Support for multiple clinic locations

If your business spans more than one clinic, you can now better present them on your website.

Using your Admin Console, you can add as many clinic locations as you have. Your website will then have an auto-generated “Locations” page which will list them nicely. You can even include a description or a Google Map for each. It will also include links to your appointment request and enquiry forms, as well as Google Maps driving instructions to each clinic location.

Your appointment request and enquiry forms will also feature a dropdown menu, from which a visitor may select their preferred clinic to send their enquiry.

Extra menus for you

If you have loads of your own pages on your website, you may need more room across the top to fit everything.

As an option, we can enable a secondary menu in the sidebar for your added pages. Speak with us about setting this up for you.

Pushing your website’s limits

Have you ever wondered how to include some really cool stuff in your sidebar? For example a Facebook fan list with pictures, or an audio player? Maybe you’ve found an online chat service and want to include that in your website?

Now this is all possible. Just talk with us about your idea and we can help make it happen.

Improved Console

We’ve overhauled the process for you to add and manage your own pages. Now you don’t need to bother with sections and pages – you simply do it all via one “Add page” button.

Blind pages

Your Console now enables you to create “blind pages”. These are pages that are not found via any menus on your website. To get to these pages, the visitor must know the full URL (page address).

Why is this good? Well, it enables things like offer pages, which can only be reached by clicking on a link you provide in a newsletter. It also enables pages that are targeted for special keywords to assist in search engine optimisation, without cluttering up your menus.

Improved URL structure for your pages

We’ve overhauled your pages’ URLs. For example:
http://demo.physiopulse.com.au/pt-website/view/content/your-own-pages

Now becomes:
http://demo.physiopulse.com.au/content/your-own-pages

With some clients’ websites this will make a huge change. This will not only make your URLs more readable, but assist with search engine optimisation.

• Finding and keeping patients.
• Managing clinic expenses.
• Ensuring healthy monthly cash flow and marketing the business.

However, after working one too many twelve hour days, you begin to wonder if private practice was the right decision. After all, was guaranteed hours, a steady flow of patients without effort and a regular paycheque all that bad? Whatever happened to that work-life balance you kept hearing about?

Before feeling too sorry for yourself, take stock of your accomplishments as a business entrepreneur to date and take pride in being able to combine your physiotherapy skills with them. Yes, the process of building a viable clinic is stressful, full of twists and turns. Yet, this is what it takes to lay the foundation for long-term private practice success and ensure that hundreds (thousands, perhaps?) of patients get the health care they richly deserve.

So, what are some steps to pursue in order to gain better control of your business affairs, without compromising the quality of your physiotherapy services? Here are some easy suggestions that, if implemented properly, can make a big difference:

1. Access the best information sources available

• Government departments for taxation, small business and labour information.
• Your physiotherapy association or order for professional development, quality practice and marketing advice.
• GPs, former public sector colleagues, university mentors and other PT owners who are willing to share experiences that may prove invaluable.

2. Why not get a partner and/or some employees?

Being a solo act sounds adventurous and has some appeal. However, it usually takes a team of people to really make it against cutthroat competition. Perhaps you can find a physiotherapist with complementary skills – or similar ones if you are looking to specialise – willing to share an equity stake in your practice. Beyond partnerships, maybe you can hire some well-rounded physios to broaden your clinic’s appeal and reach.

3. Don’t do it all yourself! Delegate tasks to other people

Physiotherapists in private practice will often assume even the most minute of tasks themselves, believing that only they can do things the right way. While admirable to some extent, the reality is that nobody succeeds by themselves. While people like Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) are entrepreneurial geniuses, the fact is it took millions of hours and brain power from thousands of people to grow their companies and others like them.

Your private practice may be of smaller scale, but the same principle applies. Consider outsourcing basic tasks like telephone call management, janitorial services and some information technology to free up more time for your real passion – helping people.

The key is managing expectations, especially your own. The goals you set at the start of your business odyssey will dictate how ambitious you should be once your “solopreneurship” stage plateaus. Reach out to people who have been where you want to go to achieve the next level.

Growing your practice beyond the survival phase is exciting, but it still must be managed with care and diligence. Therefore, when taking on your first employees, it’s important to deal with the following issues beforehand:

1. Permission to pay employees and withhold taxes and benefit amounts on their behalf

Initially, there may be some nervousness and scepticism prior to cutting your employees’ first paycheque. Therefore, make sure that you deal with the appropriate government department to fill out forms that allow you to pay them and withhold taxes. Similarly, new employees will probably have to help fill out a Tax Declaration form to make things official.

2. Pension and superannuation obligations

Pension plans (superannuation) are a recognised method to guarantee citizens adequate income support upon retirement. In many countries, employers are required to contribute a fixed percentage of an employee’s annual earnings into a retirement savings plan (401K in U.S., RRSP in Canada, Superannuation in Australia).

