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OUR PHYSICAL TREATMENT APPROACH AND PHILOSOPHY

Every patient has their own needs and goals.  Many have a complex history that often goes unchecked.  Experience has proven that taking the time to perform a thorough physical therapy evaluation and engaging with our patients about their lives and contributing factors to their current situation significantly increases the efficacy of their treatment. Our goal is to help you return as quickly as possible to the lifestyle you deserve in an environment that is abundant with highly qualified physical therapists, is well organized, clean, safe and full of positive energy.  Our physical therapists have over 90 years of combined experience and although each patient usually remains with the same therapist on each visit, we are always consulting one another to be sure we are giving every patient the best care available.

Overview

At the end of your physical therapy evaluation, we review our findings, provide you with information about your condition and inform you of our plan to help you return to the lifestyle you deserve.  Your physical therapist will provide you specific instructions to help you begin your road to recovery. Your referring physician(s) will receive a corresponding report after the evaluation as well as updates known as “physical therapy progress reports” throughout your care.  Your physical therapist will continually work with you and your physician(s) to modify and refine your program as needed to help you towards your goals.  Open lines of communication with our entire team will be critical to your success.

Our Process

One of our client service representatives will obtain all the necessary information to best serve you, we will contact your insurance carrier (if applicable) to verify your benefits for outpatient orthopedic physical therapy.  We do this as a courtesy to you, but strongly recommend that you contact your carrier as well.  If the response that we both receive is consistent you should have a high confidence level in pursuing treatment with us based on clarifying your benefits to the best of our ability from the beginning.  Please note that the information we are provided by your carrier is not a guarantee of payment and you are ultimately responsible for your account.

Once your insurance has been verified and we have looked at the schedule to pair you with one of our physical therapists who we feel can best meet your needs, you will receive a callback from one of our client service representatives to schedule your series of appointments.  Unless otherwise prescribed, we typically schedule our patients on a 2x/week basis for 4-6 weeks and then that plan is revised as appropriate based on clear communication between you, your physical therapist, our client service representatives and your referring physician.

Confidentiality and HIPAA Compliance

Because your confidentiality is important to us at BreakThrough Physical Therapy, we strive to comply fully with all HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) regulations.  To further ensure your identity and security while under our care, prior to the treatment our client service representatives will obtain your social security number and a copy of your government issued identification (ie. valid driver’s license).  This helps us to ensure proper account setup, identification, and billing through your career.

What to Bring to your First Visit

  • Completed Physical Therapy prescription
  • Insurance card
  • Valid driver’s license or government-issued identification
  • Loose, comfortable clothing (shorts, t-shirt, tennis/gym shoes)
  • Completed New Patient Forms
  • Note:  If the patient is under 18 years of age, a parent or legal guardian must be present during the first visit

What to Expect on your First Visit

  • Please arrive 20 minutes before your first appointment to complete your paperwork (15 minutes if you’ve completed the intake forms online and brought them)
  • Lockers and bathrooms are provided
  • Meet your physical therapist and spend approximately 40 minutes with him or her while he or she asks appropriate questions and performs appropriate tests to set up an effective and individualized treatment program based on your goals
  • Total appointment time is typically 1.25 hours to 1.5 hours. Individuals who require a more extensive gym program may spend more time than this at future sessions
  • If you have a limited amount of time for your visit, please inform your therapist at the beginning of the session so that he or she can ensure that your time is used most efficiently

Keys to your Success

At BreakThrough, when you are successful, we are successful.  Please be sure to communicate openly and honestly with our client services team and your physical therapist so that we can be sure to provide you the care and results you deserve.  Physical therapy is a process and you are a key part of the team so we need consistent feedback from you.

It is critical that you maintain consistency with your scheduled appointments.  Many times patients have family or work issues that arise and put themselves last on the list.  We have found that our patients who schedule all of their sessions from the beginning, prepare for a regular schedule and adhere to this schedule receive the best results with the least overall time away from work and family and ultimately reduce the total costs of their rehabilitation.

SCHEDULE EARLY AND SCHEDULE OUT FOR YOUR ENTIRE PRESCRIPTION, OFTEN BEYOND.  Our PT schedules book up fast and in order to help you attain the appointment times that are best for your busy schedule, the patients who schedule in advance and schedule out end up spending the least time and money with us and achieve their BreakThroughs!  If you are undergoing surgery, please schedule your post-operative therapy in advance.

How to Choose a Physical Therapy Clinic

You realize it’s time for a change. You want to decrease pain, improve motion, improve strength, improve endurance and/or learn better postures and body mechanics so you can live a healthier, happier life.  But where do you start?

There are many factors that make up an exceptional physical therapy experience.  Too often we see people at our facility, BreakThrough Physical Therapy in Sunnyvale, California, who have little faith in physical therapy. They have been to several other clinics, but their doctor or friend strongly urged them to try one more series with us rather than go the route of surgery. After over 20 years in physical therapy, I have compiled the top seven criteria to help you make an educated decision regarding the physical therapy portion of your healthcare team.  You should make the commitment right now to play an active role in your care.

Click here for the full article which provides an in-depth and comprehensive look at the key factors to consider when choosing an outpatient orthopedic or sports-oriented physical therapy clinic.

Insurances Accepted

Because of the changing medical insurance environment, we do not have a specific listing of all insurance companies with whom we have contracts.  We are able to serve patients with the following insurance/payment classifications:

  • PPO
  • Medicare
  • Private Payment
  • Automobile Claims – Please note that all auto claims are accepted on a case by case basis

Prescription Form

Many local physicians have our prescription forms available in their office for your convenience.  If not, you are welcome to download and print one and ask your physician to utilize it for you.  Most importantly, you should know that you can go anywhere for physical therapy even if the prescription is for another facility, just like you can utilize any pharmacy for your medications.

Direct Access

On January 1, 2014  the law changed to allow the following provisions:

  • Allows patients to directly access physical therapist treatment for 45 calendar days or 12 visits after which time the patient must be seen by a physician who must approve the plan of care developed by the physical therapist. Note: this time limit impacts only patients who receive direct treatment from a physical therapist. Patients who see a physical therapist for wellness services or who already have obtained a medical diagnosis from a licensed diagnostician before or during care are not subject to the 45-day/12 visit time limit.
  • For more information, feel free to contact the PT Board of California and/or the California Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association.
  • Note that some insurance carriers do not support this.  Our Care Team will help you understand your benefits so that there are minimal surprises for either of us!
  • Save time, frustration and money on your healthcare. Check out and share our Direct Access Video

Search by Body Part

At BreakThrough Physical Therapy, we specialize in all orthopedic conditions – back, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, ankles, and feet. We work not only to improve the pain complaints of our patients, but more importantly, to treat each patient as a person rather than as a diagnosis. Taking this comprehensive approach to orthopedic conditions provides our patients with the best results for their goals. We look forward to working with you to achieve your goals.

Click Here for our Body Parts Portal where you can click the region you are interested in to learn more.

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