Jennifer McGowan had been a physical therapist for years when she got pregnant with twins. She already had 2 young daughters at home, so she began to realize that continuing to work in an outpatient orthopedic setting where she was responsible for seeing 3 patients per hour would become unbearable after her delivery. She knew she needed to find a way she could spend more time with her kids, treat patients on her terms, and make good money, so she started a cash-based PT practice. As you’ll hear,...
Jun 11, 2020•55 min
Last week, I was interviewed by my friends Alex Engar and Will Boyd of Healthy Funnel. The fun and often funny discussion focused on something I’m incredibly fired up about: How a practice can use online workshops to quickly acquire loads of new patients… BOTH telehealth patients AND in-clinic patients. Thanks to COVID19, I had to temporarily convert my own physiotherapy practice to 100% telehealth visits, and we lost about 50% of our business virtually overnight. The fact we were able to retain...
May 22, 2020•1 hr 4 min
This week marks the launch of my Online Patient Attraction System , a course that teaches you precisely how to create webinars and online workshops that generate loads of telehealth patients for your private practice. So in this episode of the podcast , I’m sharing a segment from the course that walks you through how to create a high-converting presentation script that will ensure your webinar actually does its job of bringing patients into your practice. You’ll learn the strategies that elite s...
May 14, 2020•30 min
In this episode , I explain how you can use Facebook Live events to market your cash-based physical therapy services. Promoting live events to your existing list of contacts is a great followup strategy for increasing reactivations and tune-up sessions and keeping your practice top of mind among discharged patients. You’ll hear tips for deciding if there’s sufficient interest, how to approach scheduling, and how to make sure everything goes smoothly. It’s an extremely quick listen packed full of...
May 11, 2020•9 min
This week’s highlights episode is taken from an interview with Michael Garrett, MD, an Austin-area “direct primary care” physician with a private medical practice near my own cash-based physical therapy clinic in Austin, Texas . As our interview began, we inadvertently recorded a great example of a conversation I like to have with all my physician referral sources. I find it really helps them better understand how my cash-based services can represent a much better value for many of their patient...
Apr 30, 2020•7 min
In this episode, I do a deep dive on how to approach social media marketing for a cash-based physical therapy practice . You’ll learn about constructing compelling ads and targeting them to your ideal customers. And I’ll walk you through how you can determine exactly which ads are effective in bringing enough cash-pay business into your practice. This “highlight” is from a Q&A call with my Mastermind group —a highly interactive, supportive group where people who have tons of questions and co...
Apr 23, 2020•24 min
With all the stresses and fears plaguing many private practice owners right now, I thought this would be a good time to focus on mindset. There are some key components to controlling our mindset that I believe all practice owners should know and be utilizing in these difficult times. To that end, this week’s highlights podcast is taken from two earlier episodes ( CBP #83 and CBP #84 ) I recorded during a frightening, emotional 3 months when my infant son was hospitalized with a life-threatening ...
Apr 08, 2020•23 min
At a time when most business owners are scrambling to keep their business alive in a pandemic and reaching for any low hanging fruit they can manage, it’s those that get truly innovative and creative that will not only survive the pandemic but also become the strongest companies long-term. So I couldn’t think of a better time for this episode with Duncan Wardle, the former VP of Innovation and Creativity for Disney (yes, THE Disney). In this fascinating interview , Duncan walks us through multip...
Apr 02, 2020•51 min
In this week’s podcast, you get to listen in as I give my Mastermind group a detailed Masterclass on getting started with Telehealth services as quickly as possible. This is a must-listen if you’re interested in using telehealth to get your practice through the coronavirus crisis. But before you dive in, if you haven’t already, make sure you download a copy of the free TELEHEALTH QUICKSTART GUIDE … learn exactly how my staff and I set up telehealth in my practice and were performing online physi...
Mar 26, 2020•1 hr 42 min
There isn’t a single private practice that won’t be affected by the Coronavirus pandemic in some way … some may fail, but others will flourish. This episode (and next week’s) are all about providing you with the information I feel will most help practices survive and thrive through all this … This podcast is from a Facebook Live interview I just did this week with Rob Vining, the leading expert on telehealth physical therapy. Rob generously made time in his super-busy schedule to help us learn h...