3. Satisfying minimum working condition requirements

Unlike the time you were a physiotherapy freelancer working on your own, becoming an employer necessarily brings your private practice under various types of labour legislation. Nobody doubts that you will be anything else than a model employer, however certain minimal standards must be noted:

• Maximum hours of work: Usually 35-40 hours weekly with reasonable overtime expectations.
• Flexible work arrangements: Employees who are parents of children under school age or faced with other difficult life circumstances should expect reasonable accommodation.
• Parental leave: up to 12 months unpaid leave for every employee, plus a right to request an additional 12 months unpaid leave, plus other forms of maternity or paternity-related leave.
• Annual leave: 3-4 weeks paid leave annually; an additional week for some shift workers.
• Public holidays: Paid days off for public holidays, unless duties demand work on any or all these specific days.
• Notice of termination, redundancy pay: 4-5 weeks’ notice of termination (based on experience) and up to 16 weeks redundancy pay.

In many jurisdictions, employers are required to inform staffers of their rights by providing appropriate government documentation, even when your employment contract’s provisions exceed its requirements.

4. Taxes on fringe benefits

Fringe benefits (e.g. travel or clothing allowance, gym membership, etc.) are used to improve an employee’s compensation package beyond salary and wages. Still, most countries impose taxation rules based on the value of these benefits.

5. Employee record-keeping

Keep note of the following:

• Employee timesheets and regular pay slips with details (dates, time worked and amounts paid).
• Record of pension (superannuation) payments made on behalf of employees; note special reporting requirements that apply to contributions made as fringe benefits, salary alternatives, etc.
• Employment contract stating the starting and termination dates.
• Unused leave available to employees.

After getting through the bureaucratic maze to set up the above requirements, take a few weeks to work out any issues with new staffers to ensure that both sides understand what is expected of them. If things work out with your present clinic and revenue continues to grow, you may want to add another clinic, either on your own our by partnering with other clinic owners. Always consult your accountant or legal adviser.

Today however, even small local businesses – physiotherapy practices included – must tap into the power of personal brand recognition to differentiate themselves from the competition and encourage long-term patient loyalty.

What does it take for a physiotherapy practice to build a winning brand?

1. Define your core values as a physiotherapist and entrepreneur

Reinforce personal values and solid business principles as stated in your original business plan. During the early stages of your private practice business, stick to what made you successful as an employed physiotherapist. Then add to your branding by incorporating your beliefs about ethical business practices, i.e.:

• Special skills like treatment of sports injuries or physiotherapy for seniors.
• Premium emphasis on customer service.
• Respecting your patients’ budget without compromising your fee structure.

These branding values will serve as your clinic’s anchor moving forward.

2. Align your values with patients’ essential needs

Answer the questions:

• What do your patients want?
• How your services and skill set can meet these requirements.

Ideally, all your core values will match up perfectly with a healthy list of patients. However, after a few months or years, you may need to make adjustments. It’s all about meeting your patients’ goals and proving to them that you have indeed met these goals.

3. Reinforce your branding in all internal and external actions

Consistently communicate your brand values to both patients and staff alike. Performance and price alone will not guarantee repeat business; positively positioning your practice as a reliable health centre can make a difference. Consider these elements of your physiotherapy toolkit:

• Your physiotherapy clinic’s name.
• Website presence.
• Your clinic layout.
• Employee dress code, professional conduct.
• Point of contact consistency (i.e. phone calls, letters, stationary, emails, faxes).
• Logo design.
• Advertising messages.

Never forget that the branding concept keeps your business on people’s minds continually. Building and maintaining a private practice brand should be a lifelong passion and commitment for you. Not only will patients thank you for helping them recover from physical injury on site, but they will retain a positive image of the overall experience.

This issue, if not handled properly, will have serious repercussions on your business success, regardless of the size of your practice. A physiotherapist who is trying to get his practice off the ground must take special care not to ignore and alienate those precious early calls. Similarly, an established clinic cannot afford to brush off current patients or new inquires. In both these cases, neglecting your patients’ calls is unprofessional and can easily drive people in to your competitors’ clinics.

Call management duties at your practice comes down to two distinct choices:

• An automated solution like voice mail to collect patient requests to be acted on later.
• A human solution, i.e. you or a dedicated receptionist handling first contact, appointment follow-ups, etc.

Let’s consider voice mail for your practice. The importance of frontline contact cannot be underestimated, so if you aren’t able to answer calls personally, the message heard by the patient must be welcoming enough for them to leave a message. Here are some basic messaging tips:

• Keep your welcome message short. Your patients are busy like you and will be annoyed with clichéd phrases like “I’m not available right now; please leave a message after the tone.”
• Avoid telephone tag; ask callers to specify the best time to return their calls.
• Plan out your message properly and practice saying it like a trained speaker. Consider hiring a professional to record the final product.

