businessmanagementpodcast

This is one we’ve wanted to cover for a while. Tune in for a conversation on soft skills, personnel management, and how to be an effective middle manager. There’s no need for you to guess - tune in for an action plan on how to successfully manage as a clinical director. 

Episode at a glance: 

• Establish your Policies & Procedures, Compliance program, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) 
• Clarify products & establish how you will measure them 
• Consider the art of your communication 
• Be willing to experience anything 
• Anticipate, Adapt, Apply 
• Suggest a Pay-for-performance model for the practice 
• Get your payroll under 60% of your monthly income

Grab one of our top resources, the Physical Therapy Personnel Toolkit

Brian recounts his discovery of virtual training, and how it changed everything! This effective, web-based virtual platform allows for cohesive & thorough training which will prevent you from hearing “I never learned that!” or I didn’t know that” ever again. Learn the bigger problem causing the symptoms in your clinic, and how to handle it. Here’s the secret: it all starts with your decision. 

Episode at a glance: 

• You can continually update a virtual training platform  
• You need structures & systems
• Leads to staff retention 
• Education - Duplication - Application 
• Role Play = confidence with application 
• Has to have certification & gamification 

It is interesting to consider the ways that the pandemic has not only altered the way that things operate in our country (and worldwide), but the impact that this has on the public psyche. It is crucial now more than ever that our patients feel safe, protected, and advocated for. On this week’s podcast, Brian shares valuable marketing strategies & tools to maintain effective communication and continued support for your patients in this post-pandemic landscape. 

Episode at a glance: 

• Marketing: the mechanical aspect of building your brand and reputation which is delivered directly to your public using the most effective means possible 
• We must work harder than ever toward flourishing & prospering through our own ingenuity 
• Re-establish your ideal scene - you have no shot of arriving at your destination if you don’t know what it looks like 
• Create a new logo, add a tagline, and/or find a picture that speaks to who you are as a company 
• Marketing campaigns should run two months at a time and stay on a consistent theme with the intention of reaching a single audience member at least five times 

On this week’s episode, Brian seeks to tackle STRUCTURE. He addresses the necessary actions to put you, the owner, at Cause over your time and operation by getting in this crucial element. A key ingredient of this is knowing how to manage your team, and how to communicate. Learn how to keep in your organization so that your leadership/executive skills can shine through. 

Episode at a glance: 

• Run your practice - don’t let it run you 
• Structure. Dictates. Function! 
• You NEED some kind of organization chart 
• Consider adding cash-based services to your business (hybrid model) 
• Most CEOs/Owners spend too much time treating patients, you have other hats that need attention
• It’s about hiring the being, the person (NOT the resume) 

We’re getting right down to it today folks, starting with this fact - PTs DO NOT BILL. In this podcast, Brain covers how to extinguish misunderstandings and misconceptions that may exist between new grads/staff and their Owners. As always: be transparent, communicate, and seek the facts for yourself.

Episode at a glance:

• Codes are a digital format of your narrative note so that the carriers’ systems can read and interpret what was done with their clients
• It all starts with the interview & onboarding process
• You must have company structure (and thereby Compliance) in place
• Give your new hires confidence in you as a leader
• Inspire your therapists to give an abundance of care
• Designate a Compliance team (with a Compliance officer) to avoid any issues in your practice

Brian kicks off this podcast by acknowledging the undeniable paradigm shift that has happened due to COVID-19: we can no longer operate as we did in the Pre-pandemic world. Brian covers topics ranging from the importance of investing in your staff, communication and management as an owner, the PPP fund, and necessary environmental guidelines. Tune in to this tool-heavy podcast to gain a broad perspective of the aspects of your business that you will need to update from the Pre-pandemic environment, to the Post-pandemic. 

Episode at a glance:

• Your #1 responsibility is to manage the expectations of your staff and your patients as you reopen
• Develop a system of policies to create a safe environment in your clinic
• Follow CDC guidelines
• Have your policies written, and be able to show that you safely opened for business
• Now is the time to invest in your brand (Marketing!)

This week, Brian discusses what you can do now to help your patients by taking new actions to keep up with the ever-changing circumstances of PT during Covid-19. He attempts to steer the mentality away from hoarding and cost-cutting, and more towards growth and perseverance in business. You need to “out-create” it by expanding and strengthening your practice. Tune in for tips on how to adapt and evolve your business in response to this crisis, and beyond. 

Episode at a glance:

• Personal integrity - doing the right thing, even when no one else agrees
• Now is the best time to change old ways, and even to open a practice!
• 3 most important things in practice: a) driving new business to your door b) enhancing employee satisfaction c) giving back to your referral sources - Focus on these!

