Many orthopedic and sports medicine physicians have begun to expand the services offered at their practices by adding physical and occupational therapy. While adding these services could increase practice revenues, there are several things physicians must consider before moving forward with the addition. "The new school of medicine relies on sharing the risk of care for the patient, which means adding services to your practice," says Andre Blom, a physical therapist at the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute. "Ultimately, you have better outcomes, save money and become a premier facility."
Mr. Blom discusses five considerations for orthopedic surgeons before adding physical therapy to their practices.
1. Think beyond the potential profits. Orthopedic surgeons considering the addition of therapy services to their practice shouldn't think of it as a separate entity, but part of the practice as a whole, says Mr. Blom. Adding physical therapy often increases the practice's profits and expands the continuum of care for patients. Physical therapists can also be used as physician extenders to help with office responsibilities. "If you are going to add ancillary services, you need to look beyond the fact that they are going to increase your revenues," said Mr. Blom. "You have to see it as something that is going to be part of your practice."
2. Evaluate practice location. If your practice is located in a city and most of the patients travel from suburbs for treatment, it might not be practical to add physical therapy to the office. It takes time and energy for the patient to travel into the city, park their car and arrive for their office visits. "There are physician groups that have a premium position for the physicians because they are close to a major hospital, but patients don't want to travel into the city for every physical therapy appointment," says Mr. Blom. "Building design and location are really important.
3. Gauge the amount of space needed. A patient needing occupational therapy for a hand injury will need less rehabilitation space than a patient undergoing physical therapy for a knee or hip injury. Consider your patient base and make sure there is an adequate amount of space designated for physical therapy, says Mr. Blom. Patients undergoing rehabilitation for knee, hip and back injuries often need large equipment, such as a treadmill, which may require building on to the existing facility. "If the building wasn't designed to include a large rehabilitation space, that can be an issue," says Mr. Blom. "Fortunately, therapy space isn't that expensive. You are mainly creating an open gym area and office space. It's generally cheaper to add space to the existing building than to construct a whole new building."
4. Check your budget. Be prepared for an influx in capital expenditures associated with adding physical therapy to the practice, says Mr. Blom. Even though it's relatively inexpensive to create the gym space, adding the equipment and additional staff can take a toll on the budget. There is also a cost associated with giving physical therapists utilization access to the electronic medical records. "Some of those costs can be mitigated, but you have to understand how much therapy staff is going to cost," says Mr. Blom. "Having a strong management structure in place can help tackle financial issues."
5. Hire physical therapists onto the practice staff. Orthopedic practices have the option of partnering with rehabilitation and physical therapy organizations to provide physical therapy, but Mr. Blom recommends hiring the professionals on as part of the practice's staff. "When you have your own employees, it's easier to do program development and risk management," says Mr. Blom. "You have to have a lot of faith in the other organization to do things right 100 percent of the time." Additionally, high turnover rates for physical therapists and differing goals among the two organizations can make a partnership difficult. "We have a much higher level of satisfaction among our staff and less turnover when we hire them directly," says Mr. Blom.
Learn more about Illinois Bone and Joint Institute.
Read other coverage on orthopedic and spine practice management:
- 6 Ancillary Services to Increase Your Orthopedic Practice Revenue
- 6 Questions to Ask When Considering an Ancillary Physical Therapy Program at Your Practice
- 5 Things Orthopedics and Spine Practices Can Do Immediately to Improve Profits
Mr. Blom discusses five considerations for orthopedic surgeons before adding physical therapy to their practices.
1. Think beyond the potential profits. Orthopedic surgeons considering the addition of therapy services to their practice shouldn't think of it as a separate entity, but part of the practice as a whole, says Mr. Blom. Adding physical therapy often increases the practice's profits and expands the continuum of care for patients. Physical therapists can also be used as physician extenders to help with office responsibilities. "If you are going to add ancillary services, you need to look beyond the fact that they are going to increase your revenues," said Mr. Blom. "You have to see it as something that is going to be part of your practice."
2. Evaluate practice location. If your practice is located in a city and most of the patients travel from suburbs for treatment, it might not be practical to add physical therapy to the office. It takes time and energy for the patient to travel into the city, park their car and arrive for their office visits. "There are physician groups that have a premium position for the physicians because they are close to a major hospital, but patients don't want to travel into the city for every physical therapy appointment," says Mr. Blom. "Building design and location are really important.
3. Gauge the amount of space needed. A patient needing occupational therapy for a hand injury will need less rehabilitation space than a patient undergoing physical therapy for a knee or hip injury. Consider your patient base and make sure there is an adequate amount of space designated for physical therapy, says Mr. Blom. Patients undergoing rehabilitation for knee, hip and back injuries often need large equipment, such as a treadmill, which may require building on to the existing facility. "If the building wasn't designed to include a large rehabilitation space, that can be an issue," says Mr. Blom. "Fortunately, therapy space isn't that expensive. You are mainly creating an open gym area and office space. It's generally cheaper to add space to the existing building than to construct a whole new building."
4. Check your budget. Be prepared for an influx in capital expenditures associated with adding physical therapy to the practice, says Mr. Blom. Even though it's relatively inexpensive to create the gym space, adding the equipment and additional staff can take a toll on the budget. There is also a cost associated with giving physical therapists utilization access to the electronic medical records. "Some of those costs can be mitigated, but you have to understand how much therapy staff is going to cost," says Mr. Blom. "Having a strong management structure in place can help tackle financial issues."
5. Hire physical therapists onto the practice staff. Orthopedic practices have the option of partnering with rehabilitation and physical therapy organizations to provide physical therapy, but Mr. Blom recommends hiring the professionals on as part of the practice's staff. "When you have your own employees, it's easier to do program development and risk management," says Mr. Blom. "You have to have a lot of faith in the other organization to do things right 100 percent of the time." Additionally, high turnover rates for physical therapists and differing goals among the two organizations can make a partnership difficult. "We have a much higher level of satisfaction among our staff and less turnover when we hire them directly," says Mr. Blom.
Learn more about Illinois Bone and Joint Institute.
Read other coverage on orthopedic and spine practice management:
- 6 Ancillary Services to Increase Your Orthopedic Practice Revenue
- 6 Questions to Ask When Considering an Ancillary Physical Therapy Program at Your Practice
- 5 Things Orthopedics and Spine Practices Can Do Immediately to Improve Profits