Conversely, an administrative professional trained to handle patient calls may be a solid option for your practice. By speaking with a comforting human voice, patients will be reassured that there calls are important. The receptionist will also be able to pass on crucial information immediately (e.g. emergency phone numbers to immediately reach you or one of your colleagues).

So what’s the best solution? Ideally, you would be able to answer all your calls. However, the nature of your physiotherapy work and management demands at least some type of automated service. If hiring a full-time receptionist is out of the question at the present time, consider outsourcing at least part of your call management to a dedicated voice mail service that offers call redirection, hotline and/or virtual personal assistant (VPA) solutions. These are cheap and effective.

Harnessing the Digital Superhighway to Grow Your Practice!

It’s a fact. If you’re not on the Internet, you simply don’t exist. Gone are the good ol’ days when having a tiny Yellow Pages advertisement would cause the phone to ring off the hook. Today, if you have an outdated website or worse, no web presence at all then you’ll struggle to keep yourself busy and your appointment book full.

If you need clients, you need a website. A good website will help you to establish your credibility and superiority to your business competitors. In this day and age when people have a problem, say a sore neck, they wiggle their fingers on their computer or mobile phone and ‘Google’ it to find the answers. Go ahead, Google “physiotherapist” + your suburb. Does your website show up at the top of the search results, or does a competitor? If your website doesn’t exist, who do you think will end up booking this new client?

If you have no web presence or cannot be easily found online, and your competitors are just the click of a button away, then they could end up with all of your potential business. Ouch! That would hurt your bottom line and create unnecessary and unwanted holes in your booking schedule.

This is why you should establish a solid web presence immediately. It will help you to grow your practice, book yourself solid and simplify your life. A good website can help you do that.

What makes an effective physiotherapy clinic website

The internet is like a buffet restaurant serving endless variety and choice. Having a website will ensure that your business is on the ‘menu’. Of course, you want to do more than just sit on the digital menu. You want your website to take your practice to the next level. Here are some useful points and ideas to help your website do just that.

Business websites: The basics

Your website is your public business card (and much more). Everything a potential client wants to know about your business should be accessible here. As a minimum, your site must include:

• Your address and phone number, and instructions for getting to your clinic. Consider inserting a Google Map so people can find you with ease.
• Business hours. If you are ready to accommodate your patients out of regular clinic business hours, make sure to highlight it on your site, as the ability to take after hours appointments could set you apart from your competitors.
• A prominent enquiry form and a means of easily requesting appointments will reassure a patient that you value their time and care about their business.
• Communicate what makes you different to, or better than the other physiotherapists in your area. Do you offer any specialist treatments or sophisticated equipment that is uncommon in your field? Promote it.
• Display your rates, special discounts, deals and promotions.
• Your website should also have a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs), full of commonly asked questions so as to assist potential clients and save you time.

A good website can improve customer loyalty

Your physiotherapy clinic offers important services that can positively affect patients’ health. Why not combine videos with informative content on your site? You can educate viewers about their body and how regular treatment can help them regain movement and function following an injury. Or perhaps how physiotherapy can enhance health and wellbeing. By posting interesting and educational content on your website you will be positioning yourself as a credible source of expert information. Quality content, such as videos and articles can increase traffic to your site, including potential patients. And who doesn’t want to book an appointment with an expert in their field?

Content is king!

On the internet content is king. Your website should be regularly updated with fresh, current and engaging content. If the content has not been updated in six to twelve months, what reason are you giving people to visit your website again? Unless you are a gifted writer then you will probably struggle in this department. It is important to make the website browsing experience simple and the content easy to find and read. That’s where a quality web developer can assist. Remember, internet users’ attention spans are as short as a mouse–click these days!

You only get one first impression

Use your website to enhance and complement your business branding. Research suggests that the human eyes associate colours, shapes and forms to a certain experience and store it in the memory (often permanently!) – so be sure to use your logo and colours consistently. Your website is an important extension of your physical clinic, so ensure your page layout is clean and design looks professional.

Avoid animation and audio that starts automatically when viewers click onto a page. Not only are they irritating, but they date a website quickly. A professional design, consistent branding and text formatting teamed with a light background should help you make the best first impression possible to your prospective clientele.

Keep it current

If information on your website is not accurate or up to date, it will do more harm than good, giving internet browsers a negative impression of your business. Be diligent with your website. Every time your prices change , a new service is added, there is an alteration to your trading hours, you introduce a new offer or promotion, be sure to update that information on your website too.

If you want the freedom of updating your website and content yourself then talk to your web developer about Content Management Systems (CMS). However, many CMS packages are too complicated for the average person to manoeuvre, so make sure you get the right package that makes your life easier, and doesn’t stress you out. Alternatively, ensure your web guy is friendly and happy to handle your requests for help.

