WebPT Blog - best practices
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0 CommentsOct 23, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
Today's blog post comes from WebPT Copywriters Char Bohnett and Erica Cohen.
You’ve done your research; scoured the tradeshows; evaluated your options, and frankly, the writing’s on the wall: Digitally documenting with a rehab therapy-specific EMR just makes more sense than charting on paper—for your practice, for your patients, and for your sanity. But before you go ditching the pen and paper, you need buy-in, maybe from the clinic decision maker or maybe from your staff. Here’s how to go about pitching an EMR so everyone’s on board.
Tailor the Benefits
Sure, the EMR you have in mind (WebPT, of course) has tons of great benefits, everything from intuitive initial evaluations and professional finalized notes replete with your clinic’s logo to a color-coded front office scheduler and helpful alerts and reports. But no one wants to sit through a lengthy barrage of features (read: boring). Understand your clinic’s pain points first, and then tailor your conversation to how an EMR will help you solve these specific issues.
Have a front office staff who spends most of their time contacting patients to remind them they have upcoming appointments? Bring up the automatic appointment reminder feature, which can significantly reduce no-shows and cancellations, so your staff can focus on more pertinent items.
Have a clinic director who’s concerned about how much revenue he or she is losing each month because of missed referral opportunities? Remind him or her about the referral tracking report, which provides direct line of sight into which physicians are frequently referring your clinic’s services and which ones may need a reminder about your team’s fantasticness.
In short, create an emotional connection first by showing how your proposed EMR will address a real need and you’ll have one more advocate on your side. -
Oct 22, 2012| Erica Cohen
Today's blog post comes from Copywriters Charlotte Bohnett and Erica Cohen.
What is Evolve?
This isn’t your average event. Evolve is all about therapists, and it’s free. Connect with peers, hear from industry experts, exchange best practices, and learn how to increase revenue. Isn’t it time to EVOLVE your clinic?
Here’s a look at the agenda for both cities:
12:30 PM Registration
Arrive early to snag a good seat and say hello before presentations begin.
1:00 PM The Evolution of WebPT
Heidi and Brad Jannenga, Co-Founders of WebPT, will share their tale of creating the ultimate marriage of physical therapy and technology.
2:00 PM Billing: Ten Tips for Better Accounts Receivables Management
Robin Roach, CHBME, CMRS, and WebPT Director of Billing Services will review techniques you can use to ensure error-free claims and timely reimbursements.
2:30 PM Break
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Sep 18, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
One way to better market the physical therapy profession is to ensure that you’re appropriately marketing your own clinic. As is the case with any business, you need to know your audience. A common mistake is the “we’ll-fit-anyone” approach. You either end up clueless as to how to promote your clinic or cast too wide of a net, catching flitting minnows rather than loyal marlins. But by narrowing your focus—by finding your niche—you can better position yourself and your profession to increase business. Your marketing will be targeted, specific, and tailored to attract potential patients.
Finding Your Niche
In a whitepaper entitled “Build Your Practice by Finding Your Physical Therapy Niche,” Jeff Worrell suggests a few ways rehab therapists can go about finding their niche: “Take some time to jot down your experiences on a piece of paper...be as specific as possible. Look for similarities and highlight the experiences that are similar.” For example, our very own Heidi Jannenga experienced a sports-related injury in college and received physical therapy as a result. After college, she carved her specialty in athletic rehab therapy. -
Sep 14, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
Today’s blog post comes from WebPT copywriters Charlotte Bohnett and Erica Cohen.
Like us! Follow us! Nowadays most clinics have a Facebook and/or a Twitter. With everyone vying for customers’ attention on their newsfeeds, how do you stand out? How do you make your posts, tweets, and page more than just standard business promotion? Let’s talk about impact, emotion, and education. This week, we’re discussing four ways to use social media beyond the standard and instead, use your online presence to market yourself and the profession.
This week we’ve talked thought leadership, promotion, and feedback. In this fourth and final installment, let’s talk getting into the trenches with your fellow users.
Be One of the Users
Be a person first and a business owner second. While the face that you present through your company’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and/or Pinterest accounts should always remain unfailingly professional, it’s important to find and use your own voice. Your consumers will relate to and therefore trust you much more as a human instead of a company. So how do you successfully achieve this? Be relatable, be honest, be humble, and most importantly speak in a way and about topics that your consumers are interested in hearing. What that ultimately means is be one of the users, one of the people, a member of the community. -
Sep 13, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
Today’s blog post comes from WebPT copywriters Charlotte Bohnett and Erica Cohen.
Like us! Follow us! Nowadays most clinics have a Facebook and/or a Twitter. With everyone vying for customers’ attention on their newsfeeds, how do you stand out? How do you make your posts, tweets, and page more than just standard business promotion? Let’s talk about impact, emotion, and education. This week, we’re discussing four ways to use social media beyond the standard and instead, use your online presence to market yourself and the profession.So far we’ve talked thought leadership and promotion. How about we tackle press?