Mar 19, 2020•1 hr 29 min
In this episode , I discuss the marketing potential in offering promotions for injury prevention services. You’ll learn how to target your campaign toward highly motivated niches, how to craft and deliver effective marketing messages, and how to ensure that the screening visit is designed to create new physical therapy business for your cash-based practice. This “highlight” is from a Q&A call with my Mastermind group —a highly interactive, supportive group where people who have tons of quest...
Mar 12, 2020•22 min
In this highlights episode, Leon Knight explains how he uses Instagram to bring in at least one new patient per week! To some, that may not sound like a lot. But for a small cash-practice, that’s more patient generation via social media than I’ve heard of almost any practice owner doing without paying for ads on Facebook and Instagram (and it still beats most that are paying for ads). In just a couple years, he built a large following for his solo cash practice from seriously humble beginnings—w...
Mar 05, 2020•22 min
Joseph Reinke got his start working in investments. During the runup to the mortgage market meltdown, he noticed that most of the professionals in the field didn’t understand the basics, which led them to take truly absurd risks. He also noticed a segmentation problem in the financial arena that makes it hard for average Americans to get the help they need in order to make good money-related decisions. He saw young people graduating with student loan debt that equals, on average, twice what they...
Feb 27, 2020•1 hr 11 min
In this episode, I explain some of the unexpected benefits your cash-based practice can gain from using a good online booking system. While the convenience to patients is obvious, there are many practice-side benefits that can offset the expense. This one is a really quick listen, with highly targeted information—so if you’ve ever thought about implementing an online booking solution for your cash-based practice, this is definitely worth a few minutes of your time! ( Fullslate is the online book...
Feb 20, 2020•8 min
I’m so excited to share this tool and the fascinating story of how it came to be. It’s not every day a NYC psychiatrist finds himself in the software business, disrupting the insurance and claims industry! When Vatsal Thakkar first opened his own practice, he decided on the cash-based model because he wanted to spend more time with each patient. He found the experience of helping his patients inspiring and “magical” compared with what he saw among many of his in-network colleagues who had to see...
Feb 13, 2020•1 hr 16 min
In this highlights episode, Phil Plisky explains exactly how an insurance-based clinic can generate lots of cash-based revenue by offering wellness-focused screenings and injury-prevention services. He describes precisely how they’ve successfully leveraged injury-prevention screenings to develop a wellness-service niche that patients are happy to pay for out of pocket, even though they are accustomed to using their insurance at that PT practice! This low-risk approach to developing out-of-networ...
Feb 06, 2020•23 min
In 2005, Cody Barnett left his job to open a physical therapy practice because he wanted to be able to provide the kind of care that exceeds patient expectations. For the same reason, he had the intention of structuring the practice as cash-based from the start. However, with limited access to good resources on how to make that succeed, he felt he needed to bolster his cash-pay practice by participating with the two biggest insurance carriers in his market. But after years of fighting with insur...
Jan 30, 2020•1 hr 15 min
In this highlights episode, Eric Oliver explains exactly how he was able to finally start getting traction with the marketing for his fledgling physical therapy clinic. By targeting the niche of endurance athletes in the community, his fully cash-based practice was able to develop a direct connection with a highly motivated market. Eric shares details on what’s worked in his niche, how he gets referrals, and some of the key tricks he’s used to stand out from the competition. This “highlight” is ...
Jan 23, 2020•21 min
This is the first interviewee I’ve had on the podcast who offers single-sessions that cost over $1000! Granted, these are 4-hour sessions, but it was quite impressive to hear how this level of service is sold. When Gina Calderone first started out, she saw herself more as an in-home personal trainer even though she was a licensed physical therapist. As she took on more clients, she soon realized she wanted a dedicated space to work in, and she officially started a cash-based practice in 2004. Ma...
Jan 16, 2020•1 hr 2 min
In this episode, I discuss the rather uncomfortable question often raised by prospective patients—that is, whether you participate with their health insurance plan. Over the years, I’ve found some strategies for making that conversation a whole lot more comfortable. And my approach is quite successful in leading many of the insurance “objectors” to choose my Austin-based physical therapy clinic despite the fact we are out of network. I walk you through this awkward conversation step by step, so ...
