To offer high-quality care, Kyle obtained direct access certification in the state of Pennsylvania. This allows a physical therapist to provide treatment to a patient immediately without the requirement of a physician referral. It also enables an individual to attend physical therapy first without completing potentially expensive diagnostic studies. This will further save a patient time and money by not having to schedule extra and unnecessary appointments with their physician.
A physical therapist will always perform an evaluation to determine if a patient is appropriate for their care or if they should be referred to another healthcare provider. Pain can now be alleviated more quickly with increased access and a shorter wait time for conservative treatment. This decreases the need to take over-the-counter and prescription medications that may have unpleasant side effects. It can also reduce the need to seek more expensive forms of treatment that may not even provide long-term relief.
Patient satisfaction and overall outcomes are typically higher after completing direct access physical therapy. This is due to the fact that a patient has the freedom of choice to personally decide their plan of care. Recovery can also be achieved more quickly, which reduces the chance of canceling important plans and missing time from work. A patient can improve their mobility so that they can get back to living their life by achieving full independence. This is empowering and one of the many reasons to try physical therapy first.