I started Lynch Physical Therapy with the primary goal of providing quality rehabilitation, including to those patients with orofacial pain, to everyone who sought my services. Although most premier PTs and specialists in TMD are solely cash-for-service, I felt a bigger impact could be made by accepting every health insurance with which I could get credentialed. Lynch Physical Therapy accepts a wide variety of medical insurances, from state supported to more premium plans. While Cigna was initially included in this group, as a company, they have made it nearly impossible to remain both in-network and viable as a PT office. Cigna offers, by far, the lowest reimbursement rate for PT services, at a fixed rate of 24% lower than our average. Beyond that, Cigna has outsourced it's PT billing through American Specialty Health (ASH), which requires an overbearing amount of paperwork. This seemingly unnecessary documentation takes a minimum of 20 minutes every 3-5 visits, then is solely subject to ASH's opinion as to whether or not the patient needs more physical therapy. I am a huge advocate for all Lynch PT patients and I am happy to go above and beyond for my patients, but jumping through these made up hoops for a faction of our service's value had to stop. I truly apologize to all our current Cigna patients and those who will seek treatment in the future, but I can honestly say this is a shortcoming of Cigna, who appears to be placing corporate revenue above quality patient care.

- Ryan Lynch

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Cigna Medical Claim Form

The landscape of physical therapy has significantly  changed in the 20 years that I have been practicing. Offices, such as Lynch Physical Therapy, which utilize the health insurance patients pay for, are struggling to manage the ever increasing demands imposed by the insurance companies. I have made every effort to make our self-pay rate both manageable to patient incomes, and viable to the company. Our rates still remain lower than most PT clinics in our surrounding areas. - Ryan Lynch

At Lynch Physical Therapy, we pride ourselves on providing quality, patient-centered rehabilitation. Thankfully, this has translated into success within the community and busy schedules for the providers. As therapists, we work hard to get our patients better and value the time we spend with patients to achieve this common goal. We do understand that "life happens" and at times previously scheduled appointments need to be either cancelled or modified. Our cancellation policy requires 24 hours notice, which allows us to fill any vacated appointment openings. This helps us help more patients. Failure to provide notice or simply not showing up for a scheduled appointment is subject to a charge, which is now based on the length of the scheduled appointment.  - Ryan Lynch

As a physical therapist, I am a huge proponent of dry needling, as I have seen the technique result in substantial improvement for many of my patients. As a business owner, I consistently pay for my staff to become certified to perform dry needling. I undoubtedly feel that the thousands of dollars I spend on each therapist's training is justified with improved patient outcomes.  Only 10% of physical therapists in the state of Maryland are qualified to perform dry needling, and instead of health insurances rewarding this specialty, most carriers have begun to deem dry needling as either "experimental" or as a uncovered procedure. In my personal opinion this is outrageous , as there is a plethora of medical studies and literature supporting the use of dry needling. Beyond this, I have an extensive list of my patients who will attest to the drastic difference dry needling has made in their rehabilitation. I personally believe this is just another way insurance saves on their bottom line and ultimately pass the expense to the patient (who is already paying a premium). Regardless, physical therapists in Maryland are now required to submit a code for dry needling to a patient's insurance. This code is then either denied outright or reimbursed at only a few dollars. After a great deal of consideration, I feel that I have been forced to make this a cash service. At this time, however, I am able to keep dry needling at a reasonable price point, as the majority of my colleagues charge $50-$100/session. I want everyone who wants/needs this treatment to be able to benefit from it. Additionally, we will perform the first dry needling session gratis, to allow patients a sample of the technique prior to payment.  Thank you for your understanding on this and all the above matters. 

- Ryan Lynch

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Evaluating the Costs of Dry Needling 

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