Jan 09, 2020•24 min
So here we are in 2020! This past year has been both incredible and incredibly challenging, and I wanted to share my biggest cash-based practice lessons learned and must-have strategies to bulletproof your private practice. Life can throw you curve balls, and if your business doesn’t have the components and foundations I describe in this episode, those curve balls can put you out of business. You’ll hear what’s been going on in my life and how it might have resulted in the collapse of both of my...
Jan 02, 2020•1 hr 1 min
In this highlights episode, Meredith Soelberg and Brooke Mitchell describe their experience as employees in an insurance-based physical therapy practice that had to “weather the storm” of massive reimbursement cuts. The impact of those cuts made it apparent that they’d have to change their business model or face economic ruin. The cash-based practice model seemed to be the obvious solution, so the decision was made to give it a try. Meredith and Brook explain exactly how the transition to cash-b...
Dec 16, 2019•20 min
This is Part 2 of my interview with Brenda Heinecke, who has spent the last 4 years building an incredibly successful pelvic-floor physical therapy practice that’s entirely cash-pay. If you missed Part 1, check it out to hear her tell the remarkable story of how she got a private pay practice started and managed the many challenges along the way. In this episode, we dig into the details of all the marketing efforts that have driven the incredible growth and resilience of Brenda’s niche physical ...
Dec 12, 2019•40 min
Brenda Heinecke knew she wanted to be a physical therapist since high school. She envisioned a peds focus for her career, but once she landed her first job after PT school, she knew it wasn’t a good fit. While looking for another job, she started doing some in-home therapy—and continued that even after she took a full-time job. Within a few months, she rented a small office to see her own patients with the hope of using that as a springboard to her own sports-oriented physical therapy practice. ...
Dec 05, 2019•44 min
In this episode, I share website strategies that will help your cash-based physical therapy practice generate more leads that eventually become paying customers. I provide plain-language explanations of the top three factors that affect how high your site ranks with search engines, so you’ll understand what matters and why. And I explain exactly how to make sure you are performing well in each area. This “highlight” is from a Q&A call I had with my Mastermind group —a highly interactive, sup...
Nov 29, 2019•12 min
After grad school, Joey Salgado found his first job overwhelming and disappointing, as he was required to see 4-5 pts per hour plus the evals that came in. Assorted other jobs that followed all left him similarly unfulfilled, until he finally began to wonder why he chose physiotherapy at all. Eventually he’d had enough. Joey decided to “give up fear for Lent” and start working on his own cash-based practice, a place where he could reignite his passion for physiotherapy and provide the kind of tr...
Nov 21, 2019•1 hr 10 min
In this episode, I answer some of the questions I received on how I market my own cash-based physical therapy practice . I share details on how I started my clinic, what I’ve learned about creating an effective, sustainable web presence, and how we follow up with prospective customers to improve the odds they’ll become patients. This “highlight” is from a full podcast FAQ on going out of network .
Nov 14, 2019•14 min
After watching her employers in an insurance-based practice “drowning and miserable” for 5 years, Alicia Willoughby knew she wouldn’t work in that business model for the rest of her career. She searched for information on the private-pay model, which led her to the Cash-Based Practice Podcast . As she learned more, she began reaching out to others who were succeeding with their cash-pay practices. Finally, she was ready to take the plunge and started her own pre- and post-partum physical therapy...
Nov 07, 2019•57 min
Dr. Carlos Berio shares his strategies for growing a cash practice to include multiple therapists. He candidly discusses the practical considerations of hiring in detail, including approaches to compensation and incentives.
Oct 31, 2019•11 min
During PT school, Greg found a fantastic sports rehab website and set up a clinical rotation with its founder, Joe Heiler. That experience was life changing for Greg. After graduation, he found work as a physical therapist and later decided to start his own cash-based practice part-time. Greg soon found his employment schedule was limiting the growth of his own practice, so he quit his other job and committed to his own business full-time. When presented with the opportunity to take over the spo...
Oct 24, 2019•1 hr 5 min