Embrace new technology

Old news: The internet is here and it’s here to stay! It’s time you embrace it, but don’t copy what your competitors are already doing. Try new strategies and see what works best for you. Perhaps try creating e–newsletters, internet–based promotional offers or connecting with clients through social media. Stuck for ideas? A good and reliable web developer will help you turn the often–intimidating process of developing a website and marketing your practice into your secret advantage without making you jump through hoops!

Stay “human” with a blog

A blog is an online journal that you can update with fresh news, ideas and thoughts about your practice, staff or anything of your choice. It is a great way to communicate with clients, both prospective and current more personally and build customer loyalty to your clinic. A blog can give you an air of approachability and transparency in your business practices as well as humanising your online presence – qualities which are much appreciated in the digital era! Having a blog is a great way to let clients get to know you, the personality behind the business and establish yourself as a knowledgeable expert. Your web developer will happily guide you in designing a blog and can help you get started.

Get a professional – it generally costs less!

As you can see, there are a lot of elements at play in order to create an effective website, so please, for your clinic’s sake, resist the temptation of accepting your nephew’s offer to build it from his bedroom. The financial benefits of a well–presented, professionally designed website will far outweigh the cost of hiring a professional. Professionals will be able to not only produce an effective website, but will give you all the advice and direction you need to harness the internet to your biggest advantage.

When looking for someone to build your website, ensure they understand you and your business. Check their portfolio, testimonials and references – spending a short time doing due diligence will save you headaches and frustration down the track.

Remember, you are in the physiotherapy business. You don’t need to be an expert at everything-web. Leave it in the hands of an IT professional so that you can concentrate on the more important things: Your patients and your business.

By hiring a qualified and experienced web developer to help you build a solid web presence you will be able to harness the power of the internet to enable you to simplify daily procedures, increase appointments and run a more successful practice!

By: Yalcin Yilmaz. PhysioPulse is a leader in website creation, management and marketing for physiotherapy private practice businesses. Visit www.physiopulse.com.au or call toll free on 1300 30 60 75 for more information.

However, all businesses – physiotherapy clinics included – thrive by retaining customers (patients). It’s well understood that finding new patients is a painstaking task; therefore practice owners should do everything possible to encourage people to keep them in mind for follow-up treatment and future physiotherapy needs. With respect to websites, this means placing a greater emphasis on value-added communication and special membership concepts.

Memberships are often a core feature of a dynamic, interactive physiotherapy website. Offered to existing and potential patients as well as the general public for free, they allow clinic owners to provide specialised information about services, various medical issues and physiotherapy itself. Members can be given special access to particular areas of your website, receive special offers and regular newsletters.

Membership sites encourage subscribers to contribute ideas, content suggestions and opinions about how you can do better. Just think about it, advice for free from paying customers! This type of online interaction will separate you from less proactive practices. Patients and others will appreciate your out-of-clinic interest in their recuperation and encourage ‘word of mouth’ referrals.

Of course, website communication is not limited to memberships. As mentioned earlier, newsletters can be used to personalise your relationship with subscribers. Use them to supplement your in-clinic treatment with follow-up advice and appointment reminders. Other communications options include:

• E-mail broadcasting: Communicate information of common interest to all patients (e.g. offers, thank-you notes, new staff appointments, weekend and holiday schedules, etc.)
• Blogging: Simple way for using writing skills to gain followers and encourage business. Needs disciplined planning and commitment.
• On-page comments: visitors can voice their opinions about any content page that they feel strongly about. Other visitors (or you, as the website owner can contribute replies to develop a valuable online channel)
• Direct enquiries: Patients e-mail questions, treatment updates and concerns.

Private practices need all the advantages they can get to grow their patient base and stay viable in a business climate chock full of medical options for citizens. By exploiting website communications to the maximum, your clinic can securely maintain a presence in patients’ lives.

Unfortunately, your Internet presence can be a double-edged sword. Yes, a well-designed website that is updated on a regularly with quality, relevant content can be a tremendous asset, provided that it is targeted at the right audience. However, a poorly designed, outdated website is a massive liability, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of potential patients looking for real help with various injuries.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression…

Ask your administrator to track your website’s performance over a thirty or sixty day period. Are you getting appointments through the website? Anecdotally, ask patients and colleagues about their impressions of the site and what can be done to improve it. Once a consensus is reached, think about making changes, up to and including a complete rebuild if necessary.

Why would you consider a website, especially if your practice seems relatively healthy? Here are some compelling reasons:

• Get good placement on Google and other leading search engines when prospects look for services in your area.
• Become a “go-to” source of physiotherapy and health related information for visitors.
• Maximise repeat visits by ensuring existing patients don’t forget about you.
• Use your website as your “salesperson”.
• Use your website as a public communications hub.
• Don’t be left behind in eyes of prospects, by your competitors who have websites.
• Help relieve various tasks such as offering patient intake forms and appointment requests online.

