A scene from one of Fred's recent shows.

Fred Shonkwiler, MPT, FAFS, CEAS - of Spine & Sport Physical Therapy & Aquatics - is taking consumer marketing for his practice to a whole new level. It all started when Fred completed a 40-week fellowship course at the Gary Gray Institute of Functional Transformation (GIFT).

Fred knew he wanted to bring a professional-caliber sports performance program to St. Joseph, which is home to Missouri Western State University (MWSU). Fred started networking with local high school coaches and began a regular radio segment on the town's ESPN Radio affiliate.

The head trainer at MWSU recognized Fred's unique value to the university's athletes. Fred now offers his specialized GIFT training to help rehabilitate injured players. Fred has also earned a regular spot on the university's weekly sports show, Griffon Sports Insider. Fred uses the spot to promote Spine & Sport as a leader in sports performance, rehabilitation, injury prevention and training techniques.

"It's just been a ton of fun to work with the athletes," Fred said. "The fellowship I completed was really cutting edge sports science. When you show the athletes these techniques they've never seen before, it's fun to see the response."

Steph Fall, Licensed Athletic Trainer at Clear Lake Physical Therapy, treats players at a high school football game.

Student athletes are returning to the playing field, making it a perfect time to offer athletic injury outreach in your community. This can help grow your practice by guiding athletes to your clinic for PT or OT, making your clinic an extension of the training room. The athletes receive treatment from a licensed medical professional, and the therapist earns new patients.

In our family, Clear Lake/Turtle Lake, Rice Lake, Spooner, Kewanee, Spine & Sport, Pinnacle and Victory PTRS have active athletic outreach programs.

A clinic's level of involvement in school athletics can vary. Jon DeBord, PT, MS, ATC, SCS - of Kewanee PTRS - is available to players on the sidelines during games. Women's volleyball Coach Bob Grabbe recently said DeBord had "his team that was battling injuries and illness ready to play."

Athletic injury programs can also improve your cash flow by offering new revenue producing opportunities. For example, you can bill a school or team for the skilled services you provide. You can also increase your clinic's billables by treating the athletes you might not otherwise treat. Increasing your visibility in the community may also lead to new referral source relationships.

RMS' industry-leading Central Office continues to develop a strong collaborative relationship with leaders of the American Physical Therapy Association.

On Sept. 14, Heather Smith, PT, MPH, Associate Director of Quality Initiatives for the APTA, sought out RMS to continue to learn from our implementation of the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). RMS has had active PQRS programs in place at multiple clinic sites since June.

Heather was interested to learn about the practical implications of implementing the program, not just the theory behind it. With one quick call, she was able to access a physical therapist actively reporting in the program and a billing specialist who routinely submits PQRS claims.

The APTA's opportunity to learn from our implementation is unique, since a very low percentage of clinics across the country have active PQRS programs. Plans are also still in the works to collaborate with the APTA in creating educational PQRS materials for a national audience.

For more information on starting a PQRS program in your practice, email Connie Ziccarelli, COO at rms-cz@tds.net or Kevin Svoboda, PT at rms-ks@tds.net.

A global company thought local when it came to the treatment of its injured workers.

Fellowes, a global manufacturer of business machines like paper shredders and secure storage boxes, recently sought out Kevin Svoboda, PT to perform job demand analyses at its Itasca, Ill. location.

Kevin, RMS' Clinical Growth & Development Director, analyzed multiple work stations on-site and assessed workers' job functions and conditions. This will help Fellowes in injury prevention, reduction and also help any injured workers return to the job faster.

The visit took place on Sept. 20, but it wasn't the first time Kevin was on-site at Fellowes. He previously conducted a job-site analysis specific to a former patient. In this most recent visit, Kevin analyzed the workplace with a global focus in mind.

Hi, ! This Issue's Theme is: None of us is as smart as all of us 

 

Physical Therapy is a business that can be extremely rewarding. But it also requires the sharpest minds and most dedicated professionals. When we all work together to advance our knowledge and solve issues pinning us down, our patients are the ultimate beneficiaries. Learning and continuous development are truly team efforts. 

Don't forget about our next Practice Building Education Sessions:

 

Thursday, Oct. 20 @ 12 p.m.

"Growing A Practice: More Than Seeing Patients"

 

Thursday, Nov. 17 @ 12 p.m.

"Revenue Producing Documentation"

The One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams by Ken Blanchard, Donald Carew & Eunice Parisi-Carew

 

Click the book to purchase on Amazon.com 

The 2011-2012 plan year insurance for General Liability, Professional Liability and workman's compensation has been successfully renewed. CRB insurance is our choice in working with a professional, reliable and trusted agency for our diverse insurance needs.

This is a competitive bid process. First, information and data are gathered on our buildings, our equipment and furnishings in the clinics, as well as the number of people on staff and each clinic's payroll and income. After the information is gathered, it is put in the proper format and sent out to bid.

This helps ensure that our insurance coverage is all-inclusive and protects our investments. Our physical assets are important, of course, but our human capital - the licenses and working members of our clinical family - are invaluable. Having a comprehensive insurance policy to hedge against risk allows everyone in our clinics and Central Office to have peace of mind and concentrate on the healing practice of physical therapy.

   

We continue to embrace the value of learning in our daily actions. This is a core ideology in which we believe so much, we've made it a priority to offer regular learning opportunities to our family of clinics and Central Office.

Our Practice Building Education webinar series continues to advance and develop both audiences. It is encouraging to see the value that has been added to each member of our family who is committed to learn. The presentations are unique because they allow therapists, administrators and Central Office staff a chance to tackle a new learning challenge. 

 

"It was a really good review," Susan Trchka, PT of Physical Therapy & Rehab Specialists - Hinsdale said about a recent presentation. "It was beneficial for me that it was very concise. It was 30 minutes and I got what I needed and was able to get back to my patient care."