Showing posts with label Physical Therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Physical Therapy. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

The VPTA Student Conclave 2016 Experience


I had the truly distinguished privilege and pleasure to be the #VPTASC2016's keynote speaker and additional breakout sessions speaker. The topics:
  1. The Inspired Professional
  2. Launching BEYOND Entry Level
First, here's the 15 minutes of my keynote:


AND... In no specific order, here are some take away points & highlights:



























Okay... my cut & paste function is officially tired. You get the idea ;)

It was an amazing production. The students, faculty, and everyone involved should be IMMENSELY proud. It was polished. It was professional. It FELT like a legit conference put on by event planners and media producers.

Again, my deepest thanks for being able to contribute to the event.

Annnnnnd.... That's all folks!
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Thursday, May 12, 2016

Ben Fung's Digital Footprint Map

So, I just came across this idea to mentally map out where my digital footprint is. Then, I decided... why not actually map it out?! Then, I was wondering where my Twitter based impressions have been leading toward...

 

Result: Good company. Good people. Gotta love Twitter!

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Friday, April 15, 2016

Product Review: The Pelvic Clock™

Today's product review is sponsored by The Pelvic Clock™.


While I don't do many product reviews on this blog; and more so, do product reviews on my dad blog #DaddyInTheRaw... there is a remarkable story behind the Pelvic Clock -- the person, behind the product.

As with many inventions, the Pelvic Clock came out of personal necessity. Founder & CEO Yana Blinova created the Pelvic Clock during a time when she was told her spine was so of whack, that her only hope was spine surgery. Being an olympic coach, she knew the power of Physical Therapy... both professionally and personally. Both her parents were olympic coaches; and, one of her twin brothers -- being born with clubfeet -- experienced transformative improvements through Physical Therapy.

Refusing to give up, she looked around her house for ANYTHING she could use to augment therapeutic exercises and alleviate her low back pain. Fashioning a broken pot lid & a towel for padding, she performed the popular Pelvic Clock exercises and felt immediate relief across her sacroiliac joint & low back.

Not thinking much about it until far later when her many clients urged her to produce the Pelvic Clock as formal product, she went to work on design and production. After numerous revision and manufacturing intensities two years in the making...

The Pelvic Clock™ is proudly made in the USA!

It's a rather intuitive device with a truly comfortable material texture. It isn't too hard, nor is the height of it impossible to appreciate in terms of spinal extension. It is also more intuitive (to me at least!) with the explanation of the Pelvic Clock exercises as well as the proper muscle engagement in performing the pelvic clock exercises as a whole.

Yana and I had a wonderful conversation together and remarked on both the portability (for home health), the ease of use and simple patient education, and of course, the fact that it can be utilize in the clinic as ther-ex. The Pelvic Clock can be used on a hard surface, a soft surface such as a mattress, and even against a wall... which was, as Yana recalled, how a pregnant Physical Therapist used it the first time she was introduced to the product.

Through personal use of the Pelvic Clock, I was truly impressed by how HARD it was to cheat. Typically, with supine core exercises, it's easy to engage with the lower extremities to feign substitute and compensatory movements. However, I tried... I mean, I REALLY TRIED to perform a posterior pelvic tilt with the lower extremities... No Go. However, *BOOM* with core engagement... PPT #Done.

The Pelvic Clock is highly rated on Amazon -- and -- I agree! It's a solid product. Feels really nice. Is quality material. And, is made in the USA! I can see this useful in the clinic as a foundational exercise for low back concerns. And, since the exercise is rather self regulating, it can also be used much like most warm up exercises are in the clinic in terms of maximizing time management & productivity. Of course, that's after a patient has demonstrated proper exercise technique ;)

I'm very pleased to present the Pelvic Clock with my recommendations. While the price may be seemingly high; the quality it presents with, the ease of use, and the fact that is made in America earns it my thumbs up!
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Thursday, April 7, 2016

Trainers, Chiropractors, and Scope of Practice. OH MY!

When we start to feel the need to muscle up for term protection, defending scope of practice, etc... it all comes from a good place -- that the public consumer needs to be FULLY AWARE of what they are buying and who they are actually buying it from.

Still... we don't want to come across like this guy:
"This guy hates charity." - Monster's University

Positive media will always beat out negative media as it pertains to change. Sure, negative media gets more "press"... (contradiction in terms)... or, rather, is likely to get more attention. However, it may not actually get any action.

So, how do we do this? How do we go about protecting ourselves, our customers, and the consumer at large without looking like we're trying to nitpick, or even worse, come across like we're bullying other professions. Here are my suggestions:


1. Forge Strategic Alliances.
For every profession, there exists a continuum of excellence from totally amazing to "shouldn't even be in this profession." We see it all over healthcare, we see it in other professions, and certainly in personal trainers, chiropractors, etc.

Instead of saying the proverbial, "Get off my turf!" I suggest we approach the best of the trainers, chiros, acupuncturists, massage therapists... anyone who would otherwise seem to be a "threat" and make THEM our champions. After all, kind words mean a LOT more coming from someone who may be perceived as a rival. Some of the most successful cash and out of network physical therapists I know create alliances with those that would otherwise be stereotypically considered "the enemy."

It should speak volumes that such personalities are THAT successful because their mindset is not on the scarcity of resources; but, on a growth mindset that there isn't a piece of the pie to be had... rather, to make the pie bigger!


2. Get Public!
How many chiropractors, massage therapists, and TENs representatives do you see at your county fair, farmer's market, or local health fair? And... how many PTs? #PointMade

Truly, if we even wish to hope to have some semblance of professional brand awareness amongst our consumer base, we need to at the very least GET PUBLIC. GET VISIBLE. GET OUT THERE. We can't blame consumers for going to the most visible brands for substitutable expertise and solutions. We only have ourselves to blame on that one.

