Liz Gillem-Duncanson PT started her cash-based practice on a part time basis in 2006, doing house calls, and now see’s patients full time and is booking up to four months in advance! In this podcast episode, we discuss her path to this point and how she’s had this level of success.
More specifically, we discuss these cash-based practice topics:
- How she delineates between wellness and skilled PT services
- How she changed her receipts so that her patients could get reimbursements for self claims
- How she kept her risk minimized by working part time as an employee while building her private practice on the side.
- The ways she deals with running a clinic space at her home, and avoiding issues with new patients whom you may not want in your home.
- The two group classes she offers
- What she says to patients to promote word-of-mouth referrals
- The logistics of running her practice
- Her typical patient and overall patient population demographics
- What she says to patients who are unsure about whether or not they can/should pay more out of pocket and not use their insurance for PT
- What skills, experiences, and certifications she has obtained that have helped her to be successful with her cash practice
Resources and Links mentioned in this episode:
Interested in the cash-based private practice model?
Click Here to learn how to start your own Cash-Based Practice
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Connect with Liz: Body Temple PT on Facebook, and Liz on Twitter
Please Note: Liz clarified after the interview was finished that everyone she sees for “wellness” rather than “skilled PT” had already seen a physician and had been discharged by that physician for that particular issue. This podcast is not an endorsement of any specific definitions or approaches to dealing with the Wellness VS. Skilled PT topic or how to document/delineate between these two things in your practice.
Many thanks and much gratitude for this opportunity, Jarod.
Be well, Liz
Thank YOU Liz! We appreciate your time and wisdom!
Liz and Jared,
Thank you for this interview. I have wanted to have a home based practice, although do not have the space in my home at this time and am struggling with finding my niche and courage.
I enjoyed learning about Liz’s wellness practice as this is something I have pondered. I have been a PT for over 18 years, yet not really sure what my niche could be with my practice focus being acute care since raising my family.
Thank you so much for sharing!
You are very Welcome, Mary.
My first suggestion (in follow up to Liz’s comment) is to figure out what your ideal day would look like ( if you had complete say in its design) … Your ideal patient, the issues you would most enjoy treating, etc. Then fill in the gaps of your knowledge base and manual skills with continuing education. In this way, you will build both courage, and skills to move into the niche where your passion lies.
Thanks for sharing Mary Lynn! You are most welcome.
If you do move to a place with more space, I recommend checking the zoning before hand. Our home is in a “mixed-use” zone for commercial and residential use. Stay passionate and your niche (and courage) will follow.
Thoroughly enjoyed this and many other interviews/podcasts. Was very informative as I too have been doing a home-based business for the past 10 months. I have often wanted to do a Yoga certification and was glad that Liz provided the information regarding hers. Continued success Liz, and thanks Jarod for another great podcast!!
Thanks for the kind words, Paulette, and congratulations on your new practice!! So glad the podcast was helpful
Congratulations Paulette! Happy to share my story and wish you continued success as well. Yes, please do look into the PYT program, it is the only one I know of for licensed health care providers. Thanks Jarod, for the opportunity to share.
Hello Liz,
I enjoyed your interview, you gave lots of great information. I came from a corporate PT world too, seen between 2-3 patients per hour and been in Orthopedics for over 12 years and I emphasize wellness having networked with multiple practitioners. I like the vendors posted on your website where patients can purchase directly from amazon or TRX. Did you apply for a special code or vendor membership so you can post this on your website? Once again, great interview and inspiring process. You are blessed. Mark
Thanks Mark. That is exactly what I love about Jarod’s podcasts- it shows that we are all on the same page and changing the system together. It is nice to know we are not alone.
The TRX link is through my continuing education with them: https://www.trxtraining.com/shop/professional-education.
You can become a TRX vendor when you are a “Level II” trainer.
The Amazon vendor links were set up by my web guy many years ago through the “Amazon Associate” program: https://affiliate-program.amazon.com
Be Well!
Thank you for the info and I have a great thought with the use of wellness under ATC and CSCS. I have been going through the transition from in network to out of network and I feel this has given me another opportunity. I am CSCS and I do miss training to a point. I was training clients prior and throughout PT school. Thank you both.
Thanks Joseph. But be careful … from what I know, you are help to the laws and regulations of your “highest license” so you often can’t just take of the PT hat and put on the personal trainer hat in any scenario where it lowers your limitations. It’s absolutely ridiculous that we are more limited than personal trainers in many ways, but it’s the unfortunate reality of things
Yes, and always follow your state practice act. In California, our Board changed the definition of Wellness Physical Therapy to include intervention:
“Section 2620 defines physical therapy. As amended by Senate Bill 1485 the definition of physical therapy now expressly includes “the promotion and maintenance of physical fitness to enhance the bodily movement related to health and wellness of individuals through the use of physical therapy interventions.” Now, with the changes to Section 2620, the physical therapist is clearly authorized to perform physical therapy interventions for the purpose of wellness and fitness.”
I just listened to this interview for a second time – thanks to everyone involved! This really hits home with me as I’m a DPT as well as an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Health Fitness Specialist. Liz, did you have to obtain any type of business license to start doing your in-home visits? Did you establish your Inc. before you started seeing patients in their home? You use GenBook for appointments – do you also use an EMR for your documentation? Finally, how frequently do you typically see your patients per week?
Thanks again to you both for educating and inspiring the rest of us!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your comments.
I did obtain a business license in the city that I was making house-calls in.
I think it depends on your state practice acts and laws, but in California, I started out as self-employed (using my legal name and credentials as the business name) before I incorporated. In California, PTs can only become an S-corp, which I did in 2012, after I moved into a permanent studio space.
I currently have not moved over to EMRs I am waiting for all the software bugs and kinks to be worked out and I am waiting for it to become mandatory before I make the big switch to EMRs.
I typically see clients once per week at the highest frequency and some clients have repeating spots every 8 weeks (and ranges in between). Most clients are either on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, repeating schedule.
Hope that helps! Liz