It’s been proven time and again that success requires sacrifice. In this episode, Brian breaks down the requisite steps for achieving your goals and outlines the fundamental differences in mindset between those who succeed professionally, and those who do not. Be open-minded, willing to learn, and willing to push through what others simply won’t. It’s all about your viewpoint. 

This week we’re chatting with our Director of Remote Management Services, Abby Keyton, PT. Abby is a physical therapist and started working with Brian as a travel therapist at his clinic in Maryland. During her time in the clinic, she worked her way up to clinical director followed by COO. For the past three years, she’s been working with MEG first as a practice coach and then managing offices remotely and working with owners throughout the country. In this episode, she’s sharing some real life experiences that she’s had running clinics around the nation as well as some solid tips for how to be an effective and successful clinical director.

Every office we’ve worked with that has an Human Resources professional on staff, we’ve noticed a culture of fear among the staff. The overwhelming majority of these offices are mom and pop offices. In this podcast, Brian strives to bring these truths to light on how to confront them in his usual no-nonsense and honest fashion.

I learned long ago that the more knowledge I had, the better able I was to control those things that challenged me in life. The more “in control” I was, the less I got knocked around and became the effect of others or my environment. Think about how you feel being a passenger in a car versus being the driver of that car. You’re likely most comfortable holding onto the steering wheel. I am and I believe most entrepreneurs are as well.

Entrepreneurs are leaders who strive to develop themselves by taking on bigger and better challenges to grow both personally and a professionally. When you think about it, chances are some of the greatest moments of your life occurred after you’ve pushed yourself out of your comfort zone. Entrepreneurs, leaders and executives alike are not seeking a lazy-boy chair to sit in and ride out in comfort. They are constantly pursuing greater goals – they know this will call them to dig deep and rise to meet the challenge.

This is the game of life. While some are more comfortable wearing the jersey and just sitting on the bench as a part of the team, playing when called upon and being content with just that. Others want to lead. They have ideas on new plays, training strategies, and tactics to try. Their game is not only playing, but also improving. These are the Physical Therapy Private Practice owners who wear the hats of an entrepreneur, manager, and executive to bring about greater personal development for themselves and those around them

Recently in a webinar, I was asked the question: “How do I get my clinicians to be more efficient when I already have a bonus system and none of them ever make bonus?” I get that problem. But maybe there’s other listeners who are struggling with this as well? Are you looking to increase the clinical effectiveness/efficiency of your staff?  Learn about our game and key strategies in this week’s podcast.

It doesn’t take long before you hear a label tossed around within any group or profession these days. Labels lead to subdivisions which per the definition of the word itself results in dividing us. 

For those of us who have gone from employee to employer, it’s a bit unfair that we have to contend with new grads who have been given the impression from academia that it’s “buyer beware” when accepting an out-patient physical therapy position. The impression sometimes given off from academia is that being a private practice owner is sometimes motivated by greed contributing to the willingness to bend the rules by imposing unethical standards or productivity goals that encourage unethical behavior. This has not been my experience. 

Here’s how to fix this within your practice: you have to share a common message with your staff. You are a therapist too. You went to Physical Therapy School. You care as much about your patients. But you didn’t settle, you wanted more, and that is why you went into owning your own clinic. Share your “why” with your staff. They need to understand why you risked time and money to open your private practice. When your staff gets your purpose and your motivations, they’ll connect with that.

Today we’re talking about a PT in Motion article about a survey that states that too much focus on productivity, increases the risk of unethical behavior. Listen to learn about why this is misleading and how researchers got it wrong and why we need to bridge the gap between employers and employees.

No matter where you are, who you are, or what it is you want to do – you can have it all. All you need to know is your purpose, and have a 100% commitment to persevere. The biggest characteristic that leverages you for success is the beingness. However, in order to execute successfully you have to have the knowledge and the actual doingness to succeed. The most common and biggest barrier to everyone’s success is themself. 

In order to be good at solving problems one must first understand the anatomy of what makes up a problem. All problems are two opposing forces of the equal magnitude without a concrete decision. Or, more simplistically, intention faced with counter intention. I would argue that the opposite of having problems is having agreement. So, the better able you are to bring about agreement with yourself, others, and groups the fewer problems you will have and the happier your life will be. 