Therefore, what must be done is for physical therapists to capture every opportunity out there to get publicly visible. This means social media, health fairs, conferences, county fairs, conventions, community events, schools, sponsorships, ads, local news, the local paper... you name it! Anywhere there are people, ears, or eyeballs... PHYSICAL THERAPISTS SHOULD BE THERE. That... is the only way we can point the arrow to the practitioner of choice regarding physical health, the movement system, pain, rehabilitation, etc.


3. Approach Everything via Consumer Concern.
It's all about protecting the consumer. Just like we want accurate food labels, we want accurate labels on exercise, fitness, wellness, and healthcare.

This is where we can approach from a legal standpoint of false advertisement, misrepresentation, etc. We don't need to publicly blast people for doing (knowing or unknowingly) what is against the law, or at the very least, is inaccurate or unethical in terms of advertisement. What we can do, is come at this from the angle of concern for the consumers. After all, no one wants someone post-op to get hurt because they went to the wrong person, right? After all, no one wants someone who has a healthcare concern to be cared for by someone who is unlicensed, right? After all... it's all about making sure the public is protected, knows their options, and are free to make their best choice as consumers.

Coming at it from the lens of social responsibility is a powerful focus and gets a lot of positive attention, even regarding uncomfortable topics at hand which require hard changes.


Some Closing Thoughts 
As PTs, we definitely need to advocate for our consumers, protect our profession, and defend our scope of practice. We can do so with strong allies on all sides, rather than by pointing fingers at misdeed. We can do so by being a beacon of hope and constructive thought in the eye of the public. We can do so by demonstrating genuine concern for the consumer, over our own "turf," "scope," or "gain."

It is through such angles of approach that we gain favor in the public eye -- that we constantly aim for the betterment of all through transparent mindsets of mutual growth and societal benefit at large.
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Tuesday, March 15, 2016

#PrimaryCarePT

About a year ago, I stated my thoughts "A Case For The Primary Care Physiotherapist."

Just recently, I had two dental care experiences which were vastly different from each other. While there's much to say -- and -- I *will* say, regarding the customer experience factor... there is far more significant discussion available regarding integrating a primary care PT element into healthcare. And, even some cursory discussion regarding a PT insurance much as medical, dental, vision, etc... so, why not "physical?"

After all... who is REALLY doing the "physical" examinations?

Any way... without further ado... here is my vlog on...!




As always, thank you for being with me! I'm eager to hear your thoughts. Be sure to tweet me @DrBenFung or feel free to leave a comment below or in the YouTube video itself!

Best,
-Ben


PS. If you want to read more on such related thoughts, you can find them here:
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Monday, February 29, 2016

Now That CSM Is Over

So, CSM was in-sane.

The biggest conference in physical therapy in the United States happened two weeks ago. And, I'm *finally* starting to feel like I'm recuperating.

Perhaps the best part of it was finally being able to meet the many people I first "met" via social media. Yeeeees... there were a LOT of #APTACSMSelfie's!


Now That CSM Is Over

Now that CSM is over, it's time to reboot, refocus, and grind away!

First off, I'm looking forward to getting my dad blog, Daddy In The Raw, started up in good stride again. There are a lot of past posts that I did have scheduled out; but, just didn't feel the timing was right since things change as blogs & life-in-general develop. I'll be pushing them out shortly so that we can all catch up with how the heck this happened...


Secondly, I'm really pleased to share that UpDoc Media Version 2.0 is up! This includes a brand new look, a refocus on our boutique digital marketing service, and the grand opening of the UpDoc Media Store!

Finally, I *KEEP* flirting with the idea of doing some kind of regular broadcast. I'm not sure what that regularity will entail... I've had several requests for a podcast, some for a traditional YouTube vlog, plenty of people love #Periscope. I'm just trying to figure out best medium, best time day, best frequency, etc.

What I want to make unique about this broadcast: I want it to be kind of a rolling Q&A that encompasses mind set, attitude, success, business, professional development, and how to relate personally, professionally, collegially, etc... kind of blend the content of what I have here, at UpDoc, and even at Daddy In The Raw in a more universal & comprehensive outlook on how to approach that magical blend of balance, go-getting, and achievement.

ALSO, I want to make this regular broadcast manageable... something less than 10 minutes per broadcast. There are already enough 30+ podcasts and what nots out there. This one is going to be fast flowing, no nonsense, only the good stuff....

Alright, enough of me dreaming out loud about it :)

Let me know if you're interested.

OKAY. That's it for now! CSM is over. It's time to get back to work!
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Wednesday, February 10, 2016

#DisneyPT & CSM Tips


#DisneyPT

ARE YOU GOING?!

1 month ago, I wondered how many folks going to CSM were also going to crash Disneyland. The answer: At least 30! So, then I got to wondering, which day would people plan on going? And, it appears that Wednesday the 17th is going to be the majority day. However, there will be some going on Thursday, Friday, and even Saturday.

So, if you are indeed going, I am pleased to have 10 Tips on how to make the trip absolutely perfect!

10 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR DISNEYLAND TRIP, PERFECT.

Otherwise, that's just about it. In case you need some tips in attending CSM for the 1st time, here are two posts, one from a general perspective & another from a student's perspective. Enjoy!
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Monday, January 11, 2016

CSM and Disneyland

So, I put out a poll on Facebook and Twitter. Here are the results:

There will be at least 30 of your colleagues & their families, romping around at the Happiest Place On Earth!

