustments based on what works for you. In the end, you can expect results more quickly.

3. Builds a strong patient-provider relationship.

Now, I know this one may sound a bit redundant but it sure is important. When you are being treated in a cash based PT setting you build a really strong relationship with your therapist. You are probably going to be spending a lot of quality time together and end up feeling more like friends in the end. Trusting your therapist has a huge impact on your healing, and having the opportunity to get to know each other one-on-one really allows for a deeper sense of trust to develop. All of my patients have my cell phone number and know I am always “on call” and they reach out whenever they need me. Most cash based PT’s I know do exactly the same for their patients.

4. Yes, It may actually save you money in the long run.

Quality over quantity is an important concept here. More one-on-one time with your therapist means we don’t need to see you as often. On average, most patients have a one-hour appointment each week. Sometimes we need four visits, sometimes more. Either way, it gives you plenty of time between sessions to work on your program and start to see some results. More importantly, it empowers you to put in the work which means you get better, faster.

Here’s a scenario: A patient with a high copay of $60 per visit who needs to go to physical therapy, two to three times per week, for eight weeks, and will spend close to $1,000 over the course of their care. During their visits, they are likely only spending about 20 minutes of actual one-on-one time with their physical therapy team.

That’s a lot of money and time for little reward. If that patient instead chooses a cash-based physical therapy practice that charges $150/visit and needs only six visits, you are looking at $900. The math is a no-brainer!

5. More freedom to address multiple issues at the same time.

While it is extremely unfair, insurance companies strongly dictate if you get better or not based on what they will approve. Did you know that under insurance, physical therapists can only bill for treating one body part at a time? That means that you would need two separate evaluations and visits each week to be able to bill your insurance for both a knee and an ankle injury.

In some cases, your physical therapist may be able to justify it, but often it creates a lot of extra paperwork, which really means less time for personalized patient care.

In the case of cash-based physical therapy, it is not an issue! We can treat whatever issues you are having without you needing to worry about it being denied by your insurance. Again, the outcome is you getting better faster because you are actually getting the care your physical therapist knows you need.

6. More freedom to explore the root cause of the problem.

With longer one-on-one appointments and not worrying about insurance approvals, your physical therapist can perform a thorough assessment of strengths, weaknesses, imbalances and how you move. This means we have a full picture of what is going on. It may be your hip that is pinching, but why?

Maybe you don’t have a strong core or your upper back mobility is limited. So we work on all of these areas and make sure to address the reason it happened in the first place. This results in you living pain free and preventing issues from returning in the future. No trying to explain this to an insurance company just to get denied.

7. Many insurance companies reimburse for out-of-network physical therapy.

Depending on your out-of-network benefits, your insurance company may actually reimburse you for your visits! Just make sure you get a superbill from your physical therapy team so you can submit to your insurance company.

8. More flexible scheduling means getting more of your time back.

It is no secret that time is our most precious commodity and we can’t get it back. Only needing to see your physical therapist once a week gives you more time back to do whatever you love! We have expertise to help recreational dancers achieve their maximum potential through improved technique and movement patterns, and to minimize time lost due to dance injury prevention. You won’t see your insurance company offering you this option very often!

9. Empowering you to help heal yourself.

A good physical therapist will teach you to take steps toward healing yourself. Physical therapists do not want you to use us as a crutch, we want you to take your health and wellness into your own hands. You have the power to help heal yourself, we just give you the guidance you need to get there. By choosing cash-based physical therapy, you have already taken a huge step towards empowering yourself, because you have made the commitment to invest in your health. The truth is, patients who pay out of pocket are far more committed to their treatment plan because they have paid their hard-earned money for it.

10. Your health is worth any amount and is the BEST investment you could ever make.

It is simple, you only get one body and one chance, so take care of it!!

All of this really comes back to one main point. Cash-based physical therapy has the ability to provide you with the highest quality of care. Aren’t we all looking for a better experience with healthcare these days? I can promise you that high quality, affordable care still exists and your insurance company does not have to be the barrier.

The benefits of building your relationship with Aquacare Physical Therapy is that our locations offer both traditional, gym-based physical therapy and aquatic physical therapy. We also provide both insurance-based and cash-based services to better meet the needs of our communities.

Stay informed, do your homework, and know there are still so many healthcare providers out there who truly care about helping you live your best life!