Expert Physical Therapy with a Smarter, Structured Approach—Move Without Limits

In the state of Arizona, you can come directly to physical therapy. You do not need a script from a physician to be examined, evaluated, or treated.

You will be sent a medical history form and a consent form when you book your initial evaluation. This can be filled out online.

If you fill this out prior to the session, you do not need to arrive early.  

For your session, bring anything that you feel is relevant to your problem. If you hurt walking in certain shoes, bring those shoes.
You should wear, or bring with you, clothes that are comfortable that allow you to move.
For pain or injuries in leg:
If you are having problems with your legs (pain in the hip, knee or feet), make sure to bring any shoes that you wear for daily activities or for running and walking. If possible, wear clothes that allow us to see or feel the area that hurts. So if you have a knee injury, shorts that expose the knee would be preferable.
For pain or injuries in the arm:
Hand, wrist, thumb, and elbow injuries may be originating up into the shoulder, upper back, and neck. If possible, wear or bring with you a looser shirt, tank top or under shirt that you feel comfortable wearing during an examination. Occasionally we will use tape and/or bracing to help with your pain. The easier it is to access your shoulder and the area surrounding it, the easier it will be for your therapist to examine and apply the treatment.
For pain or injuries in the neck, mid back, low back, and pelvis:
For these injuries, wear clothing that allows us to see the area. We want to visualize the area to check for any changes in the muscles or posture. To apply the treatments, we do not need the area to be exposed so as long your garment can be moved to expose the area for examination, that is sufficient for the session.
For specific activities that cause pain or discomfort:
For the first visit, we will determine if we need video or have you do the activity during the session. The physical therapist will instruct on what to bring after the initial evaluation. Typically this is required only if you get the pain during this activity and your examination is negative or at the end of your physical therapy plan of care as you fully return to your activity.

We strongly recommend scheduling with the first physical therapist that works for your schedule.

The physical therapists at SPC use the same phase structure, exams, and methodology. We spend 2 to 3 hours each week training our skill sets and processes together. This means that we have significant overlap in how we practice. 

If our team believes another therapist is required or better suited, we will have a co treat or transfer your care.

We understand that you want to work with someone who has experience with your problem. 

It is typical to see a page that lists the number of pathologies that they can treat. We can treat your orthopedic issue. Our team has decades of experience in physical therapy ranging from common joint injuries to complex, long standing chronic pain that has been resistant to any other treatment. We have worked with individuals competing at the Olympics to new athletes running in their first 5K (to individuals who struggle to walk). We are often used by other medical providers (physicians, nurses, physical therapists, chiropractors) when they need support for their plan of care or diagnosis.

You can read more about our diagnostic process HERE.

We recommend scheduling with whichever provider works best for your schedule. If anyone on our team needs help, we can transfer your care or use cotreats. 

When you work with one person on our team, you are working with all of us.

We recommend scheduling the first appointment that works for you.  

When you schedule, let us know that you would like to come in sooner. You can either do this by noting it on your appointment confirmation or calling our office at 520-398-4886.

We will place you on our cancellation list and will call you when any new appointment becomes available.

If it is a medical emergency, use Urgent Care or ER.  

If you are not sure, you can call our office at 520-398-4886. 

If this problem seems appropriate for physical therapy, we will place you on our cancellation list if no appointment is available the same day and get you into our facility as soon as possible. 

Since we are a low volume clinic, we cannot guarantee immediate care.

Unlike traditional physical therapy clinics that accept insurance, we prioritize a personalized approach. While insurance-based clinics often schedule multiple patients per hour and utilize assistants for exercises and passive modalities, our focus is on providing each patient with a full hour of one-on-one care with a physical therapist.

We prioritize your progress by dedicating our time solely to activities that directly contribute to your recovery, rather than billing for non-interactive and less useful services. This tailored approach leads to faster recovery and better results, helping you achieve your goals efficiently.

If you are not enrolled in Medicare, Smith Performance Center can provide a superbill of your visits to submit to your insurance carrier.  This includes ICD 10 codes, CPT codes, place of service, cost, units, and date of service.  We put on the superbill that you have paid in full for the service and all reimbursement needs to be sent to you. We have found that if you submit a superbill to insurance, you need to point out that it has been paid in full or they will send the payment to Smith Performance.  

A superbill is different from a receipt (or paid invoice) that only includes the amount paid for the service. 

We do not speak with insurance companies about billing.  We are legally unable to send Superbills to anyone enrolled in Medicare.

At Smith Performance Center, our providers are un-enrolled with Medicare, which means Medicare will not reimburse you for our services. By choosing to receive physical therapy at our clinic, both you as the patient and we as the practitioner agree not to contact Medicare for reimbursement.

While we can provide you with a receipt for your records, it will not include coding.

Physical therapy is a service covered by Medicare when provided by an enrolled provider. We respect your decision if you choose to seek treatment at another facility.

A superbill is different from a receipt (or paid invoice) that only includes the amount paid for the service. 

We do not speak with insurance companies about billing.  We are legally unable to send Superbills to anyone enrolled in Medicare.