Why Are All My Employee Injuries Being Sent to Physical Therapy?

The Prevalence of Physical Therapy In Workers’ Comp

Physical therapy costs almost three times as much in workers’ comp as it does in group health, and workers’ comp patients are 45% more likely to receive physical therapy than group health patients.

While it’s true that physical therapy accessibility for work-related injuries has been encouraged at the state level to help reduce surgery and opioid prescriptions, this only applies to serious injuries.

What is often overlooked is how many minor workplace injuries are being sent to physical therapy when they can be treated just as effectively with over-the-counter pain medications and at-home exercises.

Next we’ll take a look at why that is.



Why are all my employees being immediately sent to physical therapy?

For many physicians, the simple approach is to write a physical therapy prescription, send the patient on their way, and re-evaluate them later on.

More glaring is the pay-per-performance model utilized by many large healthcare organizations to incentivize providers to generate more revenue.

“Pay-for-performance models use financial incentives and penalties to encourage hospitals, physicians, and other providers to meet (provider) performance standards. Providers are eligible to receive bonuses if their performance meets pre-determined measures related to the processes, use, and experience of care,” explains HealthAffairs. 

Many physicians are financially incentivized to provide patients unnecessary services to increase revenue. Large healthcare organizations typically have their own physical therapy facilities, making at-home exercises a detrimental solution. Unfortunately, the burden falls on the person covering the service - in occupational medicine it comes back to the employer in the form of higher workers’ compensation premiums or, if paying directly, higher out-of-pocket costs.

Alternatives

When a physician evaluates a patient, it is their decision to determine the best course of action to return them back to work safely and quickly - whether it’s through light-duty or a return to full duty. 

Providers with vested interests will claim that physical therapy does not make an injury OSHA recordable, and that it is a standard part of the recovery process for an injured worker. They will sell you under the common assumption that physical therapy is a worthwhile expense - it will aid an employee’s recovery and help them return to work as-soon-as-possible with a low risk of re-injury.

While it’s true that physical therapy does not alone qualify an injury as OSHA recordable, it is expensive and many times unnecessary. 

A comparative study performed by surgeons demonstrated that there was no statistical significance in the difference between at-home therapy and outpatient physical therapy for patients recovering from a total knee arthroplasty - a major surgery. 

Although in certain cases physical therapy is necessary, for menial injuries a smart, lesser-used approach is to first provide patients with at-home exercises, and then check in with them to gauge their recovery status.

Following a re-evaluation, an educated decision can be made as to whether physical therapy is required. 

By utilizing this approach, physicians are able to save companies from costly claims while providing their employees the same outcome they would get from physical therapy. 

The Bottom Line

• Physical therapy is often the norm in occupational medicine, and over time this approach will cost your business significantly.
• At-home therapy is an alternative solution that often provides the same results.
• Many healthcare organizations with their own physical therapy facilities are financially motivated to prescribe physical therapy whether it is necessary or not.
• We recommend looking into the percentage of your workforce being sent to physical therapy as a way to cut costs without sacrificing the quality of care your employees receive.

At Ironbound Medical Services, we believe in transparency and fair practices, prioritizing your needs over superfluous billings. We provide comprehensive occupational medicine services at an affordable cost, with physicians that each carry 30 plus years of experience. For the convenience of your injured employees, physical therapy is available at our location, BUT it is a completely separate business and no financial incentives are given to our physicians for referring patients there.

Contact us today at 973-878-3990 to learn more