FAQs
Why Chicago Physical Therapists?
From her founding in 2009, Meredy Parker has grown her team to six additional highly-trained and skilled physical therapists who specialize in pelvic health, orthopedics and sports injuries. Chicago Physical Therapists strives to provide the highest quality of care, customized to suit your individual case and needs.
How Do I Get Started?
For pelvic floor physical therapy, check out our Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy 101 Guide for more information.
New patient forms are located here.
Insurance & Payments:
We are an in-network provider for all BCBS PPO and Choice plans. (Any BCBS plan that is not an HMO.)
For all other plans (Aetna, Cigna, Providence, UHC etc.) we’re considered out-of-network. For these plans we require payment up-front but, for your convenience, will submit claims to your insurance and they will pay you directly. The reimbursement depends on your specific plan details.
Medicare: We bill MC regularly and our clients receive reimbursement (typically 90% or better) especially if you have a supplemental plan. We are a non-participating MC provider which means you are responsible for payments up-front and then we will bill MC. MC as well as your supplemental plan will send you a check to reimburse you based on the specifics of your individual plan. Please let us know if your insurance requires PRE-AUTHORIZATION. Please email our billing department at Billing@ChicagoPT.org if you’d like to check on your specific benefits.
Cash Rates Note: These apply for out-of-network plans and anyone just paying cash and not asking us to bill insurance. When billing insurance, charges to your insurance may vary based on procedure codes and time spent but you will be responsible for the up-front charges listed below and no more. You are not responsible for paying up-front if you have BCBS.
Initial Evaluation: $195 (one hour)
Follow-Up Treatment Sessions: $175 (one hour)
Will My Insurance Pay for Physical Therapy?
Typically insurance companies cover physical therapy. We recommend that you call the benefit number listed on your insurance card to check on your insurance benefits before you start physical therapy. We are an in-network provider with BCBS PPO and Choice plans.
What about Medicare coverage?
Our clinic is considered a non-participating provider for Medicare. This means we accept Medicare patients: you are responsible for payments up-front, then for your convenience we will bill Medicare. You will be reimbursed directly through Medicare.
Typical reimbursement for Medicare is very good but you need to keep track of how close you are to the Medicare cap for each year.
We can help check your Medicare cap for you if you’ve had physical therapy at another facility before visiting us and you want to know how close you are to meeting your cap.
Do I Need a Physician’s Referral for Physical Therapy?
A prescription is no longer required by law in Illinois but we ask that you please bring your prescription along if you have and we will refer you to a provider within a certain number of visits if you do not show progress or if there are any issues that arise that indicate your issue is beyond the scope of physical therapy.
What Is Your Cancellation Policy?
It is important that we have adequate time to fill your spot should you not be able to attend.You will be charged a $75.00 cancellation fee if you do not show up for your appointment, or if cancel less than 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment time.
To cancel, you may cancel online if it’s within the cancelation window. However, we ask that you call the clinic as well as text or email your therapist directly if you are in need of a last-minute cancel. Please do NOT email the general email. This will not be counted as a notification.
If this occurs more than once, you will be charged a full $130 fee. Please note these fees will be charged automatically to your account.
Will You Keep In Contact with My Doctor?
After your initial evaluation we will send a copy of the initial report to your referring provider if you prefer along with progress reports at regular intervals.
When Should I Start Seeing Improvements?
You can typically expect improvements in just a few visits. But the amount that you improve depends on the same factors associated with how long treatment will take.We will always keep you informed as well about your progress.
How Long Will I Need Physical Therapy?
Your physical therapist will estimate on your first visit the frequency and duration of visits that you will need. This is based partially on your goals, the level of function you want to achieve, the severity of your condition, precautions, post-operative protocols (if applicable), and any other complicating factors.
Your physical therapist will typically re-evaluate your progress after 30-45 days and will let you know how close you are to reaching your goals.
We will send your physician, CNM or other referring provider reports on your progress.
What Should I Bring to My First Appointment?
Please bring your physician’s referral or prescription for physical therapy if you have one (this is no longer required by law), your insurance card, and a government issued photo ID.
It is also advisable to bring any records from your previous doctor, a list of your medications and allergies.
We also recommend bringing in a list of any questions or concerns you may have.
Please make sure that you arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment so that you can provide us the necessary paperwork and insurance information to put you in our system unless you did this over the phone prior to your first day. Please print the new patient forms located here and bring them completed to your appointment.
What Should I Wear?
Comfortable clothing or athletic wear is best but don’t worry if you are coming right from work and can’t do that for the first day.
As for footwear, we suggest comfortable, closed-toe shoes, preferably sneakers.
Where Do I Find You?
Conveniently located on the Clark Street bus line, a few blocks from the Ravenswood Metra stop, and walkable to the red (Wilson) and brown line (Montrose) stops.