Private Practice Owners Club

The importance of the front desk, and the experience that patients have there, can never be overestimated.  Stacey Fitzsimmons  of  Account Matters, Inc.  has witnessed this time and again through her work with PT clinics across the country. Considering that the patient's assessment of your clinic (and not the therapy you provide) could hinge on those interactions, you have to...

Aaron LeBauer, PT, DPT   has successfully opened and coached many out-of-network PT clinics over the past decade. Based on his insight, he believes that in-network providers could do SO MUCH MORE with their marketing and conversions if they took the time and energy to master those aspects like their out-of-network counterparts. In this episode, he joins Nathan Shields  to share what make...

Many people have given up or temporarily set aside their formula for success when the pandemic hit, putting a halt to their professional growth. But even with such a huge obstacle in front of you, should you really stop moving forward? Adam Robin, PT, DPT  is proof that you can achieve your goals even when faced with a pandemic that threatens to derail your business. Adam recognized early in...

What kind of owner would you be if you could address every issue that needed to be addressed with every team member in a timely manner? How would that change your clinic? How would that change the culture? Holding hard conversations doesn't come naturally and takes some work, but it is possible. In this episode, Nathan Shields is with  Jenna Gourlay, PT, DPT  of  Professional Rebell...

In today's episode, Nathan Shields and Matt Slimming, PT, DPT  discuss what owners need to consider when it's "time to hang 'em up," when they're taking advantage of a sale opportunity, or when they're simply burned out. All owners need to consider when and how they want their ownership story to end. There are many different ways to exit your practice, but the first thing to do is consid...

With 15 years of experience as a clinic owner, Beth Winkler has dealt with her fair share of challenges – from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to multiple providers leaving at the same time. Through all of that, Beth and her partner Lisa Taglauer, PTA  have built clinics that thrive and grow on policy, procedure, and a healthy dose of quirky, fun culture. Those foci have allowed Beth...

For many owners making the transition out of (some) patient care and into more management/administration is a huge hurdle but one that, once they experience it, leads to more growth as a company. Jacob Pollard, PT  has made that transition and has now taken the NEXT step. Now, instead of him being the go-to guy for all questions, the resolver of all problems he has developed a leadership team...

Whether you’re an owner or employee, you’ve probably experienced burnout in your job – that state of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, lack of accomplishment or growth that hits even the best among us. In this episode, Nathan Shields is joined by Professional Rebellion  cofounder, Phil Plisky  to discuss why we tend to feel that way and what can be done if and when we're at that p...

Much has been said about the importance of maintaining engagement with your patients in order to avoid drop-offs and comebacks after discharge. However, how to run an extensive program like that could be a difficult hurdle for owners to overcome. Thus they either don't make the effort or the program they start loses steam. That's where an automated engagement platform like Swell  can min...

Despite the impressive results physical therapists deliver in their procedures, the realm of social media marketing is still foreign to them. Most of them commit so many mistakes when connecting with patients, leading to poor retention, higher self-discharge rates, and overall decreased clinic productivity. Nathan Shields aims to help his colleagues level up their online marketing game by sitting...

It’s not something you hear of every day, but many physical therapists collaborate with certified athletic trainers (ATCs) inside their clinics. Jim Stoker, PT  is back on the show with Nathan Shields to share with us his secret for a more effective utilization of ATCs. From his 25+ years of experience working with ATCs in the past, he has found a way to use them in a way that is collabo...

Steve Line, PT  has spent plenty of time and $$ on all of the different marketing tactics over the years, and has made his share of mistakes along the way. Based on his experiences he shares his insight on the basics of marketing and the need to understand the different audiences and messages that are needed for a successful marketing strategy. What worked five years ago doesn't work now.&nbs...

Business goals usually look and sound good when written on a piece of paper or hung in the office, but most of the time, they are easier said than done. By putting an effective workplace culture in place, these goals can be brought nearer to reality. Nathan Shields talks to Jim Stoker, PT, advisor for 8150 Advisors , about the importance of nurturing employee relationships, frequent company meetin...

