The person reading a physical therapy website is often in discomfort and unsure how to begin. They ask whether they need a referral, whether insurance applies and what a first visit involves.
Short answer
A physical therapy practice site needs a how-to-start page that covers referrals and insurance questions in plain terms, a first-visit page, pages for the services offered, a team page, location and parking details, and a page for referring providers. Make the how-to-start page easy to find, and keep every page free of medical or outcome claims.
People sent to a therapist, or told to find one, often have no idea how the process starts. They wonder if a doctor must send them, whether insurance will be billed and how many visits to expect.
Write a page called something like "How to get started". Say how an appointment is made, what to bring and who to ask about insurance. Rules on referrals and direct access differ by state, so say that and tell people to ask your office. Our physical therapist site guide covers the service pages.
Visitors want to know whether you work with their plan. You can list the plans your office works with and ask patients to call or bring their card so staff can check.
Do not say what a plan will cover or what the patient will owe. Do not give numbers. Say that benefits vary and that the front desk will help patients understand what applies. That one honest sentence heads off many disputes.
Most slips come from wanting to sound clinical or hopeful. Neither helps a patient who needs to know what to do next.
Check every page for words that suggest results. Replace a verb like fixes or cures with one that describes what you do, such as evaluates or teaches. It is a small edit that keeps the page honest.
Then read your how-to-start page aloud to someone who has never had therapy. Each time they ask a question, write the answer into the page as one plain line.
Physical therapy is regulated and the rules differ by state. Check your own licensing board's advertising rules before you publish. This page is not legal or medical advice.
On the site, describe what a visit involves and who provides it. Do not say what a treatment will fix, how fast someone will heal or that anyone will be pain-free. Leave out patient stories and star ratings until you have confirmed what your board allows.
A page about a condition can say what the practice helps people work on in general terms, then point to an evaluation.
A new patient wonders what to wear, how long to plan for, whether the therapist will touch them and whether it will hurt. A calm, factual page about what an evaluation usually includes answers much of that.
Add practical details: which entrance, where to park, whether there are steps or an elevator, and paperwork they can fill in on a phone before arriving. Tell people to bring a referral note, a card and a list of medicines if you need them. Real photos of the clinic floor help. Avoid exercise photos that suggest an outcome.
List the kinds of visit you see in plain words, such as after surgery, work or sports, or general aches. Say if you see children or offer home visits. With more than one clinic, give each its own page, as our multiple locations guide describes.
Doctors' offices often send patients. Their staff want to know how to send a referral, which fax number or portal to use and what records you need.
A short page for providers saves phone calls. Keep it separate from the patient pages so neither audience has to read the other's text. See FAQ pages for a clean way to answer repeated questions.
Before you finish, confirm the fax number or portal link on that page is the one your office actually reads each morning.
Yes. Many visitors do not know whether they need a referral or how insurance works. A plain how-to-start page answers it before they call.
You can list the plans your office works with and ask patients to confirm. Do not state what a plan covers.
In general terms, and check your licensing board's rules first. Avoid claims about outcomes or healing. This page is not legal or medical advice.
Yes. Provider staff need to know how to send a referral and what records you need. Put that on one short page.
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