You put your master plan into action, launched your PT (Physical Therapy) practice, and started treating a bunch of patients! But now what? Well, you must consistently discover ways on how to grow a physical therapy practice to stay profitable and keep offering quality care to your clients.
As the USA’s best medical billing company, we’ve seen many PT businesses fail and grow as well. Based on our decade-long experience and analysis, we’ll share over 25 solid growth ideas to 2X your PT business within the next 6 months.
25+ Proven Ways to Grow a Physical Therapy Practice
The demand for physical therapists between 2022-2032 is expected to grow by 15%, which is much faster than all other occupations in the US. And it shows the perfect time to grow your PT clinic even faster than expected!
1. Revisit Your Physical Therapy Niche
You must have chosen a specific niche when launching your physical therapy practice. One way to grow it is revisiting your niche. Research your practice’s nearby area and make a data-driven decision on whether you should focus on sports injuries, pediatrics, or post-surgical rehabilitation.
You can choose from these PT specialties:
- Chronic pain.
- Animal therapy.
- Wilderness medicine.
- Oncology rehabilitation.
- Obesity management.
- Pediatrics.
- Neurology.
- Adult athletes.
And the list goes on! You can also focus on teen sports injuries if you have previously worked on general sports injuries. This will help laser-target your audience and serve them more effectively, growing your physical therapy practice.
2. Work On Weak Areas of Your PT Practice
The fastest way to grow a physical therapy practice is determining how it can improve its operations based on competitor analysis. For example, if your PT practice is facing insurance cuts, focus on the services with no insurance cuts.
If there are many large-scale hospitals or physician-owned PT practices near your office, find ways on how you can differentiate it from them. For example, you can add unique physical therapy services to set yourself apart from the competition.
Or maybe you have a debt due to which the revenue of your physical therapy business is going down. In that case, you might want to develop a new financial strategy for paying it off. Just make sure you start working on the weakest areas of your PT practice.
3. Outsource All Your Administrative Operations
Outsourcing administrative workflows of your physical therapy practice helps save on overheads, reduce billing and coding errors, and increase revenue. But the problems with outsourcing are the lack of control, hidden fees, and risk of non-compliance.
The solution? Choose the best, trustworthy medical billing company to do all your non-therapy tasks. Let us give you some examples of such tasks you must outsource:
- Patient registration
- Payment posting
- Claim submission
- Credentialing
- Patient billing
- Transcription
And the list goes on!
BellMedEx offers the best medical billing solutions to meet your specific physical therapy practice so you can focus on your clients. Get free consultation to discover how we can grow your PT practice by streamlining your non-care tasks!
4. Invest in Solid Digital Marketing Solutions
Online marketing channels help you attract and retain patients while boosting your PT practice’s reputation, increasing the growth of your physical therapy practice.
✅ Conduct Thorough Market Research
Develop detailed buyer personas based on demographics, lifestyle, and therapy needs. Understanding your target audience helps you tailor your marketing messages effectively. Also, analyze your competitors to identify their strengths and weaknesses, helping you position your PT practice uniquely in the market.
✅ Define Your Target Market and Positioning
Showcase specialized services or treatments that differentiate your physical therapy practice. For example, showcase certifications in specific therapies or unique rehabilitation approaches. And talk about the benefits of choosing your PT practice over others. For example, it can be personalized care or a compassionate team.
✅ Develop a Growth-Focused Marketing Strategy
Set measurable marketing goals, determine your digital marketing budget and consider outsourcing tasks to maximize efficiency. And highlight what sets your PT practice apart from the competition.
✅ Use Videos to Attract More Physical Therapy Patients
Create educational videos demonstrating exercises, stretching routines, or injury prevention tips. Video marketing for physical therapy practices helps establish your expertise and attract more patients. You can also film video testimonials of satisfied patients sharing their recovery journeys and outcomes.
✅ Utilize the Power of Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the best ways to grow a physical therapy practice, and it can bring an ROI of 400%. Physical therapists can engage with their patients, share educational and promotional content, nurturing relationships.
