Physical Therapy Business Tips
October 14, 2024
If you’re like most practice owners, understanding how to increase physical therapy referrals might be the biggest barrier to the success of your business. Between the current economy, steep competition, and the expanding role of tech in your business, it’s easy to feel lost.
So how can you increase your physical therapy referrals, and among all the noise, what strategies are worth your time?
Don’t worry, because in this article we’re going to cover 9 tips on how to increase physical therapy referrals for your practice, boost your bottom line, and thrive in today’s market.
There are plenty of ways for practice owners to increase their physical therapy referrals in today’s market, including the use of patient referral programs, building relationships with local doctors, using physical therapy management software, leveraging online reviews, hosting lunch and learns, joining local organizations, and becoming a known expert.
That’s a lot of ideas to digest at once, so let’s unpack each of these tips individually to help you make decisions about which are most relevant and valuable for the needs of your practice.
In today’s world of competitive digital marketing, it can be easy to forget the power of word-of-mouth referral from somebody you trust. A patient referral program rewards your current clients for recommending your services to their friends and family, and while your reach will be much smaller compared to an online ad, the conversion rate will be much higher.
For example, consider telling every patient that successful discharges from your practice in good spirits that if they recommend your practice to friends, family, or coworkers in need of physical therapy, you’ll give them a free service in return. Free services could include a 30-minute check-in assessment, exercise sessions, or even manual therapy.
Just like how good relationships with your clients are vital to the success of your practice, collaborating and building relationships with local doctors is a big deal for those wondering how to increase physical therapy referrals. That’s because most people don’t know they have the option of going straight to physical therapy without a physician referral, so the majority of your clients will be seen by their primary care doctor and referred out from there. Unfortunately, this can lead to patients being sent to sub-par practices that are getting by solely on name recognition.
Taking the time to meet and greet with local doctors gives you an opportunity to be the first practice that’s thought of when referring patients to a physical therapy provider and give those patients great care that might otherwise be left to chance. Don’t be shy about your expertise, methods, and services, because other providers want to know if you’re a good fit for the patient populations they see.
Although good people skills and the ability to work with your hands are often considered essential for physical therapy practice owners, the technology that you use can make or break your ability to scale your business and crack the code on how to increase physical therapy referrals. Physical therapy management software is software that’s built specifically for practice owners to optimize their efficiency, revenue, and client engagement.
As one of the leading physical therapy and client referral software options available, ClinicSense offers a host ofpowerful and intuitive features designed for physical therapists to get more done in less time. If you’re ready to level up your practice but aren’t sure where to start, you can get a free trial of ClinicSense right now to explore the features available to you.
Other providers and clinics are far more likely to refer patients to your practice if you have a collection of positive reviews from your clients to display. Online reviews can live anywhere, but having them available on your ownwebsite, Google, and your social media pages are often the most effective answer to how to increase physical therapy referrals.
The best way to accumulate online reviews is to ask your patients for them while you’re seeing them. For even more visibility, focus on getting Google Reviews, which can increase the visibility of your clinic to other local physicians. Just make sure to ask your clients for their permission to share their reviews if you’re planning on publishing them anywhere other than where they originally posted them.
Most local physicians and healthcare providers are busy managing their daily schedule, making lunch and learns a great opportunity to network and share your expertise. Depending on the needs of both parties, you might host an expert at your practice, or be the expert going to someone else’s. Either way, it’s a win-win!
For example, you could host a local specialist at your practice to talk about their expertise and the services they provide to the community, which can benefit your patients. Conversely, you can reach out to local clinics and offer to talk about what types of patients you see and what services you provide for them, which can lead to new referral sources.
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Although owning your own practice can be a solo endeavor, you don’t always have to do it alone. Local organizations for healthcare providers, practice owners, and physical therapists can all be great ways to make new connections and simplify how to increase physical therapy referrals.
Physical therapy associations are one of the best ways to find new referral sources because they help connect you with other like-minded people who do the same work as you. With over 115,000 members combined, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) are great ways to meet other physios from all areas of practice.
Although there are many local chapters of the APTA and CPA, you may consider traveling to a larger quarterly or annual conference. These conferences are an easy way to find new referral sources by attending networking events, talks, and business lunches that can connect you with other practice owners.
Another great but lesser known answer to the question of how to increase physical therapy referrals is by participating in physical therapy speaking engagements for community events, local hospitals, or health clubs. If you struggle with traditional public speaking, podcasts are a great option to make your voice heard without having to do it in front of a crowd.
For example, if you’re an expert on soccer injuries, see what events are coming up in your community for local sports teams and leagues, then reach out to the organizers to discuss speaking opportunities. You might be surprised at how powerful just recognizing your name and face can be for increasing physician referrals to your practice.
Like it or not, social media platforms are changing how physical therapy practices thrive and grow in today’s market. Posting helpful content on social media platforms like exercise videos or lifestyle tips is an effective way to not just to engage referring providers in your area, but also engage potential patients who will have you top-of-mind when their primary care doctor recommends physical therapy.
When posting on social media, remember to keep your content authentic and relatable for your followers. After all, the most important thing is helping them imagine what treatment would be like at your practice, and how it could be better than anywhere else.
Keeping in touch with current patients is a great way to stay relevant, share your expertise, and announce new services. As one of the most effective ways to keep in touch with your clients, email newsletters should be top-of-mind for physical therapy practice owners who want to increase their referrals.
While your newsletters aren’t as likely to reach local physicians and other referral sources compared to your potential future clients, email newsletters make your practice the first thing that comes to mind when patients receive their PT prescription. Just as important, newsletters nurture relationships with your past patients and remind them of your services.
Whether you’re planning an email newsletter, working to get more reviews for your practice, or just trying to finish your notes faster so that you can spend more time building your practice, ClinicSense is an all-in-one physical therapy software that’s empowering physical therapy practice owners to optimize and grow their businesses easier than ever before.
Interested in trying ClinicSense for yourself? You can get a SOAP notes free trial right now to start simplifying your practice and boosting your physical therapy referrals.
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