Offering advice over the web.
Leigh Boyle, DPT, CSCS
Have you ever thought about earning an income from online coaching—advising injured athletes on recovery and self-treatment techniques? As technology continues to become an integral part of our lives (and the lives of our patients), the next logical step for our profession is headed in this direction. People are already using the Internet to search for advice, so the experts on rehabilitation should be the ones on the other end of the keyboard! I went from giving some free advice to fellow long distance athletes to having my own online business. One of the first questions colleagues ask me when they find out what I have developed is “Where did the idea come from?” followed by “How did I grow the site to what it is now?” Both questions always make me laugh to myself because the website was not a goal or a vision or a plan. The truth is that I started it as a way to help streamline my day.
Freeware: selecting an EMR in the age of the cloud.
Heidi Jannenga, PT, MPT, ATC/L
The value of electronic medical records (EMR) relates not only to your business’s bottom line, but also to the quality of care delivered to your patients. Of course, not all EMR systems are created equal. Most do not take into account the workflow or treatment style specific to physical therapists. Beyond that, there are three very distinct types of EMR: server-based, freeware, and web-based. This article will examine all three and recommend the best investment for your practice.
By Scott Spradling
The best friend a private practice owner can have is information about the health and wellbeing of his or her clinic. Whether you are a one practitioner office that keeps a paper copy of daily statistics, or a large group with multiple offices or regions that has to compile monthly data from multiple reports, the newly redesigned Roambi Analytics 7 is the application for you.
By Jean Darling, PT, LAT
According to InMedica, the telehealth market is predicted to grow by 55% worldwide in 2013.1 This growth rate is based on the number of devices available to individuals and on service revenues. These facts can be difficult to swallow by someone like me, who did not grow up with a computer, did not use one during college, and did not even use one during my first 10 years of practice. With the continual barrage of new applications and technology that are conducive to improving our daily efficiency as physical therapists, I now find that I am unable to ignore these technological developments as they relate to our profession. I am forced to go along for the technological ride or abandon ship!
Diligence and automation are the keys to getting and keeping your accounts receivable under control.
By Steven Presement
Accounts receivable is generally a leading cause of intestinal distress for those paying the bills. Physical therapy practices face unique challenges when it comes to collections, but there are also opportunities not afforded in other types of businesses. Unlike most other businesses, in the physical therapy world, there are two phases to accounts receivable: phase one happens before the consumer is even treated and continues during the course of treatment; phase two occurs after the claim has left the building and is in the hands of the insurer and patient.