✅ Focus on Local SEO for Physical Therapy
Claim and fully optimize your Google My Business listing with accurate contact details, business hours, and photos of your physical therapy clinic. Use location-specific keywords that include something like “physical therapist near me” throughout your PT website content to attract ideal patients for your PT practice.
✅ Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Share informative posts, health tips, and updates about your PT practice to engage your audience. Visual content such as videos, infographics, and patient success stories tends to perform exceptionally well. The best social media platforms for physical therapists in the US are Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
✅ Paid Advertising for PT Practices
You can also leverage PPC, particularly Google Ads, and social media ads to target the exact kind of patients for your physical therapy specialty. The return on investment for online paid advertising is huge! But running PPC campaigns can strain your budget if not done correctly. So hiring an experienced search engine marketing (SEM) specialist is your best bet!
Supercharge your physical therapy growth with BellMedEx’s SEM services. Our SEM experts optimize your PPC campaigns, do the A/B testing, and much more to ensure you get the best return on your investment. Get free consultation right now!
💡 Pro tip: Combine different marketing channels such as email marketing, paid advertising, and social media, when implementing digital marketing strategies. This will not only expand your physical therapy practice’s online presence but also establish it as a trusted therapy practice in your area.
5. Partner with Referring Docs & Other Physical Therapists
Nurturing referral relationships with local healthcare providers and fellow physical therapists helps grow your PT practice. The idea of sharing your patient base with someone else might scare you. But doing it strategically will actually result in rapid growth if done appropriately.
You can network with orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors, and even general practitioners for mutually beneficial referral service. For example, you can refer a patient having a difficult time coping with the injury to a psychiatrist. In the same way, a mental health specialist can also refer a patient with physical pain to you.
Also, you can refer a patient to other therapists depending on your preferred patient type and your PT specialty. This helps you enjoy your work more while also growing your physical therapy practice.
6. Offer Free Consultations for Physical Therapy
New patients might hesitate trying a new physical therapy practice. That’s where a free consultation can work like a miracle! If you’re a new physical therapist in the area, offering a free consultation will help grow your patient base.
Run a “Free Consultation Day” every week or offer free consults for a specific therapy service to limit the number. You can always stop it later if you’re hesitant about the idea. Offering a free consultation at the start is one of the best ways to build a personal relationship with your therapy patients.
7. Provide the Best Physical Therapy Services
It goes without saying that offering the best of what you do at your PT practice is the best organic growth hack! You provide exceptional therapy care to your patients, and they will spread the positive word about you.
Let us share some practical tips on how you can improve your therapy services:
- Be awake and actively listen to your patients.
- Increase your cultural competence regularly.
- Never judge your therapy patients.
- Stay abreast of the recent research and updates.
- Be alert and ready to respond immediately.
- Buy necessary therapy equipment.
- Avoid giving strong challenges such as stair climbing or balance challenges to your patients at the start.
- Practice self-care as well.
These are just a handful of ideas of how you can offer exceptional care! But as a physical therapist, you better know what to do to provide the best therapy care to your patients tailored to your existing practice needs.
8. Partner with Local Gyms and Fitness Studios
Partnering with local gyms and fitness studios can expand your client base, enhance your PT practice’s visibility, and establish yourself as a trusted physical therapist in your area. Research gyms and fitness studios in your area that align with your target clientele and treatment specialties.
Contact the gym or studio management and explain how your physical therapy practice can complement their business as well. For example, they can refer their members to your PT practice, and you can also refer your clients to them for fitness training.
Let us share a few more ideas of how PT practice can collaborate with gyms and fitness studios in their area:
- Offer educational workshops or seminars on injury prevention.
- Negotiate to provide onsite physical therapy services at the gym or studio.
- Jointly promote your PT services through flyers, posters, or digital platforms.
- Ensure insurance and legal compliance when partnering with them.
- Address issues such as financial disagreements to foster a strong partnership.
- Offer discounts to the gym or fitness members with your practice name as the promo code, helping you spread the word about your PT practice.
9. Publish Educational Content for Your Patients
Consistently publishing educational content helps educate your patients and position yourself as a knowledgeable resource for physical therapy in your area. You can spread awareness and educate your patients on your website, social accounts, and more.
