Although it may seem obvious what your physical therapy patients want from your business (to feel better or heal after an injury), there is more that goes into giving your patients exactly what they’re looking for. With so much competition in the PT industry, it’s extremely important to go above and beyond for your patients.
So, what is it your patients are looking for in PT other than rehabilitation?
Shorter appointment times
Before you start screaming at your screen about how you won’t sacrifice great care to treat more patients – that’s not where this is going! This isn’t about decreasing appointment times in order to treat more patients, this is about offering something your patients WANT (and does NOT take away from their care).
It’s not YOU, it’s them. Your patients are busy. They have jobs, families, social events, etc. Physical therapy can often become a lower priority for a patient if he/she has a busy schedule. So where is the sweet spot? Hint: Treating patients on 40-minute blocks is the most effective scheduling method. Over 10,000 hours of research went into determining this methodology and it does NOT sacrifice patient care. Click here to speak with an advisor and learn more about this scheduling methodology.
Wellness products
Many of your patients are going home after appointments and ordering products like bands, ice packs, orthotics and more. They [sort of] know what they should purchase, but they may not know which brand is best or exactly how to use the product. Or maybe they aren’t purchasing these products elsewhere, but you KNOW they would greatly benefit from using these at home.
Offering a “retail store” in your practice is something your patients want because they will be able to get their products at the time of their appointments (again, saving time and adding convenience). They’ll also be able to ask you questions about the products and gain more insight than they would from ordering online.
Preventative services
Patients have changed in the last few years. Your patients are becoming more health conscious. Younger generations are especially looking for preventative measures they can take to avoid future health issues. Prevention is the future of physical therapy. Prevention is a perfect way to delight your current patient base and attract more direct access patients.
Two examples of preventative services include medically-based fitness and balance therapy. Your competition may already be offering these services and stealing your patients. A lot goes into adding either of these services, and it will be difficult for you to implement on your own while treating in your practice.
To learn more about how you can implement preventative services, provide retail products and improve your scheduling, click here to see FYZICAL’s Resources.
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