 Can both be done?! Well... I'll let you decide ;) This post isn't about finding or making the time. This post is all about what you can do while you're at Disneyland and some tips from a seasoned Disneyland Annual Passholder in how you can maximize your Disney experience at the parks. After all, if you've decided to go... you already know that it is worth it. And, if you are wavering, maybe this post will show you what 30+ people already know... it is worth it ;)

LOL. Who are we kidding? Of course I'm trying to get you to go!

CSM and Disneyland

I probably don't even need to say it, you probably already know: I'm a Disney FIEND. I love all things Disney & Star Wars; therefore, Disneyland (and Disney California Adventure) is just plain awesome. The fact that CSM is but and only next door to the Disneyland Resort, I can only hope that more and more of you will be helping me do a #DisneyPT TAKEOVER!

Considering that most of the CSM activities will be ceasing around 5 or 6pm -- AND -- that Disneyland is open until midnight for both the Friday & Saturday... there should be plenty of opportunities to get into the parks.

Here's what's up!
The Disneyland Resort is undergoing all sorts of changes in preparation for Star Wars land. What this means is that the train will be down and much of that same area surrounding the transition between Frontierland and Fantasyland. The good news is that because there is a bit less to do there, you don't have to feel paralyzed by too many options and trying to fit everything in. You'll have your option of park hoppers and various ticket prices to reflect how many days you wish to get in.

If anything, I'm hoping to organize an unofficial PT takeover... but, more news on that later.

If you haven't been to Disneyland in the last couple years... or decade. This is what you stand to gain!
  1. Tommorrowland is entirely Star Wars'd out. The whole place is now undergoing something called the Season of the Force. The whole area has Star Wars music, decor, and Star Tours is now a 4-D experience along with a special scene which ties in the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens!
  2. The Paint The Night Parade is perhaps Disneyland's best parade ever! Not only did it debut for Disneyland's 60th anniversary; it gave the proper nods to the old Electrical Parade which is now available in Disney World, Orlando.
  3. Oh, right! It's Disneyland's Diamond Anniversary!
  4. Many of the "fun" rollercoasters have been upgraded. This includes the Matterhorn Bobsled as well as Frontierland's Big Thunder Mountain. I went on Big Thunder just last week and the upgrades are incredible!
  5. Disneyland allows for FastPasses for you to spend in the park while your pass, waits in line and allows for a return time for you to cut the majority of most lines. If you have children, you can also use what is called a Rider Switch Pass where one of you waits through the line and the other gets to do something else. Then, you switch the passes and take 3 guests with you to cut the majority of the line. A similar effect goes for wheelchair access.
  6. There are a LOT more new shows including Mickey and the Magical Map, a brand new World of Color show in Disney California Adventure.
  7. Oh! And, if you aren't familiar with Disney California Adventure... it's the "adult" park. There, you will find great food, great rides (actual rollercoasters and what not), and great booze. That's right ALCOHOL.
  8. Space Mountain is now Hyperspace Mountain, re-themed with projections of Star Wars effects to really accelerate the ride experience.
  9. Many of the dark rides in Fantasyland have been upgraded in one fashion or another. An example is Alice in Wonderland and the new dynamic projections they have as you go through the ride itself.
  10. Downtown Disney has become its own thing. Great shops. Excellent food. Speaking of which, maybe #10.5 is Trader Sam's Tavern at the Disneyland Hotel... the volcano explodes regularly... as does the rush in drink orders ;)
So, finally, I must ask... if you're not planning on going yet... are you now?!

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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Three-In-One BLAB Fest

Hi everyone,

Here is a much delayed release of my 3-in-1 blab session covering acute physical therapy, vitals, and professional ownership. I meant to release this quite a bit earlier, but! Well... life :)

So here they are!

  1. Vitals are VITAL (A Follow Up)
  2. 5 Ways Acute Care Was My Ultimate Game Changer
  3. Physical Therapy Attitude Check: Do you own or do you work?
Thanks for all the inspiration and engagement regarding those Facebook posts. Hope you enjoy these. And, get ready to laugh because it is beyond apparent how exhausted I was recording these. LOL! =P
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5 Ways Acute Care Was My Ultimate Game Changer

You either love it or hate. If you're like me, you probably went into PT school thinking about outpatient ortho and/or sports, waiting that magical 5 years until you're good enough, and then opening up your own business.

Well, as life would have it, I would rotate through various settings and some how found the acute care hospital to be my love and passion as it pertains to the raw potential to which PTs can learn -- and -- to which PTs can contribute.

Here Are 5 Ways Acute Care Was My Ultimate Game Changer


  1. Best application of knowledge base.
  2. Highest level of clinical diversity. Yep, I did plenty of manual, ortho, and even ED.
  3. Highest level of clinical complexity. Where else are you going to get someone who has 20 different medical conditions, blood that should be melting out of their body, vital signs that make no sense, but are agreed by all in the medical team to appropriate for home discharge?
  4. INTENSITY. With the most intense medical situations & most intense patient care scenarios.
  5. Largest political canvas in healthcare. Acute care requires savvy to navigate and typically 10-15 years to move into a significant space of leadership (system level, VP, c-level, etc.), 2-5 years for first promotion. 5-10 years for leadership opportunities.

Some quick commentary. People get scared of the ICU. Well, the ICU is the safest place. You have the quickest response team right there, more monitoring that you could ever ask for. Rarely, does anything "go wrong" in terms of PT in the ICU. In fact and in my experience, all the accidents, strokes, and crazy events occurred on ortho (DVTs), trauma (complexity, despite medical stability), and medical units (because, the guard is down).

Additionally in acute care, you get exposure and opportunities to serve in wound care; be it laser, wound VAC, or MIST... or traditional stuff, sharps, even maggot. You get imaging, coordination with the entire healthcare spectrum of professionals. 

