Luckily New York is a direct access state, meaning you are able to be seen for 10 visits or 30 days before a referral is required. I will be sure to give reminders as we close on that window as well as the best way for you to obtain the referral in order to avoid any lapse in your care.

During your initial visit, we will take the time to get to know you and your unique situation. We will go over your medical history, lifestyle, and any concerns or symptoms you may be experiencing. Then, we will conduct a musculoskeletal exam to help identify any underlying issues that may be contributing to your symptoms. This will include an external assessment and an internal pelvic floor exam if needed. Consent and comfort are always our priority! Based on our assessment, we will work with you to develop a personalized plan of care to help you achieve your goals. We understand that this may be your first time seeking pelvic floor physical therapy, so we strive to make the experience as comfortable and informative as possible.

An internal exam is a part of a pelvic floor physical therapy evaluation where a trained therapist inserts one gloved finger into the vagina or rectum, as appropriate, to assess for any tissue abnormalities, your ability to control your pelvic floor muscles, or any pain or discomfort. It can provide valuable information on how your pelvic muscles are working. However, it is always up to you to decide whether or not you are comfortable with an internal exam, and some conditions may not require one at all. At our clinic, we prioritize your comfort and will discuss your options and concerns with you before any exam takes place. You are always in control of the final decision, and we will work with you to create a treatment plan that meets your needs and goals.

Internal assessments will not be performed on anyone pregnant or less than 6wks postpartum unless your doctor provides a written request.

How amazing would it be if there was a magical movement to fix all pelvic floor issues? Unfortunately that isn't the case! Many people think that pelvic floor PT is all about kegels. It’s an incorrect comparison, just like lifting up the laundry basket a few times a week to get an upper body workout is not the same as working with a trainer who gives you a personalized exercise program specific to your body. You can see how one would help speed you along to your fitness goals while the other might just make you sad about how you have to do laundry again. So, we check to make sure you are actually doing those kegels properly – 30% of women do them incorrectly and in some cases, this can put them at risk of worsening their condition. Learning the correct form and providing you with a tailored training program will help you recover much faster. But not everyone needs kegels! Sometimes the issue is tightness, not weakness. We are here to help you figure out exactly what your body needs.

ABSOLUTELY! I cannot emphasize that enough. Although the "standard" postpartum window is the first 6-8 weeks following birth, you are technically postpartum forever and that is not a bad thing! It is never too late to start addressing your concerns and I think you will be pleasantly surprised by your body and its ability to heal months, or even years, down the road.

At Bridge The Gap, I understand just how important time is with our busy lives. I schedule standard physical therapy sessions for 60 minutes, but offer flexibility depending on your needs. At times, a thorough standard evaluation, may take upwards of 75 minutes depending on the complexity and injury.

You should wear or bring clothes that allow you to move easily and make it easy to see the area of the body that we are treating. I recommend wearing shorts instead of yoga pants for hip and knee visibility, and sports bra or tank top if we are treating an area such as the shoulder, neck, or upper back. You are welcome to change at my office and hang any clothes as needed.

We understand the importance of timely care, and we have seen women as early as 3 weeks postpartum. However, the usual timeframe is 4-6 weeks postpartum. It’s important to note that you don’t have to see your OB first before seeing us. We are a direct access provider, which means we can evaluate and treat you without a referral.

There is a lot we can do in the early stages of healing, and we’re happy to help. You’re welcome to bring your baby to the appointment. We’re here to support you in any way we can!

Of course! We understand that childcare can be a challenge and we welcome you to bring your child to your appointment. We never want childcare to be a barrier to receiving the care you need. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about bringing your child to your appointment.

Yes! Based on your comfort level, internal work can still be performed. Regardless, there is still plenty of work we can do externally to continue your plan of care during your period.

If you currently have an active infection or a flare-up, it is best to hold off on coming to your appointment until it has cleared – we absolutely don’t want to risk transmitting a localized infection to another part of your body or making your symptoms worse by working on the tissues in that area. If you need a referral to an MD in order to seek treatment, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

If I identify what may be an active infection when we are working together, I will stop any external or internal treatment for that day and work on other parts of the body as per your treatment plan (e.g. posture, deep core strengthening). We will resume when the infection or flare-up has cleared. Please know that you will need clearance from your MD in order to resume treatment unless you have already been prescribed appropriate medication.

Bridge The Gap is a private pay practice. This means I accept payment at the time of your appointment. You can still use your insurance, however I am considered an “out of network provider.” It is well-established that private pay physical therapy results in fewer visits than in-network services, at lower total costs to the consumer. This is primarily because you spend 100% of your time with a licensed physical therapist. The rates that private pay therapists, like myself, charge are usually lower than an insurance-based clinic, because there is no middle man.

Staying outside of insurance also gives YOU, the consumer, a much greater say in the amount of and type of care you receive.

Health saving accounts (HSA) and flexible spending accounts (FSA) can be accepted. These accounts are provided by an employer as a way to help with medical costs.

My goal is to provide you high quality physical therapy care, based on your needs, not what’s dictated by your insurance. If you have experienced high volume in-network physical therapy care in the past, you are familiar with it’s challenges. How many of you have heard or even said yourselves, “Physical therapy doesn’t work for me.” Does it really not work, though? Or did you not get quality care and the time you deserved with your physical therapist and were you forced to work with an assistant or aide? Were you limited in the amount of visits your insurance allowed you to have? Was your co-pay $60 and you still hadn’t met your deductible so you couldn’t afford to fulfill your treatment plan?

For all of these reasons, I have chosen the cash-based model to allow myself to not only provide exceptional one-on-one care but to also provide you a cost effective treatment. In a traditional, insurance-based clinic, your fees are also paying for billing staff, insurance contract negotiations, insurance analysts, front office staff to process your insurance claims, manage claims rejections and handle unpaid billing. That’s why at Bridge The Gap Physical Therapy my fees are low when compared to in-network clinics. Private pay can be particularly cost effective if you have a high deductible plan.

The process is actually quite simple: Bridge The Gap Physical Therapy will provide you with an invoice at the time of service, and you may submit that invoice and receipt to your insurance company for reimbursement. The invoice has all of the necessary information (business name and address, tax ID, national provider identification, license numbers, etc.) as well as the patient’s ICD-10 (diagnosis) and CPT (billing) codes. You may choose to submit bills following each visit, one time per month, or at any other interval, typically up to one year following your treatment visit. If you have any further questions about this process, please do not hesitate to discuss them with me.