A guest editorial By Stephanie Weyrauch, PT, DPT, MSCI
The only pain management clinic in Billings announced this week that as of January 2024, it would close. The closure of St. Vincent’s Pain Management Center puts a significant strain on our community. It increases the load on our primary care providers (PCPs) and leaves many patients without the proper care they need. Additionally, many PCPs lack the time and training necessary to properly serve these patients. With such a large population to serve comes longer wait times, which leads to increasing pain levels, more frustration, and feelings of helplessness. With the opioid epidemic touching every part of our state, the closing of this clinic couldn’t come at a worse time.
Physical therapists in Eastern Montana can fill this void. We have an obligation to serve our community and provide people living with chronic pain relief and empower them to move.
A new report, “The Economic Value of Physical Therapy in the United States,” makes a compelling case for improved patient access to and coverage of physical therapist services. The report calculated the net benefits to patients and the U.S. health care system of choosing physical therapy over alternative treatments and underscores the high-value, lower-cost interventions physical therapy offers patients and the health care system.
Chronic pain can make life feel unbearable. Physical therapists provide treatments that are effective and offer significant cost savings for many chronic pain conditions including knee osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, low back pain, and tennis elbow. They approach chronic pain holistically by helping people understand why they are in pain. They teach patients how to move with less pain to help them live a fulfilling life. Physical therapists provide non-pharmaceutical treatments including hands-on therapy, dry needling, exercise, pain education, and joint mobilization and manipulation. It takes a team, and physical therapists understand that the patient is a part of that team. They work with their patients to help them achieve their goals.
State legislators and commercial payers should consider the insights provided in this report to support access to, coverage of, and payment for physical therapist services. This includes increasing access to high quality care for all Montanans by improving payment to physical therapists who provide services to the 33% of Montanans who are rely on Medicaid to access the healthcare they need and deserve.
Policies that help patients, employers, and payers realize the economic value of physical therapy will produce benefits that improve lives and reduce costs to the health care system.
Montanans deserve to have a team treat their chronic pain conditions. This team should include physical therapists. Learn more at ValueofPT. com.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Weyrauch, PT, DPT, MSCI
American Physical Therapy Association – Montana Chapter
[email protected], 406-534-9844
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