The opportunity in acute care for PT is immense. The ability to leverage nearly the entire spectrum of our clinical training is wonderful. Sure, you're not going to do mobs on everyone. But, really, is doing mobs all that PT is about? Surely not.

Think about acute care. It was the ultimate game changer for me. It remains, to this day, one of the most influential and significant leveraged experiences which affects my clinical practice.

If you're a student, get IN a hospital rotation. If you're a new grad, get some per diem hours... you will never regret it.
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Vitals Are VITAL!

So, I shared on the Doctor of Physical Therapy student's Facebook group this insane vitals situation, with a patient I saw this past week. You can find it linked HERE:

Essentially, I had a patient present with absolutely no signs, no distress, no discomfort, no nothing... with a normal'ish blood pressure. But! With a heart rate of 37bpm and O2 saturation of 77%.

Yeah... NOT. NORMAL.

My intent in posting that to the Facebook group was to convey how important it is to take vitals. I know it is still a point of disagreement and contention. Still, I've been told more than once that in any discipline or setting in healthcare, failure to take vitals (when someone goes wrong) is the first place lawyers check in terms of negligence.

Just something to think about. You've been warned.

In any case, I'll get on with this post only to say that it is a PASSIONATE topic for me. If you resonate with me, be on fire with me! If it offends you, I'm sorry it does... it doesn't change the facts. But, I think you'll find that the majority of clinical leaders out there agrees with the position I take.

Here's a quick recap:



Follow Up: Vitals Are VITAL!

To my knowledge, it's a happy ending. Our patient recovered and we can't entirely explain what happened. Personally, I still think referring to ED would've been more prudent -- but, per the policy given & the process followed, she was deemed medically stable enough to stay inpatient. However, the cardiologist involved did suggest "other" avenues of approach given a repeat situation.

My interpretation? I think there was a massively hidden cardiac issue given the "regular" irregular heart rate, history of complaint of chest pain, fatigue, etc. Doesn't that sound like a heart attack to you? Sure, the question: What could we have done? Comes up. Maybe nothing, maybe everything.

The fact is, without taking those vitals, most clinicians would've gone ahead with a full course of treatment for the day. That would've included a lot of exercise, both strength & cardio; exercise that very well may have cause the situation to go from odd into critical.

My follow up, simply stated, is this: Vitals are vital, not just because they are standard of care. Not just because it may implicate negligence when omitted. Not just because it's the right thing to do.

Vitals are vital because they serve as the prerequisite for just about EVERY physical therapy intervention we know. Exercise? It starts with vitals because we are causing a physiological stress response. And... I could go on. But, I just stopped typing this long list because it's exhaustive to even do so. Really, if you can't think of why and how important the cardiorespiratory system -- one QUARTER, mind you -- of physical therapy practice is, in how it interacts and is interdependent with the other three systems we treat... someone, needs to rethink how they practice.

Harsh? Sure. But, vitals are vital. Don't you dare put your patient at risk, ever.
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Thursday, December 3, 2015

An Open Letter To Infighters

It's ugly.

It's like watching an ugly argument between mom and dad, weeks before a divorce. Wait... was that too close to home? Offensive? Uncomfortable? Inappropriate?

Yeah... that's how the rest of us feel. And, guess what?! Our consumers aren't exactly thrilled either. Fortunately, they see it more like that one couple, arguing discreetly in the mall. The damage isn't so bad in the public eye. Not yet, at least.

But, I'll say this. You remember that all common interviewing question:
  • How would you handle a conflict with a coworker? Would you...
    1. Make a scene and call them names? The louder the better?
    2. Talk behind their back, making sure everyone knows how awful they are?
    3. Internalize everything until it volcanoes all over the place?
    4. Pull them aside privately, objectively express yourself, and create constructive discourse?
  • EVERYONE knows... Option 4 is the best choice.
Funny enough... especially across social media, it's like driver's road rage. There is safety behind the screen. Option 1 is just too much fun. Except, that it hurts more than it helps.

Here's my issue. I'm all for discussion. I'm all for disagreement. I'm all for debate. And, I'm even for some healthy conflict.

However, what I am NOT supportive of... DESTRUCTIVENESS. DIVISIVENESS. DISUNITY.

We have enough of that already.

For crying out loud. We're a profession of healthcare providers who essentially serve in part to REBUILD, to RECONSTRUCT, to physically REHABILITATE. Why is it that our disagreements in the public venue take such childish, offensive, insulting, and vitriolic turns?

If you must infight in such mannerism... I'm asking you to do so in private forums, open to invitation within our own industry. However, not in the plain sight of the consumers we are trying to win over to our cause.

How can we ask for support when we are still divided? How can we ask for more, when we can't even agree on what to ask for? How can we say we're ready to be physician status providers when we can barely disagree with common decency?

This... is an open letter to infighters. If you want to fight, please do so... INSIDE. And, do our profession a favor by taking care of it in a PRIVATE forum.... not as a spectacle in the public eye. 
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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

My First BPPV Case

This blog post is vlog really. It starts with my first BPPV case as a new grad. What's most entertaining is how this lead to me being the primary vestibular clinician in the department and how that lead down a whole 'nother road in Emergency Department PT and catching those strokes that like to evade the all powerful MRI. Yep... this one is alllll clinical ;) #backtomyroots

My First BPPV Case



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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Behind The Movement: GetPT1st

Hi everyone, so we're back to healthcare advocacy & physical therapy. Today, I want to dig into something I'm sure you've noticed... GetPT1st. While our profession has the APTA, all the state associations, special interest groups, PAC, Move Forward, etc. -- I was rather impressed that a separate and private entity went out of its way to further the cause of improving the lives of others through physical therapy.

As GetPT1st developed, I took joy in noticing a very unique aspect in both their focus and methodology. The focus was outreach from the perspective of the consumer and the methodology was primary engagements via social media from provider to consumer.

