Adherence to scheduled therapy sessions: the influence of payer source

This study attempted to identify if there was a difference in adherence patterns to scheduled therapy sessions as related to third-party payer-source. Data were gathered over a five-month period and statistically analyzed. A total of 4,552 patient visits constituted the study sample. A statistically significant relationship between third-party payer-source and adherence to scheduled therapy sessions was identified. Patients with Medicare or Workers Compensation as third-party payer-sources had the highest adherence. Patients with Medicaid as a third-party payer-source had the lowest adherence. There was a 20.4% chance that a patient with Medicaid as a payer source and 14.6% chance a private payer would not attend a scheduled therapy session compared to 6% for Medicare and 5.5% for Worker's Compensation. Facilitation of financial counseling and knowing that billed charges would be written off as charity by the therapy clinic did not increase the likelihood that a patient with Medicaid as a third-party payer-source would attend. The phenomenon of inconsistent adherence to scheduled therapy sessions should be taken into account by physicians, therapists, and managers. These inconsistent adherence patterns can negatively affect clinical procedures and outcomes and should be considered when developing treatment and business plans.