Revamping your website yourself is akin to being pennywise and pound foolish. Your efforts are worthy, but you are a physiotherapist not a website designer, developer or marketer. Investigate the field and find specialists who have a background in physiotherapy websites. Thanks to proper due diligence and clear instructions for your designer from the start, you should expect the following:

• Your website will be successfully promoted and you will increase your search engine rankings.
• Website will have a more focused design and be highly usable by visitors.
• Visitors to your website will spend more time learning about your clinic and more self-referred patients will find you.
• Your appointments will increase.
• Improved communications.
• Ability to easily try new technologies and ideas with your website.
• You will spend less time chasing help or getting your site updated, and more time with your patients and business.

Physiotherapy websites are an important marketing weapon for practices looking to position their business against established clinics and upstarts alike. Make sure that you invest the necessary time and effort insuring that the end result helps, not hurts, the bottom line. Contact us to get started.

One traffic strategy that your website designer may suggest is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), a method of improving visibility in popular search engines via “natural” or “organic” (i.e. unpaid) search results.

Your private practice website’s main goal is to dominate physiotherapy-related searches in the local area. Unlike global and even national corporations, which must necessarily appeal to a wide cross-section of interests, you have the luxury of focusing your pitch to a limited patient base without jeopardizing your business’ viability. A permanent “Top Ten” placement in Google or Google Maps with the search phrase “Essendon physiotherapy” (that is, if you are located in or around Essendon) informs web surfers that you are in the vicinity and prepared to meet their treatment demands.

It’s crucial to be precise about your business goals and offer any insights from market research regarding competition, demographics etc. to your website provider. Even a start-up clinic can draw solid attention and new patients with the right combination of style, strategy and SEO. It does not hurt to occasionally fine tune or freshen up your message, either.

Winning search engine strategies will make your physiotherapy website a relevant part of your marketing mix. Be assured that while you are occupied with the frontline tasks of patient care and private practice administration, an optimised website is working for you at all time to enhance your reputation and bottom line. Speak with us to get a website optimised for best search engine marketing strategy to suit your business.

Download the press release here.

A big “thank you” goes out to everyone who stopped by to have a chat. We held a raffle draw for a new PhysioPulse website with free setup and free 6 months of service (total value approx USD$1100). The winner (as drawn at the event) was SOS Physical Therapy, Massachusetts – congratulations!

The event proved to be very valuable for us, well worth the long trip; first of many to the US. We look forward to meeting more North American businesses in future events.

Quite a load, to be sure, but reality is that the most successful physiotherapy clinics are those that know how to market their business. It’s no longer enough to have the best university grades, greatest staff and a superior skill set, although these core elements will always remain important. In today’s challenging health care environment where patients (clients) are more demanding than ever, you must use cutting-edge marketing tools and savvy to keep them coming and coming back.

With the rise of the Internet as an educational and search tool, it behoves your private practice to maintain a unique presence on the Web. Having a physiotherapy-specific marketing website gives you an opportunity to differentiate your clinic from competitors, bring in motivated, “self-referred” patients and keep lines of communication open with current patients and prospects.

Consider some specific advantages of having a good, interactive website for your practice:

• Get your practice found online when someone searches for physiotherapy in your area.
• Become a trusted source of targeted physiotherapy information for patients and interested web surfers.
• Fostering relationships and two-way communication with visitors, with little effort.
• Improve your credibility via reach, education and appropriate use of the medium (e.g. blogs).
• Affordability and effectiveness when compared to traditional advertising (a good website costs less and gets you more business than a Yellow Pages advert).
• Accountability, knowing your website’s effectiveness can be measured.
• Introduce yourself, your staff members and your facilities to the general public.
• Ability to easily stay current in response to emerging trends.

Thanks to evolving technology, your website no longer needs to be a set of static pages and images. You can easily take advantage of videos that discuss issues important to your patient base and highlight presentations where you appear as the expert. You can start a blog and experiment with social media.

A purpose-built physiotherapy clinic website should be easy to manage, requiring little (if any) of your time. It should be painless for you to try new technologies and ideas and keep your content up to date. It should be found easily via search engines like Google. It should also be backed by a professional support team, because chasing people for help when you need it is never fun.

But most of all, your website should make you money, not cost you money. Last thing you want is to dish out a few thousand of your earnings for something that takes up too much of your time and doesn’t bring any added business or benefits.

The Internet is like an ocean and new business owners are justifiably wary of getting their feet wet due to the unknowns or previous experience. Speak with us to take away the pain and risks. Let us help you open up a digital front to the world and reap the benefits of modern value-added, patient-centric marketing.

