Clear Concepts

PPS Media Corps offers excellent marketing advice for private practice owners on the go.

Interview with Nathaniel Christadoss, PT, CKTP | By Don Levine, PT, DPT, FAFS

There are two things that generally prevent marketing and public relations (PR) efforts from succeeding: too little time and not enough money. Several years ago, the Private Practice Section (PPS) Marketing and PR Committee and Epic PR Group created the PPS Media Corps, offering a new benefit to members that provided PR and marketing resources to busy private practice owners. Nearly 180 members from across the United States have joined the Media Corps and regularly receive press releases, media tips, one-on-one consulting, and additional support from Epic throughout the year.

Last year, the Media Corps held a competition to find out which member has been most successful in using the resources provided. Nathaniel Christadoss, owner of Physical Therapy of Melissa, was named the winner at the PPS Annual Conference in November and was awarded a full year of PR consulting services from Epic.

This year, Christadoss will work with Epic and the PR Committee to report on his progress, which will be shared periodically in Impact. I recently sat down with him to learn more about Physical Therapy of Melissa and get an idea of what he can look forward to in 2015.

Q: Tell me a bit about your physical therapy practice.

A: In 2010, my wife, Michelle, and I founded Physical Therapy of Melissa in Melissa, Texas, a rural town just north of Dallas. Being the only physical therapy outpatient clinic in our community, we are fortunate to treat a multitude of diagnoses of all age groups. We have seen tremendous growth in our clinic, expanding from just me and Michelle treating patients in a rented 1,000-square-foot space five years ago to five additional employees servicing patients in our own 3,250-square-foot building on land we purchased. It has been an exciting five years!

Q: Can you share with me when you became a PPS member?

A: I became a PPS member in 2010 after attending a PPS-sponsored class, “How to Start a Physical Therapy Private Practice,” at the Combined Sections Meeting in San Diego. Without the networking of PPS members and the valuable coursework and conferences, my practice would not be where it is today. I am so grateful for everything my PPS membership has given me.

Q: When did you decide to join the PPS Media Corps?

A: I decided to join the PPS Media Corps at the 2013 PPS Annual Conference in New Orleans. I felt that to keep growing my practice, I needed to broaden my marketing strategies and create greater awareness for physical therapy in my community.

Q: Since you joined the Media Corps in 2013, how has your marketing and PR for your practice changed?

A: Prior to joining the Media Corps, my marketing efforts were limited. I asked myself if we were growing and happy, why spend time and money on marketing? Then I asked myself, what if I had a competitor open another practice in my town? I would be in trouble. With the help of Media Corps, I am receiving the tools and strategies to consistently provide awareness to our community about my practice. Now I am taking a more dynamic approach to marketing—and not the old school going door-to-door asking for patients.

Q: What resource from the Media Corps do you utilize the most?

A: The press releases have been a great resource for me. I have had a few press releases that were published in our local newspaper that serve over 7,000 households and businesses.

Q: What are some of your marketing goals for this year?

A: I am planning to hold recurring social events with our current and past clients as well as establish better relationships with potential referral sources such as schools, gyms, medical doctors, and employers. We want to create mutually beneficial partnerships with community organizations that have a shared interest in health and wellness. For example, instead of asking a doctor to send patients to us, we want to ask them how we can best refer patients to them.

Q: Where do you see Physical Therapy of Melissa a year from now?

A: I see Physical Therapy of Melissa needing another provider by the end of this year. Another physical therapist will allow me to cut back on patient care a bit and have time to focus more on the business as a whole. With our dynamic marketing plans, I see quite an exponential growth in the forecast for Physical Therapy of Melissa.

Nathaniel Christadoss, PT, CKTP, is the owner of Physical Therapy of Melissa. He can be reached at nathaniel.christadoss@gmail.com.