The Fitness Niche - When Rehab is over, fitness programs can boost your practice's cash flow ...continue from page 2 Keep Your Patients You have huge potential for future fitness clients in your discharged physical therapy patients. Patients who have had a positive experience with you in physical therapy may be ready to go on to the next level, which includes avoiding re-injury, preventing a new injury, and improving their overall quality of life through regular exercises. You should easily get a good base of fitness customers from discharged physical therapy patients because they trust you, have established a pattern of coming to your office, and want to remain healthy. I tell discharged patients that joining the fitness program may not be the best thing in the world, but it surely beats coming back with another injury. Direct Access and Referrals We have all heard about physical therapy's struggle for direct access. Well, until that day arrives and the insurance companies are ready to recognize us as a direct entry into the health care field, I have a solution. My direct access comes from my PT-supervised fitness programs. Many people are walking around in pain and they do not know what to do. When they hear about a supervised PT fitness program they say, "Hey, that sounds like a good idea." When they come to my center for a free consultation, I usually tell them one of two things - become a fitness client or go to a medical doctor. This second option is one of the most effective methods for nurturing or maintaining a medical doctor as a referral source. It shows that you respect the physician's practice, gives you access and a reason to call the doctor, and creates the need for the doctor to return the favor in the form of additional referrals. In the majority of cases, the MD evaluates the patient and sends him back to my office for physical therapy. page 1 | page 2 | page 3 | page 4 | page 5 | page 6 The Fitness Niche What's My Sport? A Safer Way to Stronger Abs Weight of Injury The Joint is Jumping Foot Faults Bracers Beware Check back here often for insightful commentaries and advice from the Athletic Physical Therapy Team. Email this page to a friend Further reading Featured next to Stephen Clark's article is a spot light on Pat Croce A Niche Master