Getting physiotherapy without paying full price

The figure that matters with physiotherapy is not the price of a visit but the price of a course. At roughly $90 to $150 a session, and six to twelve sessions for a straightforward injury, the real number is in the hundreds. Worth knowing before you start, and worth reducing where you legitimately can.

First: is it already covered?

Ontario funds physiotherapy at designated clinics for a defined group: people aged 65 and over, people under 20, anyone recently discharged from hospital after related treatment, and people receiving Ontario Works or ODSP. You need a physician referral and you must attend a clinic holding a government contract rather than any clinic you like. If you are in one of those groups, this is free and worth the paperwork.

Second: does somebody else owe for it?

If the injury happened at work, WSIB covers treatment and you should not be paying at all. If it happened in a car accident, your auto insurer is the first payer through statutory accident benefits, regardless of who caused it. Say so when you book. People pay privately for these more often than you would expect, usually because nobody asked.

Third: what does your plan actually cover?

Workplace plans commonly include $300 to $1,000 a year — frequently pooled with massage and chiropractic, so spending it all on one leaves nothing for the others. Check whether a doctor's referral is needed on file first, and whether the clinic bills your insurer directly.

Needing fewer visits

This is where most of the saving actually lives. Ask two questions at the first appointment: how many visits do you expect before we reassess? and what can I do at home between sessions? A good physiotherapist wants you doing the work between appointments — that is what makes the difference between eight visits and four.

Ask also what a session includes. Thirty minutes of one-to-one time is a different product from fifteen minutes followed by exercises you do alone in the gym area, and the two are sometimes billed at similar rates.

And if you are paying privately

Ask about a reduced rate. Registered physiotherapists frequently keep places at a lower fee, and the awkwardness of asking is the main reason people never find out. That is the awkwardness this site removes: you name the most you can pay, and we only introduce you to professionals who have already agreed to it.

Sources

• Ontario Ministry of Health — Publicly funded physiotherapy
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)
• College of Physiotherapists of Ontario