You can call any of our 3 locations (Lake Placid, Saranac Lake or Tupper Lake) to schedule an initial evaluation with our Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists or Speech Pathologist.
For physical therapy, you may be able to start therapy services without a referral depending on your insurance coverage (sometimes referred to as direct access physical therapy).
For Medicare, Medicaid and Worker’s Compensation a referral is required prior to starting rehabilitation services. For other insurances, you can call your insurance company or we will assist you in finding out your coverage. A referral can be obtained from a doctor, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant or a podiatrist. For physical therapy, the prescription must come from a provider that is able to practice in the state of New York (or within 25 miles from New York State border). If from other states and the referral is required for insurance purposes, then please seek out a referral from a local provider.
Some important things to remember:
1. When we receive a referral for you to begin therapy, we will contact you within 24 hours to schedule your initial evaluation. You may also call us at your own convenience as well to schedule.
2. Some insurance companies require authorization of visits. Our office staff will check your insurance benefits to see if one is required and if so, initiate the authorization request. If you have the United Healthcare Community Plan, this plan requires authorization for evaluations from the referring provider before the start of therapy services.
3. With Worker’s Compensation, authorization may not be needed to start therapy services unless you have already had therapy for the same body part and injury. Please let us know when scheduling if you have already had therapy. Authorization for Worker’s Compensation is initiated by the referring provider’s office.
6. We try our best to accommodate your schedule. Generally, the initial appointment can be scheduled within the next week during non-peak times.
7. Reminder phone calls are placed the day before your scheduled evaluation to remind you of the time of your appointment and the registration process. In our Lake Placid and Saranac Lake sites, the visit will be pre-registered the day before your initial appointment. You will not need to go to registration unless you have never been to any Adirondack Health locations or it has been some time since your previous visit. Our Tupper Lake patients are registered the day of the initial evaluation within the rehabilitation department.
Billing Related Questions
If you have a high deductible plan, you have options to continue to receive therapy services. We have a private pay route which does not involve the insurance company. This will not help to meet your deductible but can make your out of pocket expenses less. If you choose to continue to go through your insurance, you can contact the billing office to either set up a payment plan or to determine your eligibility for other financial resources.
Claims are sent out to the insurance company on a monthly basis. Co-pays are required at the time of the service. Those with deductibles and co-insurance, statements will be sent out by the billing office after the insurance company has processed the claim.
Any insurance questions regarding rehabilitation services, please contact our authorization and denial coordinator Amy Clark at 518-523-8372 or by email aclark@adirondackhealth.org. For any other hospital services, please contact the billing office.
