No Physician Referral Needed

Gainesville Physical Therapy is a practice owned by Dr. Cristina Trypanis. The practice provides rehabilitative, preventative, and wellness physical therapy care in Gainesville, Virginia (VA).

The state of Virginia is a direct access state and does not require physician’s referral for evaluation and treatment by a physical therapist. In The United States, physician’s referral is not necessary in 48 states and the District of Columbia for evaluation and some form of treatment. Two states, Michigan and Oklahoma, require physician’s referral for treatment by a licensed physical therapist but not for evaluation.

Below are a few reasons listed by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) for eliminating physician’s referral for physical therapy service:

• Physician’s referral delays the treatment process for patients who would benefit from physical therapy and may frustrate the patient thereby increasing the cost of therapy and decreasing outcomes.
• Physical therapists are well qualified and trained in carrying out examination, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with functional abnormalities or limitations. They are also trained to understand when a patient may require physician’s referral and when treating a patient is beyond their expertise.
• Various health care organizations and associations have stated that physical therapy without a referral does not compromise the health and welfare of patients undergoing treatment by physical therapists.

Eliminating the requirement of a referral reduces a step towards making health care more accessible to patients.

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