Getting Out from Under the Thumb of the Insurance Industry

As you may already know, we started delivering several of our seminars in Canada. This gave us a unique opportunity to see for ourselves how a Canadian practice is run.

We noticed immediately that the Canadian physiotherapy differs greatly in treatment methodology as compared to a physical therapy practice in the US. The physiotherapists are exceptionally well trained but are reimbursed poorly. They also deliver in higher volume per week than the typical US physical therapist.

Their physios generate as much if not more income per hour than the typical US physical therapy practice. That alone would make them more profitable but what blows the US physical therapy practice out of the water is that a Canadian PT practice doing nearly 300 patient visits a week would only have a single receptionist handling ALL of the admin. How many admin are needed to deliver to 300 patients a week in the US? I bet more than one.

In the US, Chiropractors had been very much involved in the insurance model for years. About 15 years ago the AMA and the insurance industry began putting the “squeeze” on the Chiropractic profession. At that point many decided, “that’s it!” and quit the hassle of dealing with insurance companies and moved more and more into a cash-based system for the majority of their services. It is from that exact point the Chiropractic profession moved out from under the thumb of the AMA and the insurance industry. Chiropractors began to prosper and they continue to prosper and let’s face it, the lobbying power of the Chiropractic profession is powerful and a good part of the reason for its power is because they are no longer suppressed.

Delivering an economical treatment for patients can be done. Think about a time when you may have worked on a family member. Did you deliver all those modalities, put them on your treadmill or even ice for that matter? I bet you put your hands on them and applied your “magic” that you or any other well trained physical therapist has and they got better. You do not have to have a bunch of “stuff” to get your product with a patient.

In my next post I will begin to cover the benefit of using your “magic” to build a cash practice.