Frequently Asked Questions
How Can We Help?
Do I need a doctor’s referral for Physical Therapy?
You do not need a Doctor’s referral for Physical Therapy Evaluation and Treatment for upto 10 business days (starting from the day of initial evaluation) as per the Direct Access Law, that was passed in Nov 2019, in Texas. But, if you will be using your insurance, you will need to verify with your insurance company, as certain insurance companies will reimburse only if you have a Doctor's referral in place. If you choose to be treated without a Doctor’s referral, there is a Disclosure form that is required prior to your Initial Evaluation. You do not need Doctor’s referral for Wellness visit / Preventive care. We do prefer that you have your current Doctor’s / Physician’s contact information on file with us, so that we can reach them if there is a medical condition, concern or red flags that arise, that they may need to address. If you don't have a PCP, we have a list of recommended physicians that you can choose from to get a referral from/treated by, if/when warranted. Contact us for details.
Do you take my Insurance?
This is a complicated question - please read this section completely.
After careful consideration, Quintessence Physical Therapy has chosen to be a Medicare participating provider and Out of network provider for most other insurances. We choose to be Out of network because we strongly believe that it is extremely difficult to provide Value to your patients if you follow the business model for traditional insurance-based practice.
In a typical/traditional physical therapy clinic, providers are required to treat multiple patients in an hour, utilize multiple modalities (like heat-packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, etc) and generalized exercises for multiple patients within that time-frame, to be able to cover their overhead costs and support staff (that helps with billing and insurance contracts). These clinics typically have “unskilled” Techs / Aides to assist with some/much of the patient care, to be able to survive. Progressively worsening insurance reimbursements, use of techs/aides and allowable modalities may dictate the type of care that is provided in a typical/traditional physical therapy clinic.
In contrast, at Quintessence Physical Therapy, we have chosen not to participate with most insurance companies, because here our focus is on YOU and we insist on an individualized holistic approach to your specific treatment needs. We have chosen not to let the changing insurance reimbursement patterns influence our high-level patient care. You receive One-on-One care for the entire treatment time with our highly trained therapist, every single time, which leads to quicker and lasting results.
To learn more about insurance and billing, please visit Insurance and billing page.
We offer Courtesy billing as a service to our patients - We offer to verify your benefits and to bill your insurance company on your behalf to make this process easier for you. We will also do legwork for prior authorization or medical necessity process, but you will be responsible for full visit charge in case such authorization is denied. We are a fee-for-service clinic and we collect your estimated cost-share (depending on your insurance plan and benefit coverage) upfront, at the time of services. We encourage you to check with your insurance company to understand your coverage and benefits prior to the initial visit. Here is a resource for you to use - Insurance benefits worksheet - to assist you when verifying your coverage. The insurance company typically takes 4-8 weeks to reimburse a claim and the reimbursement will usually be a portion of the visit cost depending on your insurance plan and benefits. After insurance claims are processed, we will refund any overpaid amount to you or send you a bill for unpaid clinic charges towards your deductible/co-insurance. If you do not see any communication from your insurance company in 3-4 weeks time, please contact your insurance company and enquire about the reasons for delay. In case the insurance reimbursement is sent directly to you, please return any provider's cost share as stated on EOB, promptly to avoid any insurance fraud issues. We prefer to keep your credit card information on file, so we can manage refund/charge after claims are processed.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask us. Our patients appreciate the clarity and transparency of the process. Contact us
Do you bill my insurance for possible reimbursement of my out of pocket expenses?
Yes, as a courtesy to our patients, we directly bill to your insurance company. The reimbursement depends on what your insurance plan covers as benefits. We will try to help verify your insurance benefits before your first appointment. We recommend, You also stay engaged in insurance process and can contact your insurance company to enquire about your Out of Network physical therapy benefits, prior to your first visit. We have provided an Insurance benefit worksheet (under Patient forms) that can be used as a resource to call your insurance company to determine your insurance benefits for Outpatient Physical Therapy, prior to your initial evaluation.
We will try our best to estimate your coinsurance or deductible before your appointment but it is difficult to estimate exact fees. We request you to pay your share of coinsurance or deductible at the time of service in full.
The amount of reimbursement or application towards your deductible is completely dependent on your insurance plan and coverage. We cannot guarantee the claim approval or reimbursement, but many patients do get reimbursed a portion of their visit cost. Reimbursement is highly dependent on your company, plan and deductible.
Important: Deductible means that, the patient is supposed to pay out of pocket until the deductible is met (no matter in-network or out-of-network)! It only makes sense to get the best care possible, if you will be paying out of pocket regardless of where you go until this is met. It often happens that you complete your physical therapy treatment by the time the deductible is met - this is especially true for high-deductible plans.
Patients with Health Savings Accounts (HSA) or Flexible Spending Programs may be able to use those funds towards physical therapy services.
Did you say that I could save money by using Quintessence Physical Therapy services?