 And, what better, than to have front line representatives interact with their market's end-users.

 Well, it is happening again, GetPT1st is planning another internet takeover and I'm happy to share excerpts from an inside scoop behind the movement.

Behind The Movement: GetPT1st

GetPT1st started with the early realization that the majority of Physical Therapy information available on the web was too technical and inappreciable by consumers. And, if the information about physical therapy was not technical or free from clinical terminology, it was far too shallow that consumers would still not be interested.

As the digital marketplace grew, the founders of GetPT1st notice a global trend in Physical Therapy (PT) business.
  1. With no true marketing plan, PT businesses had no active budget for paid marketing or advertising.
  2. As a result, the financial health of such businesses would inevitably start to suffer.
  3. Finally, PANIC -- business owners would realize the need for change and reach for anything.
  4. Unfortunately, they would throw money in any and every direction in hopes it would somehow bring in clients and give business a boost.
The GetPT1st founders realized there was a big need for affordable marketing solutions for the average PT business owner. Most of the available marketing services at the time were too expensive to be used and were better suited for large chains and corporations. And, since outsourcing marketing initiatives was out of the question, small PT businesses either haphazardly filled this need internally or not at all. 

After some networking via APTA's Combined Sections Meeting and through social media, the idea came to the point where the founders felt the need to contribute to the profession on a much larger scale.

Once a team was officially gathered, there were three goals for GetPT1st.
  1. Creating an engaging community of PTs, PTAs, and students via social media to generate both interest and support with the idea of GetPT1st.
  2. Expansion. The creation of consumer friendly and shareable content that both prospective customers and clinics could use on their websites and in social media.
  3. Destination. To become the first choice destination website for consumers as it pertained to physical health concerns which physical therapy is best equipped in serving -- and, in essence, to drive a majority share of mind as far as the physical therapy brand is concerned.
It is in this final goal which Get PT 1st aims to make it's ultimate contribution; to convert healthcare consumers who would otherwise see another provider before a physical therapist. And, to expand the profession's brand equity and share of mind to which, if there is any physical therapy needs as we the profession knows it, they the consumers would also identify in the same way.

These are the words from one of the founders: "We need to focus on reaching the public instead of fighting and using all of our collective resources on the "fringe." We need to major in the big things. It might not directly help all the subspecialties of PT immediately (peds, aquatics, women's health), but it will help raise our profile and benefit all over the long run. But, that's one thing we (the PT profession) are terrible about - the long term plan and vision. Which is why we are also horrible about marketing, advertising, and branding. We don't realize that immediate, short term gains are great, but we need to look further down the road."


Personally, I feel that the GetPT1st movement is one of the best examples of end-user marketing to date for any discipline within healthcare. It meets customers from their perspectives, their opinions, and their interests. Rather than focusing on what providers find interesting and intriguing, it converges on consumer engagement to what the customer needs and wants most... to Get PT 1st for all their physical health concerns.

This type of approach benefits our profession as a whole. And, what benefits us as a whole will summatively benefit the parts as well.

 Great work. Awesome strategy. Get PT 1st.


For more about GetPT1st please visit:
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Friday, June 5, 2015

Talking Patients, Talking Patience

I've found that "how" you do things in life is infinitely more important than "what" you do. When it comes to patient-provider dynamics, you could not find more truth in the matter.

Talking Patients, Talking Patience

As we know, the recent literature regarding clinical outcomes pertinent to the management of pain leads us to consider a treatment model as part of the "biopsychosocial" model. Now, while even mentioning this can get some interesting (and, by interesting, I mean vitriolic) dialog amongst colleagues, the end of the matter is this:

The best outcome occurs when a patient trusts their clinician, in effect, leading to less fear and a positive outlook upon any given pain or ailment. The following is my personal style of approach along with some past example(s) of how I like to redirect, guide, and empower my patients through my interactions in their lives.


Some highlight tips:

  1. Make sure they feel like they are the ONLY one you are concerned about.
  2. Take seat. A psychologist once shared with me a study that sitting down makes people feel like you care more -- and -- have spent more time with them.
  3. Offer examples of past horror stories which are now success stories; relate it back to the patient in front of you.
  4. Speak softly... they are already anxious as it is. You don't need to be commanding, you need to be understanding.
  5. Science is inhumane; patients don't want to know you're right. They want to know you care.
All in all, we need to recognize that there exists a continuum of cognitive morphology; a range. and a confidence interval of potential change. If we accept this as clinicians, we can move on together -- with our patients as providers of their best health. And, when we do this, the journey is forged together in mutual trust, which quite honestly, is what patients desire most from their healthcare experience.
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Thursday, April 30, 2015

Upcoming Webinar: "Advanced Branding Concepts"

Hi everyone!

I'm very excited to share with you that in less than two weeks, on Wednesday May 13th, 2015, I'll be giving a webinar through the Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association.

You can register for this webinar linked below, titled:


There are going to be some very exciting topics starting with some foundational marketing and branding principles, extending to management levers, and perhaps most excitingly, I'll be sharing with you several marketing metrics to measure the financial returns on your branding initiatives.

Oh, and there's that added bonus of our time together counting as CEUs.

See you there!
-Ben
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Thursday, March 26, 2015

DPT Student Sponsorship

So, after APTA's Combined Sections Meeting this year, there were whispers of interests regarding the sponsorship of DPT students, covering what financial burdens would be such that they can join in the largest Physical Therapy convention in the United States. Here are a few tweets on the topic at hand:


Answering the call, one of our favorite Physio anonymities approached me to say this.