There are three types of clinicians. These clinicians are categorized based on experience: New grad, the advanced therapist, and the veteran therapist. Today we’re focusing on the new grad. The new grad is defined as a physical therapist who is 1-3 years out of school. They come out of school still high on the learning and high on the mentoring curve and are really focused on wanting to become the best therapist they can be. They’re seeking professional growth through continuing education outside the office and professional enhancement inside the office, therefore, a continuing education program is simply not enough these days. The top private practices across the country already know this and have solved this by creating internal mentorship programs for their new grad hires. This week we’re talking about how to best hire, train and retain the new grad therapists. But, this is only part one of a three-part series of podcasts in which we’ll be discussing all three of these different types of therapists and how best to hire, train and retain them.

My daughter is about to graduate college. She’s moving on into the field of acting out in California and I have every confidence that she’ll be a big success. However, as we learn about this industry – there’s so much criticism and counter intentions out there causing headwind to her success. As a result, I can understand now why aspiring actors and actresses need an agent before anything else when they are coming out of school. The agent is there to help protect them against making bad decisions and going astray down a path of unlikely success. Yet, an agent is still not enough. She will still need an acting coach to further enhance her skills and push her to learn new things and operate outside of her comfort zone.

Looking back on when I was a new practice owner, I realize that that was exactly what I wanted and I would have paid anything to get. To have someone who had the knowledge and experience to help me stay away from making foolish mistakes and coach me on all that I needed to know but never got while I was in physical therapy school. This would have made all the difference in the world for me as a new business owner. Instead, I worked with three different companies – mostly consultants. And every time I talked to them, it felt like I was being sold. In today’s world, people simply do not want to be sold, they want to be helped.

This week, I’m answering the most pressing questions from owners just like you from around the country who are in private practice ownership covering the topics of environment, structure, personnel, and systems of operations.

After having spoken with hundreds of practice owners over the years, it’s what they don’t know that’s typically holding them back from the success they desire. When you went into physical therapy, you went in to be a clinician, not a lawyer, or an accountant, or a bookkeeper. We tell physical therapy owners time and again to stop wasting time and mental attention on tasks that you can outsource to others. This week, we have a panel discussion with Jon Repka, VP of Sales from Paro – an accounting and bookkeeping service company, and Denise Muncie, COO of MEG Billing Solutions who manage their respective outsourced services to physical therapy practice owners across the country.  These outsourced solutions allow practice owners to stop wasting time and mental energy on tasks that they aren’t trained to do so they can focus on what really matters when it comes to being an executive.

For 10 years Brian ran a staffing company in the state of Maryland. He staffed Physical, Occupational, and Speech therapists throughout the entire state. By the end of his 10 years, he averaged approximately 5 to 7 interviews a week – his most popular phrase being “the business with the most players wins.” At that time, only two out of every five interview were worth the interview and one was worth the hire. 

Fast forward to today, and there are new challenges in the workforce: unrealistic expectations, lack of professionalism, lack of confidence in one’s abilities and a group mentality by the younger generation of workers entering into our professions. However, with rising student loan debt placing increased pressure for higher salaries, it can easily become a rat race to the offer the most money to a limited number of candidates. In reality, it’s a race to the bottom for YOU, the employer. Hiring individuals who are money focused will result in nothing but headaches and pressure within the employer-employee relationship. This week, Brian shares his top 12 strategies for recruiting the best candidates. ​

When inquiring about the topic of statistics in private practice, one might get a wide variety of responses depending on who you’re asking.  However, if you are the owner of the practice with any executive training, I believe the responses you get will consistently be positive.   

This week, Brian shares what some of the key metrics and statistics are, and even more importantly how you get your staff on-board.  Running a physical therapy private practice is a team effort, one that will be more successful as you hire and train staff who are more interested in hitting their production targets/stats and quality satisfaction measures/metrics than simply doing the tasks before them. Unfortunately, far too many owners are unware of this critical factor and it becomes overshadowed by the need for more patient visits.

Now, more than ever, it is vital that you bet on you and not let your future be in the hands of others. Recently, I have met with several physical therapists set to discuss their future plans of opening up a private practice. However, their lack of knowledge in this area, was causing every single one of them worry and indecision. Between their own indecision, and counter-intentions from friends and family members, the chance of them not launching was high. 

The fear of failure is a powerful force that suppresses us at various points in our lives, but those who succeed, do not allow fears to hold them back. They take actions to fill these voids with knowledge to minimize the fear of the unknown. 

This week Brian talks about overcoming these fears and talks about how to achieve that personal and professional success – however you define it for yourself. Overcoming these fears doesn’t happen without an appropriate level of communication, believing in yourself so you can confront others to bring about agreement. Listen to this week’s episode for more strategies on success and overcoming the challenges holding you back.