How do you know when you need physical therapy?

Starting my own Physical Therapy business and need to know how to get patients?

• I went to school for this and I know about billing but I don't understand the business of getting contracts with doctors and patients.

• Answer:

  The Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association has a lot of good information. They're at http://www.ppsapta.org/ You might also contact the Health Policy & Administration Section. They're at http://www.aptahpa.org/ And if you have any particular focus (pediatrics, geriatrics, etc.), contact the section dealing with that. A link to all the sections is at http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Chapters&Template=/aptaapps/componentsonline/componentsonline.cfm PT Magazine (published by APTA) also has had a lot of articles on getting patients. It's at http://www.apta.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Current_Issue1 Very, very brief overview: A lot of PTs get most of their business from referrals from physicians. That means persuading physicians that they should refer their patients to you. There's a growing trend, though, for PTs to take advantage of direct access and market directly for patients, similar to what chiropractors do. Often, that involves offering niche or specialized programs. For instance, some PTs are heavily into sports activities. They've developed special screening programs for high school athletes, for instance. Or they target a niche market like golfers. Often, in these cases, the PTs are going after cash-based services, rather than those reimbursed by insurance. Check out the sites I listed above. They'll help.