From Cinema:

Intangibles are priceless. Goodwill is one of those intangibles. Generating and compounding Goodwill is something that can yield unexpected returns that have a strong potential to grow geometrically over time. Think about it this way: planting ONE seed of Goodwill will sprout into a plant that yields multiples of the ONE seed you originally planted. I can think of no better recipient of Goodwill in Physical Therapy than the passionate group of DPT students.

Twitter has been a game-changer for me by connecting me with Physio's I would never have met in-person, exposure to current issues in our industry, as well as current research. It also exposed me to highly driven DPT students who inspire me to be a better Physio. I want to give back. Let's get the Goodwill rolling.

As such, we had an extensive email chain which covered ideas on how to run a sponsorship campaign for DPT students to join in on the fun for CSM in Anaheim next year... and also talked about random topics such as our favorite whiskies. Trust me, it was important ;)

Haha, in any case, we finally landed on this:


At present, it isn't a widely used hashtag. However, I think there is potential to speak volumes. Since one of the key purposes of conventions such as CSM is professional advocacy, we decided that a social media contest would be the best way to bring light to those most deserving of sponsorship.

How It's Going To Work
The angle of this contest is 100% consumer oriented. Meaning, it isn't about the data or the statistics; it's about what physical therapists mean to our consumers. We're hoping that you will find clever ways to capture the following essence in whatever approach you're creative minds come across:

Imagine a Vine bit, 6 seconds only, and you record (with your patient's permission) them saying something like this...
"I'm back to running, and my times have never been better. #PTStrong"

Cinema and I liked the fact that Vine and Twitter being hand-in-hand allows for quick and sharable experiences. More importantly, it allows for simplicity to reign supreme. The strongest brands tend to have the simplest definitions. Therefore, we want to encourage this spirit of simplicity.

So here are the rules of the sponsorship challenge:
  1. With a patient's or past consumer's permission, film them stating their experience and how it made them #PTStrong.
  2. Tag your Vine video with #PTstrong and link it your Twitter account.
  3. Retweet and Favorite as many videos as you can.
  4. The Vines with the highest number of retweets will go through a run-off.
  5. Top voted Vine wins the prize.
  • All the sharing will only elevate PT brand's share of mind.
  • Everyone wins through this little contest as our consumers will become more aware and we will become more involved in the future of our profession.
  • Hopefully, we can do several runs of this contest so that more than one well deserving DPT student can win a sponsorship to attend CSM next year.
We want to encourage you to share this with all of your DPT compadres and even those who are long set in their careers. You see, our vision for the #PTstrong hashtag is one of brand presence. The more we see this on Twitter, through Vine, Instagram, Facebook, even Youtube, the better! We want to CHOOSE how our brand image is portrayed. What better than a grassroots social media movement, hearing out their voices in how we changed their lives and made them #PTstrong?

ONE LAST THING!
I know that many of you wanted in on the idea of sponsoring a DPT student to attend CSM next year. We hope the passion still burns fiercely that you'd consider joining us. Ultimately, the hope is to crowd fund as many sponsorships as we can through this Vine contest.

If you're interested, please let us know (email, tweet, message, whatever)! Then... we can get this thing started!!!
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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Reflections: PT Industry Analysis

Early this month, I finally posted a blog regarding an Industry Analysis on Outpatient Physical Therapy. I shared what I was able to share to keep within the framework of my commitments; even still, the results were rather shocking. First, and not necessarily a surprise, our branding is way off. Secondly, we've misplaced our value proposition. Third, and finally, we're driving profit from a misdirected sense of internal value. This post brings forth some of my personal reflections on the analysis now that near a month's time has passed and I've been able to gather a broader range of feedback. I highly recommend you read the post to normalize our discussion base.

Reflections: PT Industry Analysis

1. Exercise and Aides?
There were several voices which expressed the concern that the analysis may have been skewed by the amount of billing going on where PT Aides deliver Therapeutic Exercises which are then billed for by the PTs. This case may be prevalent enough to strike a bad taste in our profession; however, I find it difficult to fully dismiss the fact that OVER HALF of our industry's profitability comes from TherEx. Mind you, when I did this analysis, the operational marginal cost was calculated from PTs and PTAs. Meaning, even if it is grotesquely prevalent that there are unscrupulous PT firms billing TherEx while utilizing aides, TherEx being over 50% of our profit pool is an UNDERSTATEMENT of its profitability.

Now I will say this: Unethical and illegal billing need to stop. It needs to stop for PT and it needs to stop for all of healthcare. Such types of billing are indeed everywhere to some degree. And, such practices are only driving healthcare costs upwards into unsustainable considerations. I did speak of this in the original post under the third insight - and - I stand by the stance that "creative billing" is ONLY hurting us and every single stakeholder around us. IT NEEDS TO STOP.


2. Should We Abandon Manual Therapy?
No! NO! No no no no no no no no... and no. I heard you. I see you. And, no, I am not advocating we just all together stop manual therapy because it isn't profitable enough. Let's look at the Profit Pool Analysis together, shall we?

Just to be clear on what this analysis indicates: It portrays that 52% of our profit from revenues comes from TherEx. It shows that operationally (without other costs considered, only direct operations), clinics can see this service return upwards of 350% in margins. Continuing, the graph also shows that Therapeutic Activities represents 12% of our profits at a declined level of profitability. Neuromuscular Re-Education represents 9% of our profits and Manual Therapy represents 13% of our profit pool, delivering about 200% in operational margins. These margins are still excellent. And perhaps more importantly, in the outpatient PT setting, manual therapy is a vital and inescapable aspect of our value proposition.

We clinically approach healthcare so very differently than ANY OTHER healthcare provider. Physicians tend to touch their patients at a minimum. Nurses tend to touch for invasive procedures or for positioning concerns. Physical Therapists are unique in that we have the option of touch as both assessment as well as our treatment modality; and, this can be delivered across a broad spectrum of treatment models.

