FAQs

We successfully manage and treat many a wide-range of conditions and sports related injuries. If you have questions about your condition, please contact us for a consultation. We can help you with your recovery or steer you in the right direction.

The clinic is open Monday through Friday. Our specific hours are posted here. Doctors are available by appointment.

We understand that circumstances occasionally arise that will change your plans. You may cancel at no charge if you call at least 24 hrs before your appointment. We assess a $ 50.00 no show fee for existing patients and a $ 75.00 fee for NEW PATIENT appointment no shows.

We require a deposit of $ 35.00 for NEW PATIENT appointments. This holds your appointment slot and this amount is applied as a credit to your account going towards copayments, self pay or towards deductible payment.

Most patients do not need a referral to see us. Our physicians are a portal of entry physician. Occasionally some patients may require a referral from their primary care physician if we need to order special diagnostic testing.

I am a Veteran’s Affairs patient and have been referred for Chiropractic care by my VA physician.

The VA will contact us with appropriate referral paperwork.  If you are looking for a referral for chiropractic care, you may ask your VA physician to order spinal X-Rays per the regions affected “Cervical/neck, Thoracic/mid back, Lumbar/low back, AP Pelvis/pelvis and hip, Hip series, Knee series etc.  For patients who have disability related to spinal issues, it is often best to start the evaluation process with X-Rays.  This provides your treating physician with an accurate blueprint of your spine or other joint region.  With X-rays we can evaluate for degenerative disc disease/ degenerative joint disease>aka spondylosis or arthritis.  X-Rays also allow us to assess for alignment issues which may be affecting your health and causing pain.

If you can get your referring physician to order these X-Rays and you can get them completed before your initial evaluation, it speeds the process up and allows us to get started with a treatment plan sooner.

Our office does accept some insurances. It is the patient’s responsibility to check if our doctors are “In Network” with your specific insurance plan.   If a physician is out of network, we offer affordable self pay rates and payment plans.

If you want to have your insurance coverage verified, you can email us with your name, date of birth, insurance company name, group or policy number and we will do our best to verify what the benefits are. We also accept (HSA) Health Savings Accounts.

For insurance carriers with whom we are “Out of Network”, we do not directly accept that insurance.  Often times your insurance carrier may reimburse some or all of your treatment costs.  We will work with you to provide you with the information to submit to your insurance company.

For Veteran’s Affairs Patients

Initial authorization from VA is typically for 8-12 visits per 180 days time frame.  This limit on care falls below the standard of care for many of the conditions we see in clinic, given the severity of injuries, comorbidities, the patient’s past medical/surgical history, and current examination findings.  Simply put, your VA coverage will likely not be comprehensive enough to complete a full course of treatment. Many of our Veteran patients will transition to our affordable self pay to cover the gaps in their coverage so that they can continue to receive the high-level of care without interruption.  With that said, we will do  what we can with what we have.

What is an “Out of Network” Provider?

Being “Out of Network” provider allows us to provide the treatment that our doctors feel is best for your specific condition.  This allows you to get the best care possible, not just care that is limited by the restrictions of your insurance plan.

Our Expertise gets you results fast.

Our goal is to get you and your condition diagnosed as accurately and quickly as possible.  Our treating physicians are experts with years if experience.  Being out of network frees up our physicians to develop and provide treatment care that gets results fast.   We typically see patients 1-2 times per week for 4-6 weeks for acute care and then quickly move to phase them down to performance care.

What is Performance Care?

During transition to performance care, your doctor or therapist will prescribe and instruct you on specific rehab exercises that fit seamlessly into your regular exercise program.  The end game goal is to get you back to your sport fast, to prevent re-injury and optimize your performance.  Many of our patients continue to see us on a monthly basis for performance care.  During these visits, you and your doctor will fine tune your body to keep you healthy and moving better.  Lifestyle and sports specific and strength and conditioning consultations are part of these wellness checkup visits.  Don’t let the limitations of your insurance carrier prevent you from reaching your full capacity in the level of health and performance you deserve.

Transparency with our treatment plan and financial obligations are of utmost importance to us.

Our fees are based upon reasonable and customary charges. Fees for an initial visit or a new problem are higher than a routine follow-up visit because more time is required to diagnose and treat a new problem than to continue treatment for an existing one.

Potomac Physical Medicine bills for each modality at the time of service. Treatment costs vary depending on the type of treatment deemed medically necessary.

Your insurance policy is an agreement between you and your insurer, not between your insurer and this clinic. Our clinic will call your insurer to verify your benefits; however, we are not responsible for your insurer’s final payment and benefit determinations. Our office will do our best to verify any insurance benefits. We strongly recommend that you verify your coverage as well and get the name of the person you speak with as well as a confirmation #. This can be used for future reference should there be any discrepancy in explanation of benefits we receive form your insurance company.

The first office consult, which includes a comprehensive intake, review of medical records, physical exam, and initial treatment plan, generally lasts 60 minutes and ranges from $150-$350.

