Direct access to physical therapy Published April 17, 2018 By Airman 1st Class Sydney Campbell 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Direct access appointments for physical therapy and the chiropractic office are now available for active duty Airmen through the 2nd Medical Group at Barksdale. This process will allow first time patients with new injuries to see providers sooner. “Customers love it because they no longer need to wait to see their primary care manager,” said Capt. Scott Cheney, 2nd MDG surgical services flight commander. “If they have a muscle, tendon or joint issue and can be seen by us, they will be scheduled. Sometimes patients just want to be seen by someone with musculoskeletal training and we want to be the provider of choice in that instance.” In some cases, patients will still need to be seen by their PCM. “If patients have chronic injuries or have re-injuries, are active duty members in the personal reliability program, arming use of force or flight status, they still need an initial appointment to get a referral to come see us,” Cheney continued. “However, they can still use a direct access appointment if requested by their PCM.” Work flow will increase for the physical therapy office, but Cheney sees this as an opportunity to help more Airmen. “The slight increase in patients won’t overwhelm our case load,” Cheney said. “We treat each patient that comes in through the door as the most important person to us at that time and we will get them the care that they require.” Active Duty members with new injuries may call to make an appointment at 456-6555.