Frequently Asked Questions

Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your first appointment for check in and bring your insurance card, photo id, and the following if applicable: valid physical therapy prescription or referral, post-operative protocols, a change of clothes, and a credit card for payment. 

Yes, please do! Especially any written reports that you may have. It is always better if you provide them during your initial session so that we can perform a more thorough evaluation based on the findings.

Please bring loose-fitting clothing to each appointment. Some suggestions for attire based on body part to be treated:

Neck: Tank top with plenty of access to the neck and upper back.

Shoulder: Tank top that allows access to shoulder, neck and shoulder blade. 

Lower Back: Sweat pants or shorts with elastic waistband.

Hip/Knee/Ankle: Shorts that comfortably rise to upper thigh without constriction to leg.

For your convenience, most of our locations have changing rooms and lockers to store your belongings.

Typically the first session is one hour, and follow up sessions are between 45 minutes and an hour. Your first session comprises of an evaluation, treatment, and plan of care outline. Subsequent treatment is dependent upon your specific condition and will typically comprise of 30 min one on one with the therapist and 15-30 minutes afterwards to complete the recommended therapeutic exercises. Depending upon the condition, the recommendation is generally somewhere around 2-3x sessions per week for 6-12 weeks.  You will discuss details specific to your case with your therapist and determine the best approach for you.

Orthology treatments are primarily manual-based, especially in the early phase of therapy, meaning that our therapists use their hands to help improve soft tissue extensibility and joint flexibility. Depending on the acuteness of your symptoms and levels of soft tissue irritability some techniques will feel more aggressive than others. You may experience some muscle soreness for a day or two after your session.

Some insurance plans require a referral in order to be seen by a Physical Therapist. A referral is a document that you request from your primary care physician (PCP) stating the medical need for the involvement of another practitioner or specialist other than your primary care physician (PCP). A quick phone call to your physician’s office will usually take care of this.
Our fax number is:

New York City & Long Island: 646-893-5183

Minnesota: 763-260-7653

A physical therapy prescription/script/order is a written order from a medical provider that prescribes physical therapy treatment. In some cases, you are able to seek care from a Direct Access eligible physical therapist for a limited duration without a prescription. If your plan of care extends beyond that, you will need to obtain a prescription in order to continue with treatment.

Direct Access is a law that allows patients to seek treatment from a physical therapist without a referral or prescription from another medical provider for a duration. Not every physical therapist is eligible for Direct Access, so if you choose to be seen through Direct Access, call and check that your desired provider will be able to treat you under this law.

New York State physical therapists are able to treat patients without a referral for 30 calendar days OR 10 sessions, whichever comes first.

Minnesota physical therapists are able to treat patients without a referral for up to 90 calendar days.

Authorization is the determination that a service is medically necessary, made by an insurer of a health care service, generally before the service is rendered. This approval is required in order for the insurer to cover the service. If authorization is needed, our dedicated authorization team will work directly with your insurance company. In many cases, multiple rounds of authorization requests need to be made to carry out a full plan of care. The determination is made by a medical reviewer from your insurance company, and the approved number of sessions may not always coincide with what your physician or physical therapist recommends.

Orthology will verify your coverage and we encourage you to check your benefits with your insurance company as well. It is the responsibility of each individual to be informed of their own insurance benefits. Your insurance will be billed for the services rendered during the appointment. Once the claim is processed, your insurance will inform us of any patient responsibility. If the explanation of benefits (EOB) from your insurance states an amount due as patient responsibility, a statement will be sent of the amount indicated by your health insurance.

Orthology clinics are a part of ProHEALTH, which is rebranding to Optum Tri-State. By aligning under the Optum name, we are making it easier for you to find care, resources and services throughout the tri-state region. Together, we are a unified team, focused on delivering care to help you achieve better health. As part of this change, our billing systems and processes are managed by our partners at ProHEALTH/Optum. If you have a question about your bill, please give us a call.

Yes.

New York & Long Island
For dates of service after August 1st, 2021: Click Here
Minnesota 
For Orthology branded bills: Click Here
For ProHEALTH branded bills: Click Here
If you need assistance paying online or would like your MyChart activation code, please email billing@orthology.com.

Please send a request to contactus@Orthology.com or call our office.

We will send you a HIPAA Release form, which you must complete and send back to us at contactus@orthology.com or fax to:

New York City & Long Island: 646-893-5183

Minnesota: 763-260-7653