Follow-up visits last 30 minutes and typically range from $65-$200. Ancillary services including spinal decompression, deep tissue laser therapy, Acupuncture services and nutritional counseling are distinct services and have additional fees. Lab work and nutritional supplements are not included in these fees. Massage and counseling services have varying fees. Payment is due on day of service. We accept cash, checks and Mastercard or Visa. We do not accept personal checks.

We can provide you with a detailed invoice that you can submit to your insurance company. Our charges should apply towards your deductible and many patients are reimbursed directly from their insurance company once their deductible for the year has been met.

Please note: It is the responsibility of the patient to understand his or her policy including; coverage, copay and deductible.

We schedule initial patient visits for one hour to allow time to complete intake forms and give your physician ample time to take your history and evaluate your condition. Typically initial examination times range from 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the complexity of your history and number of conditions we evaluate.

Please arrive 15 minutes early to finalize completion of new patient registration process. Our staff will do our best to verify any insurance benefits coverage prior to your follow up visit.

Once we determine the root cause of your symptoms, we can determine necessary next steps. Treatment plans and options vary by patient individual needs and health goals. We will take time to explain next steps in detail so you understand our agreed path forward. Follow up visits typically run between 15-30 minutes per treatment.

You can read more about our services here.

We offer:

• Chiropractic manipulative care
• Manual Therapy> Active Release Techniques and Graston Instrument Assisted Release
• Deep Tissue Laser Therapy
• Dry Needling
• Spinal Decompression for Cervical and Lumbar disc herniation and stenosis
• Functional Corrective Exercise
• Mobility and Strength & Conditioning Coaching
• Nutritional Services

For Veteran Affairs Patients

We are a participating chiropractic care provider through the VA caring for veterans.

Here is how to get access to chiropractic care.

First, reach out to your primary care provider and ask for a referral for chiropractic care with a chiropractic physician participating in the community care outreach.

Your VA physician can then put in an authorization request. Once approved, the VA should provide you with a list of providers.

**You can ask Community Care to authorize you for care, specifically in our office.

Most authorizations allow for 12 visits per 180 days. This limit on care falls below the standard of care for many of the conditions we see with our patients, given the severity of injuries, comorbidities, the patient’s past medical/surgical history, and current examination findings. Therefore, your VA coverage will likely not be comprehensive enough to complete an entire course of treatment. As a result, many of our Veteran patients will transition to our affordable self-pay to cover the gaps in their coverage so that they can continue to receive the care they need without interruption. That said, we will do what we can with what we have.

For established patients seeking new authorization for care, you need to contact your primary care provider and ask for another course of care. Your provider will submit a referral request, and the VA will request medical records from our office. Once they review those, you should be granted a new authorization for more care.

For Active-Duty Military and First Responders

We serve those who serve us. We are a proud provider for our military and first responders. We offer a MIL RATE for active-duty military and active first responders. Please get in touch with our office for more information.

You can call the imaging center where you had the study done. Provide them with your information and request the films. They can provide you with a CD of the studies they did, along with reports.

We do offer a complimentary 15 minute consultation for potential new patients. These consultations are brief but offer a chance to ask questions about your injury and find out if we can help.

Telephone Consultation: For established patients only, telephone or Skype consultation appointments may be available for those who live more than 50 miles away. Insurance will not cover this service. Fees for a telephone consult are $75.00 for each 15 minutes. Brief (5 minutes or less) phone calls are accepted at no charge. Messages are checked daily and will be returned within 48 hrs.

Email Policy: Email is not a substitute for an office visit. If you need clarification of supplement dosage, exercise instruction , this may be provided by email. Changes in symptoms or changes to the treatment protocol must be addressed in person.

We are committed to protecting the privacy of our patients and the security of your health information. Email is not a safe or secure method of communication for medical needs or health care. We ask all patients not to use email to communicate sensitive medical information. If there is an emergency or urgent need, call 911 or you may reach the office directly at 571-982-3354.

PATIENT PORTAL:

Our office is equipped with a patient portal. The patient portal is a secure method of communication for prescription of imaging, supplement refills, non-urgent medical questions, lab and diagnostic testing results, follow up questions, etc. The patient portal allows you to make additions to your health records, medications list, and view past summaries. When you register for access, you will receive a message asking you to set up a username and password. If you have difficulty with the portal, please contact our office and one of our staff will walk you through completing the registration. Patient portal messages will be returned within 24 hours.

EMAIL:

staff@drmattfontaine.com is used for new patient appointment and general office questions. Due to privacy laws, it is not to be used to seek medical advice, ask questions about new symptoms or concerns, or for highly confidential information or for concerns that require immediate action. We will normally respond to non-urgent messages or inquiries within 24 hours, but no later than 3 business days after receipt.

Your medical records are confidential and require your written authorization before they can be released to other health care providers or other approved recipients. With your permission, we will send a brief narrative to your primary care physician or any specialist provider to whom we refer you to.