Here’s how to effectively publish educational content for your patients:
- Choose topics that educate patients about common injuries, rehabilitation exercises, wellness tips, and the benefits of physical therapy.
- Use informational blog posts and engaging videos, addressing patient concerns, demonstrating exercises, injury prevention tips, and more.
- Host webinars and online sessions where patients can ask questions about physical therapy, rehabilitation, and wellness.
- Design printable resources like downloadable guides, exercise sheets, or infographics that patients can use at home.
- Display posters or brochures in your physical therapy clinic directing patients to your online educational resources.
- Ask patients for topics they’re interested in learning more.
LinkedIn Articles, previously known as LinkedIn Pulse, is a secret content marketing and publishing platform for healthcare providers. It’s a great tool for physical therapists to reach out to a large patient base. 62% of LinkedIn users claim that they engage with content because of the value shared in it.
The good news is that you don’t have to do it yourself! BellMedEx’s SEO team can help you grow your PT office with LinkedIn Articles with in-depth topic research, valuable content, and thought leadership.
10. Treat Patients like VIPs with Exceptional Support
Exceptional support to your patients can foster loyalty and attract referrals. It can also increase patient satisfaction and retention, ultimately helping grow your physical therapy practice. For example, you can tailor treatment plans to each patient’s needs.
Let us share some of the ways to treat your patients like VIPs:
- Offer convenient scheduling options with minimal wait times.
- Explain procedures, progress, and expectations clearly to patients.
- Listen actively to patients’ concerns and show empathy in your interactions.
- Do the follow-up calls or emails after the patient appointments.
- Ensure your physical therapy staff are friendly and responsive.
- Celebrate progress and milestones achieved during therapy sessions.
- Respond to patient complaints and take steps to resolve them immediately.
- Send out patient feedback surveys to improve services regularly.
- Collaborate with other providers to offer comprehensive care solutions.
11. Implement Physiotherapy Telehealth Services
The estimated market size of telehealth was estimated at $29.6 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at 22.9% from 2023 to 2030. Offering telehealth services increases patient satisfaction, improves patient care, and potentially attracts new patients who prefer remote care. You can conduct virtual assessments, provide virtual physical therapy sessions, and monitor progress.
Implement these tips to effectively offer telehealth care:
- Choose a secure, HIPAA compliant telehealth platform.
- Develop procedures for appointments, payments, and more.
- Train your staff on using the telehealth platform effectively.
- Educate patients on how to access and use telehealth services.
- Provide convenient scheduling options for telehealth visits.
- Verify insurance coverage for telehealth services.
12. Attend Industry Conferences and Events
Attending industry conferences and physical therapy events can help you stay updated with advancements, network with other physical therapists, and grow your physical therapy practice. You can also increase your physical therapy knowledge and skills when attending these conferences and events.
Here’s how to make the most of these opportunities:
- Research relevant events focused PT, rehabilitation, and business growth.
- Register early and plan your schedule to maximize learning and networking.
- Make specific objectives such as learning new therapy techniques.
- Brief your team on what you’ve learned during those events.
- Bring business cards, brochures, and other materials with you.
- Record key insights and contacts. Follow up with new connections.
13. Create an Enticing Referral Program for Patients
A well-designed referral program for patients can incentivize current patients to refer others to your physical therapy practice, boosting your client base. Ensure to follow the relevant federal and state laws when creating these referral programs.
Here’s how to create an enticing referral program for patients:
- Create clear and compliant referral program guidelines.
- Provide rewards for referrals, such as discounts on future sessions or gift cards.
- Use software to track referrals automatically and issue rewards efficiently.
- Optimize your physical therapy referral program for maximum growth.
- Acknowledge and reward patients immediately after the referral.
14. Offer Discounts or Promotions Regularly
Regularly offering discounts and promotions can attract new patients, growing your physical therapy practice. And it also encourages existing ones to continue their treatment. You can use promotions to promote specific therapy practices as well.