Far too often, rookies in private practice give marketing considerations little thought in the belief that superior physiotherapy and social skills alone will ensure business viability. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Yes, your physiotherapy knowledge and patient-centred approach to cases form the core of your activity. However, you are now in business and only owners who combine them with marketing acumen will survive the often cutthroat world of private health services. Ask yourself – why do some prosper while others struggle even though they are equally good at their services?

To help guide you through the minefield of physiotherapy marketing, please consider the following three tips as you roll out your private practice:

1. Choose relationship-building over advertising to get off the ground

As a new private practice, you are desperate for patients and referrals to prove your abilities and generate immediate cash flow. However, it makes no sense to spend large sums of money on advertising, because you are unlikely to target the right people in the first place. Stick to networking with GPs, fellow colleagues from hospitals, retirement homes etc. to encourage business growth. Learn how to best inform, engage and interact with people who are best placed to help you achieve your goals. Get yourself an interactive practice website through which you can educate and communicate with patients and prospects regularly with e-newsletters. By building enduring relationships, your credibility as a practice will grow.

2. Make sure you leverage word of mouth

Now that your networking efforts are bringing patients through your doors, make sure that you keep them! Retaining patients is easier, less time-consuming and more profitable than having to constantly find new patients. So, after doing a fantastic job, don’t be shy about asking them to tell their friends who could benefit from your physiotherapy services. Otherwise, you are letting revenue out the door into the hands of your competitor down the road.

3. You can’t avoid marketing!

As a private entrepreneur, you must hone your marketing skills every day. Private practice owners cannot be satisfied with only providing first class care for patients. They must present a favourable brand image to GPs and the general public. They must know their patients, have a pulse on their evolving needs and be prepared to use innovative techniques (e.g. physiotherapy-specific websites) and equipment to deliver the goods. While salesmanship may get patients through your door once, marketing is the key to getting the repeat business needed to accelerate your clinic’s growth.

However, the past generation has witnessed considerable upheaval, as governments throughout the Western world in particular grasped with soaring budget deficits and rising health costs. Now, many physiotherapists – young and old – are turning to the private sector, not only for employment but to became masters of their own destiny.

One of the greatest challenges for physiotherapists today is to develop a so-called marketing mentality that’s relevant for their private practice. This implies that, in addition to providing the best care possible for their patients, owner-practitioners must:

• Constantly promote their services to GPs, hospitals and other traditional sources of referrals.
• Convey a sense of ownership to employees so that they perform at their best all times.
• Look for innovative (and ethical!) ways to encourage business growth (patient volume) and profitability.

Rooted in the physiotherapy marketing mentality is a belief in helping others. Unless you put the patient’s well-being first, your private practice is doomed to failure. Therefore, develop mutually beneficial relationships with doctors and mentors prior to and during business start-up. Learn what they look for in a physiotherapy clinic and tune your message(s) to their specific needs. Without question, if the first few referrals give you positive reviews, you can count on a steady stream flowing your way in no time.

You will also need to seek out your own referrals and patients via marketing or advertising techniques. In the past, tactics like handing out business cards or Yellow Page ads would be used. Today with the explosion of Internet technology, physiotherapy clinic owners around the world are using sophisticated Internet marketing strategies to introduce themselves and their practice to their target markets.

As your practice gains a foothold in the local community, staff employees will work harder to keep patients happy and their schedule busy. Why not tap into their networks by offering incentives to attract and keep patients? Now, instead of only one person marketing the practice, you can enlist all your physiotherapists to do likewise!

Gaining patients through referrals, traditional and Internet marketing simultaneously will ensure a healthy and marketable physiotherapy business. In addition, don’t forget to seek business marketing assistance from your national association. Often, they will have dedicated staff, resources and solutions geared to making your venture the most successful possible. Also don’t forget to get in touch with us for assistance with your Internet marketing strategy – we’ll give you a state-of-the-art website with simple yet effective tools and all the support and guidance you will need.

1. Creditor payments

Buying supplies on account instead of paying cash is a fact of business life. Important suppliers are your creditors until you pay them, so make appropriate book entries in the months when your purchases are paid. Set up accounts with clear payment terms and negotiate early settlement, volume and “just in time” discounts to better serve your patients.

2. Cash payments

Unlike creditor accounts, you will have to make cash payments for certain goods that you use on a daily basis to treat patients. Infrequent purchases from suppliers who insist on cash are common, so keep 2-3 days of expenses on hand.