Handle Good and Bad Press with ComposureBecause social media allows for instant, two-way dialog, it’s important to be ready for all kinds of comments, both good and bad. Whether high or low praise, you have to be ready to respond in a manner that best represents you and your brand. Just remember, it’s often the critical feedback that helps you and your business grow.
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Sep 11, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
Today’s blog post comes from WebPT copywriters Charlotte Bohnett and Erica Cohen.
Like us! Follow us! Nowadays most clinics have a Facebook and/or a Twitter. With everyone vying for customers’ attention on their newsfeeds, how do you stand out? How do you make your posts, tweets, and page more than just standard business promotion? Let’s talk about impact, emotion, and education. This week, we’ll discuss four ways to use social media beyond the standard and instead, use your online presence to market yourself and the profession.
Become a Thought Leader
According to an article in Inc., “a thought-leader is someone who is willing to step into the spotlight and voice their points of view, innovative ideas, and potentially controversial opinions. He drives conversation and peppers the Internet and other outlets with his insights, ideas, and expertise. She inspires others to follow their dreams and teaches them to think big, solve problems, and face their fears.” -
Aug 21, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
This month we’ve run the gamut on compliance topics. From autonomy to HIPAA myths, we’re on a mission to simplify this oh-so-weighty topic. While we’ve provided some tips and tricks for tackling compliance, sometimes you may find your clinic in a situation that requires absolute expertise. And because most small to mid-size clinics simply cannot afford to staff a full-time physical therapist and compliance officer, it’s a good idea to turn to a consultant. But there’s lots to consider before hiring any ol’ compliance consultant. Here are four to ponder:1.) Credentials
As is the case with hiring for any position, experience is key. When shopping around for a compliance consultant, make sure they have the necessary credentials to ensure trustworthiness and peace of mind.
One must-have credential? Compliance certification! According to Nancy Beckley (@NancyBeckley), “CHC credential [is a] good place to start.” The Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) website breaks down their certification process and details the following benefits of certification:- Enhance the credibility of the compliance practitioner as well as the credibility of the compliance programs staffed by these certified professionals.
- Assure that each certified compliance practitioner has the broad knowledge base necessary to perform the compliance function.
- Establish professional standards and status for compliance professionals.
- Facilitate compliance work for compliance practitioners in dealing with other professionals in the industry, such as physicians and attorneys.
- Demonstrate the hard work and dedication necessary to perform the compliance task.
The Health Care Compliance Association also promotes CHC and encourages certification. In fact, the HCCA CEO wrote quite an impassioned letter regarding the topic entitled “Compliance certification by the profession, for the profession, and of the profession.” The AAPC also issues certification (Certified Professional Compliance Officer), which one can attain through an AAPC membership and rigorous examination.
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Jul 11, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
Last week we talked about why social media is a valuable health resource for patients. But what about the health care provider? The all-consuming prevalence of social media has permeated every corner of business, including healthcare, which has helped spawn the digital health movement. The social media healthcare connection is inevitable, so it’s time to get on board.
In an article on amednews.com, Pamela Lewis Dolan lists four ways medical professionals can use social media to improve their practice:1.) Discover needed services.
“Through social media, physicians can gain insight into what patients are willing to do to improve their health and what obstacles stand in their way,” Dolan reports. For example, Strive Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation in New Jersey uses Facebook to learn what services and events (like screenings) interest people. Another instance: Jessica Logan, social media and online content specialist for the University of California, San Diego Health Sciences marketing and communications department, uses Twitter to watch developing health trends and needs within the community.
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Jun 27, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
WebPT bloggers Lindsay Bayuk, Charlotte Bohnett, and Erica Cohen co-wrote today’s post.
Video games are no longer the exclusive pastime of teenage boys. Now, interactive and health-centric videogame software allows people of all ages to stay fit, improve range of motion, and battle out a seriously competitive game of Wii Tennis—all from the comfort of their living room.
Image from http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6397566899_7c29f47a67_b.jpg -
Jun 21, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
Today’s blog post comes from Jeremy Legaspi, a speech language pathologist at UPWARD in Phoenix, Arizona. Follow Jeremy on Twitter @AZspeechguy or visit azspeechguy.wordpress.com.
As a pediatric SLP, I’m always looking for new ways to interact with my patients and incorporate fun into my treatment plans. The iPad is awesome because I can use it for documentation and office purposes as well as for treatment. As a big iPad fan, I have about 500 apps. Here are the top five applications I use most frequently with my pediatric patients.
1.) Custom Boards
One of About.com’s "Best App for Special Needs of 2012,” Custom Boards Premium is an evidence-based app that allows you to use or create activity boards for children needing symbols to communicate and learn. Boasting over 11,000 built-in symbols from the Smarty Symbols library as well as the ability to add your own photos, Custom Boards allows you to select from a pool of templates in six areas: Devices & Switches, Grids & Boards, Schedules, Activities, Signs, and Labels & Worksheets.