You can offer many discount and promo offers:
- Percentage discounts
- Package deals
- Introductory offers
- Seasonal promotions
Define start and end dates for each promotion to create urgency when launching a promo. Market your discounts through email newsletters, social media platforms, your website, and in-clinic signage. And track performance to fully enjoy the benefits of discounts and promotions at your physical therapy practice.
15. Create a Welcoming Environment in Your PT Practice
Creating a welcoming environment in your physical therapy practice helps increase its growth. It fosters a positive patient experience, builds patient loyalty, and sets your PT clinic apart from the competition.
Let us give you a few ideas on creating a welcoming environment in your practice:
- Comfortable reception area.
- Friendly and knowledgeable staff.
- Clean and well-designed space.
- Personalized patient interactions.
- Visual appeal with soothing colors, artwork, and plants.
- Clear signage to guide patients through your PT clinic.
- Accessibility for patients with disabilities and elderly patients.
- Patient privacy areas when needed.
16. Offer Easy Scheduling Options & Appointment Reminders
Easy scheduling options help improve patient satisfaction, increase appointment adherence, and ultimately grow your physical therapy practice by retaining loyal patients. Also, send out appointment reminders for the scheduled therapy sessions.
Here is how to ensure scheduling is flexible for your clients:
- Implement a user-friendly online booking system.
- Allow patients to schedule appointments via phone calls or emails.
- Offer extended clinic hours, including early mornings and evenings.
- Provide same-day or next-day appointments to accommodate urgent needs.
- Send automated appointment reminders via SMS or email to reduce no-shows.
- Allow patients to join a waitlist for preferred appointment times.
- Provide a patient portal to effectively manage your patients.
- Ensure clear communication about appointment policies.
- Minimize wait times upon arrival at the clinic.
17. Ask Your Patients for Testimonials and Reviews
72% of customers affirm that positive reviews and testimonials make them trust a business more, according to BigCommerce. Patient’s reviews and testimonials can increase credibility, attract new patients, and build a positive reputation for your PT clinic. Improving your therapeutic services based on your patients’ feedback is the quickest method to grow a physical therapy practice.
Let us share a few ideas for efficient patient feedback system:
- Send patient satisfaction surveys after appointments.
- Ask satisfied patients if they can provide a testimonial.
- Encourage your patients to leave reviews on platforms like Google.
- Provide easy review instructions for your patients.
- Address negative reviews professionally and empathetically.
- Display patient testimonials prominently on your website social media.
- Develop solid reputation management strategies.
18. Make Measurable Goals and Track Relevant KPIs
Setting measurable goals and tracking relevant KPIs help you make informed decisions, improve operations, and drive sustainable growth for your PT practice. Important KPIs for your PT practice may include patient retention rate, appointment booking conversion rate, average revenue per patient, total monthly collections, and more.
Here’s how to establish and track these metrics effectively:
- Set SMART goals such as achieving revenue targets.
- Trach financial metrics like expenses and revenue.
- Regularly review KPI data to identify trends and strengths.
- Benchmark your success with industry standards.
- Involve your team in goal-setting and KPI tracking.
19. Get Involved in Your Community
Actively participating in your community can help you establish a commendable reputation for your physical therapy practice. It also increases patient referrals and contributes positively to the health and well-being of your community members.
These are a few ideas on how you can participate in your community:
- Identify community events like health fairs or charity events.
- Offer free workshops or seminars on fitness tips and more.
- Sponsor local teams or events if feasible.
- Offer free screenings or consultations at community events.
- Support health initiatives like National Physical Therapy Month.
20. Keep Training Your Physical Therapy Staff
Ongoing training and development of your physical therapy staff can boost your practice outcomes, improve patient satisfaction, and strengthen your practice’s reputation. And it definitely contributes to the growth of your physical therapy practice.
Here’s how to effectively train your physical therapy staff:
- Assess staff training needs first.
- Offer opportunities for your staff to attend PT workshops or courses.
- Encourage your staff for the PT certification or credentials.
- Facilitate peer-to-peer learning sessions.
- Pair experienced therapists with newer staff members.
- Conduct role-playing exercises to practice patient interactions, and more.
- Conduct regular in-house training sessions on topics like new equipment usage, treatment protocols, or patient management strategies.