According to the American College of Radiology guidelines, in most cases musculoskeletal injuries, including low back pain and neck pain not related to acute trauma and without the presence of red flags, X-Rays or MRI’s are not warranted during the first 4-6 weeks of conservative care. The same guidelines hold true for most non traumatic musculoskeletal complaints. A red flag would be major acute trauma, motor weakness, severe radiating arm or leg pain, bowel and bladder changes, unexplained dizziness, and unexplained weight loss.  Please note that chronic recurring issues may also warrant X-Ray evaluation to assess for arthritis and/or joint misalignment issues which may be affecting your health and causing pain.

Things to know when your physician has ordered Imaging Studies (X-Ray, MRI, CT, Ultrasound etc.) 

What do I do with my referral script?  The following are the responsibilities of the Imaging Center, not Potomac Physical Medicine:

Scheduling your procedure:  Please call the central scheduling number.  Someone will schedule an appointment.

Insurance Verification:  A staff member from the imaging center should also obtain your insurance information for “verification” and pre-authorization.  That means they verify what coverage you have, deductible amounts, $ amount of deductible met, co-pay and co-insurance.  If your insurance carrier mandates “Pre-authorization” it means your insurance company must authorize the procedure before you can have it performed.

Be informed:  If you have a high deductible that has not been met, you can ask the Imaging Center what their self pay rate is if you decide not to go through your insurance.

I am a Veteran’s Affairs patient and have been referred for Chiropractic care by my VA physician.

The VA will contact us with appropriate referral paperwork.  If you are looking for a referral for chiropractic care, you may ask your VA physician to order spinal X-Rays per the regions affected “Cervical/neck, Thoracic/mid back, Lumbar/low back, AP Pelvis/pelvis and hip, Hip series, Knee series etc.  For patients who have disability related to spinal issues, it is often best to start the evaluation process with X-Rays.  This provides your treating physician with an accurate blueprint of your spine or other joint region.  With X-rays we can evaluate for degenerative disc disease/ degenerative joint disease>aka spondylosis or arthritis.  X-Rays also allow us to assess for alignment issues which may be affecting your health and causing pain.

Our treatment plans are designed to meet your individual needs. Evidence based research has proven the best outcomes result from the integration of manual joint therapy, soft tissue manual therapy, and functional exercise rehabilitation. Ancillary treatments such as Dry Needling, acupuncture and nutrition are often vital to the success of treatment.

Our focus is conservative physical medicine with a special emphasis on Sports Medicine and human performance. We have advanced training in treating acute and chronic soft tissue injuries. We treat a wide variety of muscle and joint pain syndromes. We treat many conditions involving the extremities and spine, including complex spinal disorders. A list of commonly treated conditions can be seen on this website.

There are different types of arthritis and many benefit from conservative care. For people with garden variety wear and tear degenerative arthritis, often the best approaches it to combine manipulation, movement, and exercise. What we attempt to do is to diagnose faulty movement due to muscle imbalance and poor joint motion. We correct these as best as possible to give you better range of motion and better movement so that you can engage in your activity of recreation or sport pain free. Motion is lotion for the joints.

True, many of our patients are athletes. Our practice is focused around active individuals.  We believe that our role is to be a healthcare and wellness expert and coach and educate our patients to live a better, healthier life.  Many of our patients just want to be able to exercise simply to be fit and to be healthier, a better “corporate athlete”, better able to take care of their family, and generally better able to do the things in life that are important to them.

Athletes and weekend warriors share a common bond, JOINT & SOFT TISSUE INJURIES.   These result from the compounding effects of daily, weekly, monthly, yearly repetitive motion stress we place on our bodies. These joint & soft tissue injuries can prevent normal movement, lead to joint problems and cause painful and impaired movement. Many of the same injuries we see in athletes occur in non-athletes as well. The difference is usually how the injury occurred, but once you have the injury, often times the treatment is the same.

We focus intensely on functional rehab for all our patients, and athletes often receive special focused attention relative to their sport. Regardless of your sport or recreational activity, functional rehab will be a part of your treatment and will help you to move better, stabilize your spine and posture, and allow you to perform your activity of choice at a higher level.

WHAT IS PERFORMANCE CARE?

Performance care allows us to transition patients from active care for an acute/chronic injury.  We move from rehab and rebuilding phases into maintaining optimal performance by managing the stress that compounds daily, weekly etc.  Many of our patients see us on a recurring 2-4 week period to stay on top of their game.  Our role often involves being a lifestyle coach and sports performance and health expert.  This may involve reviewing your exercise programs, sports specific related techniques, eating and sleeping habits etc.  We may check in on someone’s squat or deadlift technique.  We may tweak someone else’s strength training or running program.  We may be aiding someone preparing for an adventure race.  We may be working with a tactical athlete or first responder.  The point is that when we see a person on a frequent basis, we really get to know their body and their movement patterns.  This results in much more effective performance care enabling you to perform at your best, period.