Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Claire Merriman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was 2 years out of my doctoral physical therapy program, working in an outpatient orthopedic clinic when I took my first Herman and Wallace pelvic floor course. I immediately fell in love with the subspecialty. It was such an underserved population and one in which physical therapy could support a huge improvement in quality of life. I immediately reached out to the Hoag Pelvic Health program, a hospital based outpatient pelvic health physical practice in southern California and said ” Please let me know when you are hiring. I will quit my job today.” Amazingly, they were hiring and I was given the incredible opportunity for the next 2 years to receive mentorship and training in a solely pelvic health practice, of which there are not many in the country.
When my husband and I had our first child and moved back to Florida due to his job, I knew that I wanted to create something like that here in Saint Augustine. I wanted to create a Pelvic Health Physical Therapy practice that supported the women of this community in a small, private setting where they could bring their babies or children and access rehab in a way that fit their lifestyle and season of life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think one of the bigger challenges for a cash based practice, meaning one that does not bill any insurance companies is helping people to understand why we take that approach and how it actually benefits them.
Insurance companies do not want to reimburse much for physical therapy and most outpatient practices are forced to cut down the time they cans see patients and limit number of visits and often use devices over manual therapy to minimize the amount of time that a licensesd, skilled physical therapist will be working directly with the patient.
I did not want that for my patients.
I allot 80 minutes to evaluations. Insurance companies would never support that. I want to fully understand the history of the symptoms the person is having, be able to perform a full body, comprehensive evaluation and get into treatment the first day so that they can actually leave feeling better. I want them to know from day 1, what is going on, why it is going on and what are the actionable items that they can use to start healing themselves.
I also want to respect that frequency and duration of physical therapy is not a ” one size fits all” approach. Some patients will benefit from weekly visits, while others will need 2 and then a follow up in 3 months. Or maybe a tune up in 6 months. the paradigm of insurance companies is so at odds with what our body needs or will actually fit into our busy lives.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Merriman Pelvic Health ?
Merriman Pelvic Health is a Pelvic Health Physical Therapy practice serving the women of Saint Augustine. Myself, Dr Claire Merriman and my staff physical therapist Dr Alex DuVal are Physical Therapists with specializations in pelvic health, which means address conditions affecting, bowel, bladder and sexual health as well as pelvic pain.
Within the speciality of Pelvic Health, we specifically are focused on supporting the peri-natal population. We work with pregnant women on addressing issues like urinary leakage, constipation and low back pain. among other things. We teach birth preparation sessions and help optimize the body to support a vaginal delivery through manual therapy as well as breathing and pushing techniques. Additionally, we support postpartum recovery and address and rehab issues such as prolapse, urinary leakage, pain with intercourse and abdominal separation to help women return to active, fit, pain-free lives during and after having children.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Pursue an area you are passionate about because you will always be happy in your career. Women’s Health is really having a moment right now and it’s amazing. There is so much more research and awareness about the conditions affecting women from puberty, the child bearing years through perimenopause, menopause and beyond. Reach out to those doing the work that you see yourself doing and inquire about beginning courses, volunteer opportunities etc. It is a great way to get your foot in the door.
Pricing:
- Evaluation $190
- treatment sessions $150
- Birth Prep Sessions 190
- Postpartum Wellness Checkups $160
Contact Info:
- Website: https://merrimanpelvichealth.com
- Instagram: @merrimanpelvichealth
- Facebook: merriman pelvic health