Yes, it is possible to save money. If a patient would go to a traditional clinic, the patient would be seen 2-3x/week and would pay the co-pay each visit. (If the patient hasn't met the deductible, then the full amount of charges will be out-of-pocket for the patient, even if the invoice isn't seen until several weeks later.) At a traditional clinic, typically, the patient will be seen by the therapist for a short period of time and then passed on to a Tech / Aide who will assist with generic gym-based exercises. The period of time needed for recovery will usually be longer if the exercises aren't performed correctly in the absence of a trained therapist during the remaining treatment session. The patient will usually be asked to continue physical therapy visits 2-3x/week for longer period of time. At Quintessence Physical Therapy, a highly trained therapist will be present with the patient, for the entire session and will provide One-on-One care that typically leads to faster recovery in fewer sessions. The quality of care here is significantly better and the patient typically saves money in the long run. Here, we believe in transparency and honesty which is the basis of trust in a patient-provider relationship. We believe in providing Value to our patients. We also refer to other healthcare providers when necessary.
Do you accept Medicare patients?
Yes. We're Participating Medicare provider and we are accepting Medicare patients at this time.
How do I get started?
Request an appointment via Request an Appointment page or call us at 512-200-3945 to schedule appointment
Our office will call you back to discuss your case and will help you get scheduled with us.
You will receive an email from us to fill out New patient intake forms online
Please complete all the required paperwork electronically.
We will collect the estimated amount of your cost-share (if using your insurance)/fees at the time of appointment using Credit/Debit card, Cheque or Cash. You may use HSA/FSA card if applicable.
If you need to re-schedule your appointment for any reason, please contact us immediately.
If you are unsure, we can schedule you for a FREE 20-min Physical Therapy Discovery session. Contact us via email or call us if interested.
What is your new patient procedure?
Once you decide that you would like to request an appointment with us, please fill out the "Request an appointment" form on this website. We will contact you within 48 hours and after talking to you about your case, we will get you scheduled for an appointment.
Once your appointment is scheduled, You will be sent an email with the information and required paperwork that needs to be filled out prior to your appointment so that we can provide you with the highest quality care. The initial evaluation will include a detailed history, a thorough examination based on your condition and discussion about your case and the plan of care with your therapist. After the evaluation, there will be a short treatment to get you started on your journey towards recovery. Your therapist will discuss your options and will recommend a plan based on your goals.
What is the Cancellation policy?
There is a $25 charge if an appointment is cancelled within 24 hours of the scheduled appointment time. If it is an emergency, that will be taken into consideration. Please refer to our cancellation policy/financial policy under patient forms.
What should I wear to my Physical therapy appointment?
It is recommended that you wear comfortable loose clothing. Avoid dresses, skirts, denim/jeans, suits, restrictive clothing. If its a hip/knee/ankle/low back/sacral/pelvic issue, shorts with elastic waist or loose pants that can be easily rolled up, is preferred. If you have longer hair, use a ponytail holder or secure a bun at the top of the head. For females,if it’s a neck/shoulder/mid-back problem, wear an open-back sports bra or tank top, so that the spine and shoulder blades are visible for assessment and treatment techniques. Comfortable shoes are preferred. Avoid heels and flip flops.
What is Telehealth/Virtual visit (Specialized Tele-Physio Conference)? How do you perform a Virtual treatment?
Research has shown that patient education, assessment of the contributing factors/movement patterns, correction by addressing those factors, and implementation of specific movement/exercise programs based on evidence-based kinesiology, are pivotal to help you make substantial progress with therapy. In modern world, as we are moving forward with advanced technology, physical therapy has shown to be very successful through Telehealth/Video-conference for most diagnoses. We educate you and instruct you on techniques that you can perform yourself through coaching and guide you with individualized exercise prescription just like an in-clinic visit to help you reach your goals. Guided Rehab and Self care empowers you to be in control of your recovery process and to reach great outcomes with the easy facilitation of our online consultation. We coach you through the entire rehabilitation process while performing ongoing assessments as warranted during your subsequent sessions.
You will need a laptop/smartphone/tablet, good internet connection and some open space to move around easily. You need the microphone and camera feature working.
IMPORTANT: AVOID any streaming in the background or on any other devices during the video call for improved quality and experience. You will need to click on the video-link that is sent to you in your email to get the session started (through a secure HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform), on the scheduled date and time. This will save you time off work, traffic, gas/mileage, and unnecessary stress. It is as easy as it sounds and cannot get better than this. Online Physical Therapy - Just a click away.
What is a Mobile visit/House call? COMING SOON!
If you schedule for a Mobile visit/House call, we will come to your house to perform Physical Therapy Evaluation/Treatment. We will bring the tools that we need with us to perform a thorough examination/treatment. It will be exactly like an in-clinic visit but within the comfort of your home. The charges will be the same as an in-clinic visit for Physical Therapy Initial Evaluation and Treatment. This option will be available on a case by case basis at Owner’s discretion (within 5 miles distance from office). We will need a quiet room with some open space to set up the treatment table and a laptop. Please contact us, if you have any questions.
What COVID guidelines are you following for safety?
We understand how important is it to be safe during these times and we also know how important it is for you to get the care that you need. We follow a strict policy for safety of our patients and staff. Please check out the page where we have stated our COVID guidelines for In-person visits. Click here to learn more.