3. Insurance

Physiotherapists in private practice need at least a few of the following insurance products:

• Professional liability
• Risk insurance for equipment
• Public liability insurance
• Employer’s liability insurance
• Loss of earnings (e.g. due to injury)
• Insurance for your practice’s location
• Car insurance (for mobile physiotherapy)

4. Capital expenditures

The excitement of opening a private practice may lead you to overspend. Carefully consider what you need to get started and then budget accordingly. Among the most important items to consider are:

• Work-related apparatus like ultrasound machines
• Office furniture
• Staff uniforms
• Security systems
• Computer equipment

5. Other expenses

Every year, there are a series of regular expenses that are important for the proper administration of your clinic:

• Academic and professional trade journals .
• Annual fees to your professional order and other health/physiotherapy boards and organisation.
• Computer supplies and support
• Items to improve the waiting room ambiance (e.g. flowers, magazines, special lighting, etc.)
• Repair and maintenance contracts

Also remember that like all businesses, you will need to budget for some marketing fees. Speak with us about getting an interactive website to market your clinic – we can help you out by cutting your costs, freeing up your time and reducing your risks.

You may already have an idea about pricing from part-time private sessions while employed previously. Regardless, it is likely that you will have to charge a greater amount now. For example, if you are opening new premises, overhead like rent, utilities and new furniture and equipment must be covered. For business owners offering mobile services, they need to factor in transportation costs (e.g. vehicle depreciation, fuel, insurance, etc.) over and above the actual service rendered.

You can locate private practices in your general area and telephone them to anonymously inquire about rates. You may also have colleagues who are willing to divulge what they charge for certain services. As a start-up, you may feel obliged to charge a lower price to attract patients. On the other hand, if you have many years of experience in a specialty like geriatrics, you may opt to charge a premium right away. Geography (rural versus metropolitan setting) may also influence your pricing plan.

To improve cash flow, you should encourage immediate payment after single sessions. Undoubtedly, some patients will immediately pay out of pocket. However, others covered by private health insurance or government plans will likely present you with forms to allow you claim your fees. Beware of “red tape”, especially when dealing with long-term patients deemed expensive by insurance companies.

A clear payment policy up front will help you maintain consistent cash flow and ideally avoid problems in collecting future payments. As an early concession to patients, health insurers and GPs in your business, you may wish to consider discounts, especially if it means securing long-term work.

Pricing strategy is part marketing, part art and a little bit of arithmetic. Strike the right balance between profitability and volume to better establish a reputation based on your abilities – not your concessions.

Turning your hard-earned education and public sector experience into consistent cash flow requires a thorough understanding of market demand, a firm grasp of your chosen specialisation (unless you choose to be a generalist) and consistent referral-based networking among peers, mentors and patients. So, what are some options? Consider the following:

1. “Sales” at source

This is likely going to be your primary source of income, where patients pay you immediately after treatment, whether it is a single appointment or a series of visits. Some patients will pay ‘out of pocket’, while others are covered by a health insurance plan.

2. Accounts receivable (“cash from debtors”)

When you invoice insurance companies to collect payment from patients, this is delayed cash flow where payment terms are normally set at thirty days or more. You may also have to deal with your public health insurance board to be compensated for GP-referred patients. Many physiotherapists also offer flexible payment terms to clients like rehabilitation centres, gyms and seniors’ residences.

In the case of overdue payments, consider whether you will offer grace periods or charge a fixed interest rate.

3. Other income sources

Apart from the main physiotherapy services you offer, there are many other options that can contribute to your regular income stream:

• Rental income from unused space on your premises.
• Small-scale equipment and product sales to the public (e.g. exercise equipment, back supports, pneumatic boots, etc.).
• Expert articles for professional/academic journals or the mainstream media.

In the beginning, you may have to rely on loans, grants and your own investment capital to cover expenses. Eventually, as your practice becomes better known and able to attract more patients, your ability to pay the bills and eliminate debt with current income will improve.

On the surface, this looks like a winning option with a lengthy upside, e.g.:

• The actual location of the clinic, equipment and fixtures already exist.
• You have a ready-made patient list, meaning that the practice is able to earn income immediately for you.
• As a new owner, you can draw on long-established relationships with hospitals, general practitioners, sports facilities, etc. to continue gaining return visits and patient referrals.
• Established clinics ideally have a good track record, which will help you finance improvements and future growth.
• Key physiotherapists and support staff are in place to ensure business and professional continuity

However, it’s always buyer beware with such a major purchase, so enlist the advice of a trusted accountant, surveyor, evaluator and lawyer to help negotiate a fair price. Certainly, the cost of a preliminary investigation may appear prohibitive but it will be well worth it, regardless of your final decision.

For example, maybe your research uncovers doubts about the practice’s long-term viability. Maybe demographic changes in the neighbourhood do not favour your specialisation or you find that most of the current staff is nearing retirement and are not willing to stay on long enough to ensure a smooth transition from the previous owner.

On the other hand, perhaps you have found a “gold mine” with all the right conditions in place. In this case, the seller may demand a deserved premium and it will depend on your negotiating skills to hammer out a fair price. The same is true for a faltering clinic that you believe can be turned around. Having the necessary skills and confidence to make it work does not mean buying at any price.

