Opening Your PT Clinic: How Physical Therapy Software Can Help

If you've decided to stop simply dreaming about owning your own PT clinic and are ready to do something about it, congratulations! Few careers are as rewarding as working with patients who need your help to get back on their feet, relieve their pain or improve their mobility and good health. But before you throw open the doors and start seeing patients, you'll need to consider what kind of patients you want to focus on: athletes, accident victims, those who need post-operative or occupational rehabilitation...the list is a long one. Whether you want your practice to be general or specific, make a choice and stick with it so that you can establish your reputation in that area.

Private Practice Or Clinic?

Do you want to be a sole proprietor and work for yourself, or do you want to bring on some staff members? If you're going to be hiring employees, will they be office staff or will you bring on some additional therapists? If you're concerned about handling the bookkeeping for your staff, look into physical therapy software solutions that can automatically track schedules, payroll and other employee issues. These will make your life easier and document everything for referral in the future.

Fees & Insurance

The most successful PT clinics work closely with a group of referring physicians and most health insurance providers. Before opening your doors, you'll need to decide if you want to accept most health plans as well as major medical, and what other payments you'll take. If you have physical therapy billing software in place, you'll be able to accept a variety of payments, including cash, checks and major credit cards. Simplifying payments for your clients is essential, so consider investing in physical therapy billing software that lets you set up payment plans for those who need it. Most good PT programs can also prepare and print out required insurance submission forms and minimize the problem of incorrect billing codes.

Patient Tracking And Office Organization With Physical Therapy Software

Whether you're going to be a sole practitioner or you'll bring on therapists for various specializations, the right physical therapy documentation software is a must. It protects your staff, your patients and your clinic by clearly outlining protocols, medical evaluations, course of treatment and patient progress over time. Look into a complete physical therapy software package that can set you up from day one with a flexible, customizable scheduling system that allows you or your staff to seamlessly tie appointments and procedures to copays and insurance documentation and billing. You'll get paid more reliably and your patients will appreciate quick and accurate billing of copays.

There are also PT scheduling options that can give you a great overview of individual patient progress, how often they should be scheduled for future treatment, and what their treatment modalities are. Some physical therapy documentation and software programs will even alert you when clients fall away from the schedule, prompting you to follow up with them and their physicians in order to reassess their progress and encourage their return to your clinic as needed. Prescription reminder tools can also help.

Any PT clinic, large or small, will benefit from having the right physical therapy software in place before opening its doors to patients. By having a complete suite of billing and tracking services available, you'll minimize confusion and maximize your patients' outcome and satisfaction.