So what about manual? Well, I think that we need to get a lot better at our manual therapy. What this graph tells me isn't that we need to only bank on exercise (while I do think we need to also be better at it). I think what this tells us about manual therapy is that we need to really ramp up our standards. We, as an industry and as a profession, need to set certain standards to what manual therapy actually means... what it means to us, to our consumers, and most importantly, what they can expect from manual therapy -- the experience, the results, the mechanisms of how and why it works, and how such an approach crosses over to their own functional independence and optimal health. THIS is where I think we're lacking and this is where I feel we really need to bolster our profession.

Exercise, then, is the corollary and therefore parallel concern and area of opportunity. It was communicated to me by many of you that the amount of exercise science, approach of progression, and breadth of knowledge is rather weak. I agree with that. It was even once mentioned to me that in the athletic community, clients go to PTs for the diagnosis and to athletic trainers for the treatment aka the exercises to get them better.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS LINE WE'RE WALKING. To this, I'll insert a quote from the original blog post to say:

Why not lobby to protect the prescription of exercise for healthcare and disease management as something truly unique, only to be given by the physical therapist? It may not be the popular thing within our profession, but boy, it seems quite popular to our consumers and stakeholders across the value chain.

I mean how POWERFUL would that be? PTs are the ONLY professional (licensed or not) legally allowed to prescribe exercise as medicine. But, why am I harping so very much on the exercise aspect? It has to do with where healthcare is going. We're seeing that the healthcare environment is heavily favoring a preventive model of care. The less intervention to be done, the more value you bring because you are keeping people and populations of people healthy. THIS is the new standard of value in the industry to which outpatient PT is a part. Manual Therapy is largely interventive; certainly, there are many cases which manual therapy is done for a wellness or maintenance concern. Nevertheless, manual therapy alone will not keep people healthy. However, the amount of evidence supporting exercise as a mode of maintaining and elevating health is undeniable. As such, why not go ahead and secure this low hanging fruit?

If we are truly experts of physical health, we need to stake our claim now while climate in healthcare has yet to settle into its new patterns. THIS is the time. THIS is the opportunity. So very many of our other goals can and will be met through this foothold. 


3. What About Our Brand?
Branding in healthcare is both a micro and macro concern. The profession at large needs to have a brand for the micro aspects to have any sure groundwork. This, of course, has been an ongoing problem for PT. I still suggest that we leverage exercise (one of the key value propositions our consumers look for and pay for) as both our differentiator and our answer to the changes in healthcare.

I know there's all sorts of talk which has reverberated for years about movement, manual therapy, health, wellness, function, the human experience... etc.  But, let's face it. We can't brand what we want until we reach out to our consumers regarding the brand image they already have of us.

And, I'll go out on a limb and say, while most of our retained consumers know what we do, most of our first time consumers will be expecting exercise. What's my "proof" on this? When's the last time someone came up to you, knowing that you're a PT, and said something like, "Hey... I got a thing about my back. Are there any stretches I can do to help?"

I find that's far more common than, "Hey... I got this thing about my back. You mind popping it for me?" when it comes to the vast majority of PTs. I know it's not a popular thing to say. But hey, if we're ignoring the data - AND - if we're ignoring our consumers, then what are we even doing?


Some Closing Thoughts
I don't really have much of a "here's the answer" conclusion regarding the PT profession and its brand, not to mention its segmented branding efforts. What I do have to say is that it all has to do with unity through leadership. When will that dynamic and equilibrium be met for truly meaningful and sweeping initiatives? My guess, in the next 5 - 10 years. It will happen in a time when so very many DPTs will have graduated and saturated the job market that a culture of being "fed up" with the status quo will go beyond lunch time grumblings and social media rants. It must and will reach a moment of critical mass where economically speaking, inaction will hurt more than the efforts of action. THIS is when things will change.

For the moment, however, we do have control over the micro brands that we own. The best advice I can give is that you seek to build your brand as part of a solution set to meet the needs of consumers. Give out the gains they want; eliminate the pains they have when it comes to meeting said needs. Such brands tend to have the highest brand equity and financial sustainability.

Well, that's it for now! For those of you coming across this industry analysis for the first time, thank you for sharing in my thoughts! For those of you revisiting it, I thank you for delving into it once again. And, for those of you who raised concerns, thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify some areas in which perhaps I was not the most articulate in expression. In all cases, I hope you enjoyed this reflection.

Until Next Time, I Remain Yours In Service,
-Ben
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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

5 Thoughts, 5 Years Later

I've been meaning to write a post as a five year reflection to my graduating with a DPT, practicing in every healthcare setting (from acute hospitals to rural home health), and my transition to the business side of life. It's been a very interesting journey. I look back and I realized some of the most enlightening situations came at the hands of being mentored or mentoring others. As such, I wanted to impart a few thoughts now that I've been in the industry for a little while, in a very much delayed post of chronology.....

5 Thoughts, 5 Years Later

1. I was always ready.
What I felt was (and perhaps is still) a certain stance of "conventional" wisdom was this: school only prepared the new graduate just enough so they didn't end up hurting anyone. They knew enough that they could get by with thorough mentorship because experience was the only legitimate teacher of competency.

To that I say: Phooey!