The period immediately after confirming intent to purchase is fraught with delicate issues:

• How much to invest on equipment, furniture, etc. in the beginning.
• Respecting the contracts/agreements of existing staffers and getting them onside.
• Retaining key personnel – the departing owner, perhaps? – once you take command.
• Responsibility for outstanding private practice debts at the time of takeover.

Form an advisory team to help you navigate these and other items that are surely to dominate the early part of your clinic ownership.

Three common business structures for clinic owners to consider include:

1. Sole proprietorship, sole trader

This is a set-up where your private practice is not separated from yourself as a business owner. You can choose to use a distinct business name or your own name, but you are responsible for all your business’ liabilities.

This business structure is the most popular choice for start-ups, e.g. part-timers who continue working at a hospital, individuals with a limited client base and income and home-based physiotherapists. Remember however, that this structure offers little protection for yourself.

2. Partnerships

If you want to start and operate a clinic with one or more colleagues, a formal partnership arrangement is required. In this scenario, all the enlisted partners must legally share all the profits, risks and losses according to the partnership contract, which is established at the start of the practice’s operation. Dispute resolution is key when in business with others, so discuss your needs with experienced professionals before committing to a legally binding contract.

3. Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), Company (Pty Ltd)

This structure is the most common amongst small businesses. Unlike partnerships and the self-employed, it is a legal entity separate from the owner and is required to fulfil specific regulatory requirements.

Other business structures exist and your situation may require a change as your private practice grows. Consult with a qualified tax accountant, lawyer or your government’s business registry for more details.

They can help you meet basic regulatory requirements like:

• Company registration.
• Registering a business name.
• Acquiring a business number and/or tax file number.
• Registering for permission to withhold employee payroll taxes.

Of course, when it comes time to build a website for your new clinic, chat with us.

Owing your physiotherapy clinic premises allows you to completely dedicate yourself to the profession and the business. You have the freedom to implement your vision of the practice: the unique selling points of your clinic, positioning your services against the competition and properly delegating day-to-day management and administrative affairs.

A major advantage of owning your own clinic is the ability to use location to anchor your branding and overall marketing efforts. Apart from you and your dedicated staff, no decision is more critical to your success than where you choose to operate. Home-based owners can never completely detach themselves from their private surroundings and renters cannot have complete control over important business decisions.

Let’s face it, no matter how good your services are, not everyone will want to visit the back of a gym or a remodelled garage to receive treatment. Having a bright, welcoming clinic creates a positive ambiance and professional first impression for patients. Depending on your location, future expansion may involve expansion of your current clinic or opening up a second place to better serve a growing clientele.

Of course, operating costs will have to be kept in check as you establish cash flow and nurture a new customer base. Your business plan should provide a solid blueprint in this regard, not to mention mentors and colleagues who have followed the path you are currently embarking on.

Contrary to popular belief, being located in a bustling neighbourhood surrounded by other health professionals – including other physiotherapy clinic owners – is a good thing. Take advantage of the competition’s presence to learn more about the business and fine tune your own offering. Apart from direct competitors in your specialty, you may also be able to leverage your central location to gain extra clients and build a solid peer network.

A far cry from the isolation of home offices or the frantic pace of mobile physiotherapy.

Is this the right way to break into physiotherapy services? A mobile service allows you to avoid operating a “bricks and mortar” clinic and taking on its related costs. There are other notable advantages:

• Set up costs are relatively minor and depending on your specialty may not require significant new equipment purchases.
• Patients often prefer to be treated at home instead of at a clinic or hospital. Convenience and comfort may speed up progress; people have a better attitude and more motivation to recover .
• As a mobile physiotherapist, you will be able to charge a premium to cover travel expenses, along with your regular session fees.

So it seems that if you can handle regular travel, mobile physiotherapy might be a great way to get your business off the ground. Rural practitioners may not have much choice, but being able to visit clients at their premises can also work in bustling urban centres. Employees, contractors, commissioned salespeople etc. are all pressed for time, so if you can meet their needs, they are likely to stick with you.

Of course, mobile physiotherapy services aren’t always perfect. Excessive time on the road can be stressful and fatigue can affect your professional performance. Your chosen niche may be more appropriate to a regular clinic setting and adjusting to different set-ups all the time can be downright infuriating.

Still, for physiotherapists who lack the capital or connections to open a dedicated clinic, mobile services can give you great hands-on experience that can serve you well later on. Chances are your cash flow will stabilise sooner, thus giving you a chance to expand services or save for a permanent location sooner.

Mobile physiotherapy requires compassion, flexibility and a high level of professionalism. Physiotherapists who are up to the challenge may be able to reap both financial and emotional benefits.