Guest post by Dr. Maysa Hannawi, Rhapsody Brain Trust Member
Hi! I am Dr. Maysa Hannawi PT, DPT, but I usually just go by Maysa. Before I was a doctor, I was a patient – many times, for many injuries (you could say I’m prone). Breaking bones and tearing ligaments isn’t necessarily a resume booster, but it did give me insight into exactly the type of physical therapist I want to be – but more importantly, the type of PT I don’t want to be.
People ask me all the time why I’m a cash based business – meaning I do not bill insurance. Why I jumped right in straight out of school. I’m here to tell you why, and it has to do with my experiences as a patient in an insurance based clinic – unfortunately it all too often went something like this:
Dr. Maysa Hannawi at Rhapsody CrossFit in Charleston, SC.
I waited in a waiting room way too long. For most of my visits, my PT was seeing 2-3 patients at a time. They would give me 3×10 of some arbitrary band exercise they demonstrated once on the fly and left me to do it without watching – “I’ll be back soon, keep going”. They would attend to their other patients and come back to change the exercise slightly and prescribe 3 more sets of 10. This continued for a while, then they would slap some ice on me and leave me for 15 minutes. “See you day after tomorrow” for the same basic, non progressive, cookie cutter care that every patient got. It’s unfortunate – but it’s common. More common than our profession is willing to admit.
What does a visit with IBX look like?
It’s just me and you – for an hour or longer – I have freedom with my time. I sit and talk to you, and if you know me, you know I mean really talk. We dig into your pain, your lifestyle, how you eat, how you sleep, how you train and how you are feeling. If I never ask the right questions, I’ll never be able to address the right issues. I evaluate the way you move – including the way you squat and hinge and press and pull. We implement corrective exercises that include functional movements and loading, not just seated band work. And I watch you move, the entire time. Ask any of my patients – they’ll say I’m picky when it comes to you doing things right. I come up with an individualized home exercise program that you get with videos and explanations. You have 24-hour access to me. Have a question? Shoot me a text or a video, let’s figure it out in real time. Need me to watch you do a workout and see what’s going on? I’ll come to the gym with you. And then? As far as your next visit, for the most part I don’t want to see you for a few weeks. I know that change does not happen overnight and consistency is key. Stick to the program, address the stability, mobility, strength and come back to me to progress the program – not to rely on me to manage your pain. I want to give YOU the control.
So why cash based? Why IBX? Because I want to say choose PT, and mean it. Click here to learn more and schedule your first appointment!
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