Home care physical therapist vs outpatient physical therapist

The differences between home care physical therapists and outpatient physical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a home care physical therapist has an average salary of $71,303, which is higher than the $66,359 average annual salary of an outpatient physical therapist.

The top three skills for a home care physical therapist include patients, home health and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an outpatient physical therapist are patients, physical therapy, and rehabilitation.

Home care physical therapist vs outpatient physical therapist overview

	Home Care Physical Therapist	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$71,303	$66,359
Hourly rate	$34.28	$31.90
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	180,359	119,973
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Master's Degree, 49%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a home care physical therapist do?

A Home Care Physical Therapist provides therapy services defined in treatment plans in residential settings. They work with physicians, case managers, and adjustors. Their patients include accident victims and individuals with disabilities such as heart disease or fractures.

What does an outpatient physical therapist do?

An outpatient physical therapist specializes in diagnosing and treating a patient's movement dysfunction often caused by an illness or injury. Their responsibilities revolve around studying a patient's medical history, performing initial assessments, crafting a specific care and treatment plan, and discussing the extent of treatments with patients and their families. An outpatient physical therapist may also provide advice to families or guardians on how to assist and care for patients at home, prescribe medication, and perform follow-up consultations.

Home care physical therapist vs outpatient physical therapist salary

Home care physical therapists and outpatient physical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Home Care Physical Therapist	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Average salary	$71,303	$66,359
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $107,000	Between $40,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Bridgeport, CT	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Kaiser Permanente	Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.
Best paying industry	Professional	Non Profits

Differences between home care physical therapist and outpatient physical therapist education

There are a few differences between a home care physical therapist and an outpatient physical therapist in terms of educational background:

	Home Care Physical Therapist	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Master's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Social Work
Most common college	Duke University	Boston University

Home care physical therapist vs outpatient physical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between home care physical therapists' and outpatient physical therapists' demographics:

	Home Care Physical Therapist	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 14.8% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between home care physical therapist and outpatient physical therapist duties and responsibilities

Home care physical therapist example responsibilities.

Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Complete documentation and billing for Medicare and Medicaid base on federal and state laws.
Deliver home-based physical therapy services to adult patients with general medical and orthopedic conditions.
Show true sympathy and compassion for optimal results.
Administer manual exercises, massage or traction to relieve pain, increase function and prevent deformity.
Practice specialties with certifications in vestibular rehabilitation and fall prevention.

Outpatient physical therapist example responsibilities.

Facilitate development of coping techniques to manage psychiatric symptoms effectively; educate patients on importance of medication management and compliance.
Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Perform assessments with clients to determine diagnosis and need of services.
Complete intake assessment and formulate diagnosis.
Assist veterans with transportation to interviews.
Provide active case management service for veterans in residential treatment.

Home care physical therapist vs outpatient physical therapist skills

Common home care physical therapist skills

Patients, 35%
Home Health, 24%
Rehabilitation, 13%
Restore Function, 5%
Medicare, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 3%

Common outpatient physical therapist skills

Patients, 23%
Physical Therapy, 17%
Rehabilitation, 11%
Patient Care, 10%
Therapy Services, 5%
Social Work, 5%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Home Care Physical Therapist
Home Care Physical Therapist vs Outpatient Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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