By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
Physical therapy is typically something a person does not think about until it is needed and then finding time during a workday when offices are open is often a challenge.
But Aimee Riegel opens to change that with her new business Fit PT and Physical Therapy.
“What I have done is created a mobile concierge physical therapy practice where I can come to the client,” Riegel said.
And she offers different services than what you might see in a traditional physical therapy office such as working with employers to develop programs for their employees to help them before therapy is needed.
“A lot of them are simply because we sit too long during the day,” she said. “There is a lot of things I can teach people and employers to show their employees.”
Working directly with the public can be beneficial for the individual as well in both well being and pricing, she said. Not being contracted with insurance companies means she can offer a flat rate – sometimes lower than out-of-pocket costs after a traditional office setting.
“You know what you get up front,” Riegel said.
Working outside of insurance she said also allows her the flexibility to work with what the client needs regardless of the mandates of an insurance company.
“We can make a plan and really follow through without having insurance dictating (care),” Riegel said.
When the range of motion is recovered, insurance companies will often stop covering treatment – that’s where her new service can come in.
Working with people to maintain a range of motion can help stop problems from occurring that can happen when not seeking treatment.
She launched the business in September and has been gaining clients through word of mouth and continues working at Progressive Physical Therapy two days a week in order for clients who are going through insurance companies to be able to use her services as well.
But through the new business, she offers flexibility in scheduling that a regular office normal will not.
“I’m available evenings. I can be available weekends. I try to be as flexible as I can for my clients,” Riegel said.
“I’ve gotten some really great responses from the community,” she said, adding many have told her this service is much needed in Hays.
And while the service is new, many will already know Riegel as she has been a long-time practitioner of physical therapy.
“I have been practicing physical therapy for about 12 years and decided I wanted to branch out into something a little different,” she said.
Using her services can help maintain motion and stay pain-free, and utilizing physical therapy prior to a specific incident is becoming more popular.
“The American Physical Therapy Association is actually pushing really hard for preventative wellness and medicine,” Riegel said.
By doing so, they hope to keep insurance costs lower, she said, by engaging people before they have an issue.
Wellness services can also more personally directed than insurance-mandated treatment.
“Its more than developing exercises for an individual. It’s very personal,” Riegel said.
She helps see how people move and can direct their treatment to address their specific concerns.
Riegel offers a free discovery consultation where she can hear problems and see if her services would be a good fit.
An initial full consultation is $150 for approximately an hour and a half and includes a full evaluation and treatment during the visit.
A regular session is $125 for wellness or physical therapy.
She also offers a half-hour session for $70 or stand-alone dry needling for $45.
Health Spending Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts can be used and if multiple sessions are needed she offers discounted rates packages.
For more about the business or to set up a consultation, visit www.fitptandwellness.com, Facebook or call (785)261-1772.