The fact was that I was most definitely ready. I came out of school ready to rock and roll with short exposure to any given work environment. I didn't need sharpening or tinkering out of the box, I was good to go! In fact, I felt like comparatively, I was advanced in many ways - much like new cars to old models. And, shouldn't that be the case? Shouldn't education IMPROVE over time? Certainly there were odd cases that required experience to truly absorb the clinical presence of what was wrong. But, I felt that wasn't a measure of readiness. That was simply an experience of fortune; a clinician that was in the field was at the right time in the right place to observe and experience a rare diagnosis. That didn't mean they were any more competent or ready than I was, it was simply they saw it one more time in life than I ever did. Yet, for all that, there were so very many diagnoses that "senior" clinicians missed that I caught. Why? Because of my education. For what my experience lacked, my training sufficed. Different generations of clinicians receive different generational thoughts and foci in their didactic and clinical experience prior to joining the industry at large. For those reasons, it may be perhaps that the senior clinicians had a wider breadth of treatment options than I did, however, I had a far better grasps of differential diagnosis than they did.

Does that mean I was better or worse? That they were better or worse? NO! It meant that I was ready. I was more prepared and trained for diagnosis and they were more prepared and trained for treatment. Did that relate to superior outcomes one way or the other? Nope. Actually, if anything, it was the work ethic that changed things when it came to the available data we had. I was more productive. Maybe I was younger. Maybe I was hungrier. Maybe I just wanted it more. Or maybe, I was just ready to go -- out of the box, just as any top-shelf capital should be. After all, after nearly a decade of education and training, you would HOPE someone would come out of the box ready to shoot. This leads to realization #2....


2. Time isn't the X-Factor, performance is the X-Factor.
I found that not only was I ready, I was out performing certain compadres both in clinical productivity as well as outcomes and patient satisfaction. Now, not that all my seniors were being out performed by me. Far from it. Actually, one of my favorite clinicians had been in the field 30+ years and her level of spunk, energy, zeal, passion, and ability was like Yoda. It was like she could see what was to happen before things happened and her patients couldn't have been happier. Ultimately, we bonded over tackling the "trouble" patients that our colleagues didn't really want to see. Magically, they always did better when we saw them. They weren't any trouble at all. They weren't rude, inappropriate, or difficult. They were actually quite great!

See... time isn't the x-factor. It's not the number of years of experience or the loyalty to the company or seniority. It's plain performance. Better clinicians are better because they bring better results. The same goes for employees, managers, team members, etc. It spoke to me a lot when I actually had a complaint filed against for being TOO productive!

It was incredulous! How could anyone complain about a colleague picking up the slack? I talked it out with management who was actually really receptive once we dug into the heart of the issue.

Jealously.

Well guess what?! Too bad. Your time is trumped by my performance. 


3. Politics was problematic. I wasn't prepared.
I think what I was NOT prepared for "out of the box" was the political battlefield. The DPT educational experience didn't teach me several things, one of which was how to navigate the heavily striated battlefield that is healthcare and healthcare administration.

I was too gung-ho in my earliest years. For that, I was beat up, bullied, and told to calm down. It sucked. Not only that, but I found that it was strange that it was my PT colleagues at large (both within and outside of my immediate business unit) that were harshest to me, telling me to cool my DPT jets. Funny enough, nurses loved me. The nursing staff, administration, physicians, and especially marketing & PR adored my energy, my level of contribution, and my can-do attitude in the face of any situation. I loved that level of support. Unfortunately, I didn't understand how to garner the same positivity from my own professional colleagues.

It took several years for me to navigate that path. It was hard. I felt ostracized by my own kind, at it were. Sadly, this isn't a unique story. I know of MANY new graduates (my time, the time before, and now) who experienced this problem. They are dumped into a political landmine, not being told so... and wished a back-handed, "Good luck." This needs to change.


4. Social media = Super charger.
I want to say I joined up for social media visibility around Summer of 2011? Something like that.

It changed my life.

Social media has provided me with more opportunity, more leverage, a larger platform, and a far greater level of connectivity than anything I was attempting in my networking efforts prior. Social media is an equalizer. People who spam, are called out. People who give, are appreciated. It's basically that simple. I was and remain all about giving back and paying it forward. I feel there is more to life than selfishness (not that people shouldn't be making strategic profits because of wise choices). As such, I can't speak enough about the importance of social media. For me, Twitter was the best platform. I made it work for me. I know Facebook has the largest usage, but, I feel the authenticity and convertibility on the FB isn't as good as in Twitter or other outlets (for now).

In any case, social media changed my professional and personal life. To that, I credit my wife. It was her idea and a truly wise one at that.


5. I was begging for business solutions.
The other area that I felt my DPT education failed me was in business. While it can be argued political savvy is part of a strong business education, I'm actually referring to the operational, marketing, and strategic aspects of healthcare as a business and social construct. Coming out of school, I barely had any understanding of how or why I billed for services the way I did, what units would translate to, what CPT codes would work and which ones wouldn't, and the fee schedule and reimbursement patterns available to the PT profession.

What was worse was I saw ALL sorts of problems needing to be solved. I wanted to solve them and I had great ideas of how to push them through. Some ideas were widely accepted, especially if management backed them up. Other times, they would be left to fizz out, a truly frustrating tactic managers use when they don't want to "yes" because it wasn't their idea. Don't worry, they'll bring it up and credit themselves in the next year or two... just you watch.

As such, when I sought mentorship for advice in this channel, I was told that there is no better venue for me to find answers than getting an MBA. Yup, that's right. Back to school for a Masters in Business Administration. That's how I ended up here!

I think much is to be gained if DPT programs network with business savvy leaders (not just PTs) out there, if anything, just to have two or three Google Hangout or Skype conversations (if not in person) with their 1st year students. Orient these doctoral candidates to the industry environment and strategic positioning they will be subject to upon graduation and licensure; it would accelerate a culture of professional advocacy both internally and externally. Most importantly, I think this would bring value across our supply chain and most definitely to our industry stakeholders.


Well! That's it for now. I just thought to catch up on this post since I planned on doing it quite some time ago. As always, I'm just a tweet or email away!

Until next time,
-Ben
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