Over the past three months,  Dr. Avi Zinn, PT , the owner of  Druid Hills Physical Therapy , has made some big moves. He’s hired a new PT, signed on for another year of consulting, and switched his coach. He also continued to refine his processes with a new Prompt EMR and a new billing company. Thus, he has continued to grow his practice and has not had to step back into treating or be p...

Brandon Buehler, PT  is routinely asked, "What is the secret to your success, especially in a difficult PT market like California?” To that question, he responds that he keeps his focus on truly living their practice’s purpose and values, and infuses those into discussions and staff meetings. He joins Nathan Shields to explain how this enabled them to establish a team culture that has grown f...

Our job as leaders is to provide a foundation upon which our employees can be successful. Sitting down with Nathan Shields for this interview,  Dee Bills, PT  shares how we can create that foundation, as well as the benefits of doing it. It takes some time, but clinics can see a significant increase in profits by taking the extra time our teams need to train them to be successful. Now, w...

No matter how good you are at physical therapy, there is one thing that will turn your patients into raving fans or active detractors, and that is the service they receive from your team. Customer service is probably something most owners would consider an inherent plus in their clinics, but how often do they take the time to train, role-play, and focus on improving the customer experience? If it’...

There are many statistics that an owner COULD track, but which are more important than others? In this episode, Nathan Shields’ guest,  Craig Ferreira  of  Survival Strategies, Inc ., answers that question based on his greater than 35 years in the physical therapy industry. Not only does he share the key stats to track, but he has also developed software to track, graph, and project...

What are you willing to tolerate in your business? Substandard performance, misaligned team members, limited time to focus on your business, sacrificing family time for work, unprofitable company structure – these are all barriers to our goals. But they can only limit us and continue to do so for as long as we tolerate them. Inspired by Jocko Willink’s quote in the book, Extreme Ownership: “….ther...

Angie McGilvrey, PT of Apex PT had the opportunity, after a hurricane shut down her clinic in Florida for a prolonged period (sound familiar?), to revamp her clinic and create her ideal scene. One of the things she committed to when she opened back up was greater usage of social media to market her clinic and attract her ideal clientele – female athletes between 30-40 years of age. By focusing tar...

There is no perfect formula for growing and expanding your PT business, but as with most other industries, the way to learn is to look at those who have been there and succeeded. Jeff Ostrowski, PT is an owner/partner of 35 clinics across SE Pennsylvania, starting from a single clinic 30+ years ago. Over the years he has taken on partners, added more clinics, expanded existing clinics, and merged...

After doing 100+ episodes and interviews with successful PT owners and industry leaders, Nathan Shields has recognized some commonalities between their actions which have led to their success. On this episode, he decides to share those secret actions they take (which aren’t so secret) which, if all owners did regularly, would make them successful as well. As a bonus, he brings back Will Humphreys,...

Steve Anderson, PT has owned clinics and managed a large PT organization in his past. Thus, he’s primed to expound on the challenges that owners face when they own and manage multiple clinics. Although the thought of expansion is exciting, it takes a different level of leadership and management from the owner(s). In this episode, Steve joins Nathan Shields as they cover some of the key aspects to...

Are you 100% confident that you are collecting every dollar your clinic has worked for? Frequent flyer and CEO of In The Black, Will Humphreys , joins Nathan Shields to challenge owners that any answer other than “yes” is a fatal flaw in your business. He then gives out two more fatal flaws often made in billing and collections that keep you from maximizing your profit. Furthermore, Will shares a...

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down, forcing many of us to leave behind our old ways and adapt to the new norm. Speaking for those in the PT industry as we are in the thick of it, Nathan Shields takes us into his follow-up episode with  Avi Zinn, PT, DPT, OCS , the owner of  Druid Hills PT . Here, we get the chance to see how Avi worked through the COVID-19 pandemic, h...