21. Diversify Your Services & Upsell to Address More Patient Needs
Diversifying your services and upselling additional offerings can greatly grow your physical therapy practice. It helps serve different patient needs, differentiate your PT clinic in the market, and foster long-term patient loyalty and satisfaction.
For example, you can start offering these services (if don’t already):
- Dry needling
- Fitness classes
- Personal training
- Aquatic therapy
- Nutrition counseling
- Music therapy
- Physical therapy (white-label) software
You can also create bundled service packages that combine physical therapy sessions with additional services like nutrition counseling or fitness classes. But ensure your team is trained and certified to deliver new services effectively and safely.
22. Hire Great Employees and Delegate Responsibilities
Hiring great employees and delegating responsibilities effectively directly builds a strong physical therapy practice. It also boosts patient care and improves operational efficiency, increasing the success chances of your PT clinic.
Let us share a few tips on how you can hire great employees:
- Do the due diligence before hiring anyone.
- Check qualifications and references required for each role.
- Clearly outline job descriptions and expectations for each position.
- Advertise job openings on multi-channel job boards.
- Conduct thorough interviews to assess candidates.
- Always verify candidates’ credentials and previous work experience.
- Provide competitive salaries and benefits packages to attract top talent.
- Provide ongoing training and delegate tasks efficiently.
23. Build a Strong Physical Therapy Brand Identity
A strong brand identity helps your physical therapy stand out among competitors and foster long-term success and growth.
These are a few ideas on building a strong brand identity for your PT clinic:
- Define your unique value proposition.
- Create a great logo and visual identity.
- Design consistent branding materials.
- Build a user-friendly website that reflects your brand identity.
- Get active on social media like Facebook, Twitter, and more.
- Continuously assess market trends, patient needs, and more.
24. Stay Informed About the Latest Advancements and Trends
Staying informed about advancements and trends in physical therapy helps you attract patients looking for innovative treatments. It also helps you offer cutting-edge care and position your PT practice as a leader in the physical therapy industry.
Here’s how you can stay abreast of the recent progress in therapy:
- Subscribe to industry journals and publications.
- Attend industry conferences and join education courses.
- Join professional associations like APTA.
- Follow key opinion leaders and influencers in physical therapy.
- Network with other physical therapists and healthcare providers.
- Explore related forums, discussion groups, and podcasts.
- Collaborate with academic institutions or participate in therapy research studies.
- Implement new tech such as PT software, wearable devices, and more.
25. Use an Efficient PT Practice Management System
An efficient practice management system can streamline administrative tasks, improve patient care coordination, and increase your practice’s efficiency.
Here’s how to choose and use a PT practice management system:
- Choose the right PMS depending on your PT practice’s specific requirements for scheduling, billing, patient records, and reporting.
- Provide thorough training for your staff to ensure they can use the software.
- Streamline appointment scheduling with your PT PMS.
- Centralize patient records for quick access, updates, and more.
- Automate billing processes with your PT PMS.
- Leverage reporting tools to track key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Ensure compliance and security when using the software.
BellMedEx offers the best medical practice management software to effectively manage your physical therapy practice from arranging appointments to issuing bills to process claims. It also seamlessly integrates with an EHR to store patient information securely and transfer across different settings. Get a free demo on how our PMS works for your PT clinic.
26. Evaluate and Adapt These Growth Strategies Regularly
You must analyze and adapt growth strategies we’ve shared in this post to ensure continuous growth and success for your physical therapy practice.
Here’s how to do it effectively:
- Define measurable metrics (KPIs) for each growth strategy.
- Collect medical data and analyze results with PMS and other tools.
- Compare these growth strategies with your goals.
- Monitor physical therapy industry news and trends.
- Adapt your PT practice growth strategies based on insights.
- Develop a structured timeline to review and analyze your growth plan.
Growing a physical therapy practice is extremely challenging yet compulsory for you to remain profitable and offer quality care. That’s where BellMedEx puts your growth plan on auto-pilot without you lifting a finger! Contact us right now for a free Physical Therapy Growth consultation.
