Interview with Alan Henley and Merlin Johnson, PT

Alan Henley: We’ve been in private practice going on 8 years. We’re in the town of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, which has a population of around 35,000. The surrounding area has about 50,000 people – somewhere in that range. We are about 40 miles away from Tulsa, which has a 1 million population.
I’m not a physical therapist and Merlin is of course so we kind of had a good partnership from the start. He was able to handle all the clinical aspects and I was able to handle all the administrative aspects and we’ve been very successful, really, all along. The practice grew right away.
Before we did The New Patient Course, we were too caught up in the day-to-day activities of the practice. We were not able to do necessary administrative tasks such as marketing.

Merlin Johnson, PT: After we took the New Patient Course, things really just started to take off. We started implementing the things they taught us and the ways to actually do the marketing. And our new patients actually went up substantially. We went from about 12–15 new patients per week to 25-28 per week. Last week, we did our highest ever new patients: 39. It was fun!

A: It was kind of interesting, because we were already a
successful practice and thought we had pretty much plateaued. What kind of intrigued us about coming to The New Patient Course was a technique that could be implemented, that would not require us to be out of the office.

M: Because we would spend time out of the office, it was something that was easily implemented. Alan and I experienced a tremendous amount of growth and found out that we had not actually plateaued.

A: The biggest problem that we were running into prior to coming to Measurable Solutions was time.

M: Time and management of our clinic. Our staff got too big for the way we were handling it. Alan and I were handling everything.

A: We were really overworked and didn’t know how to get out of it, or even that we should get out of it.

M: We didn’t have a clue how to get out of it.

A: We didn’t seek anyone else to get training or assistance of how to get things resolved, really. We didn’t even know we were overworked. We just thought that’s the way it was and supposed to be.

M: We had to answer every question from staff and everyone. We became very good at coping. I was working 50-55 hours a week – I do around 40 now, which is really nice.
A: Yes, it’s really nice. It’s definitely given me more time to spend with family and to be able to re-prioritize, if you will, what’s really important. I mean, you’ve got to be successful because you’ve got to create income to support your family and your practice. But the bigger emphasis is now on family time, and now, that time is available.

What made us come to Measurable Solutions was just to see if their program was something that we could easily implement and made sense to us. Shortly after we got here, we saw some problems that we were having as regards our practice. We didn’t really admit that we had problems at the time, but suggestions and recommendations were made to us at that point, on some ways that we could change things to make them more efficient, better. We have found that everything we have been told and taught has been easily implemented.

M: We were able to take steps immediately to get things going. Probably two weeks after The New Patient Course, we were brought together as a team, dealing with the company.

A: One of the first things that the New Patient Course did was to enable us to improve our relationship with the patients. I thought that we had this all along, but there’s a definite, key technique to have in place to make this really occur.
We put to use further training from Measurable Solutions that allowed everybody to understand how to control their own environment, using fundamental administrative tools. Our front office staff saw relief, almost, saying “gosh, we should have done this a long, long time ago.” From our front office aspect that was immediately helpful in terms of efficiency.

M: Another thing that the course did for me was handle something that was keeping me up at night – the feeling that we were not really cause over our business and the flows of new patients, but just an effect of what the physicians thought of us or thought of our business. That went away. I don’t even worry about anything like that anymore. I care of course what the doctor thinks or what one doctor may think, but I just don’t worry about it any more. I fix the problem, or whatever, but I know that the doctor is not going to be cause over my company and my business.

A: Regarding referrals, we had a pretty good relationship with a majority of the physicians in our area, however there were some that were very loyal to the hospital (our main competitor in town) and some that would just come right out and tell you “my loyalties lie with the hospital.” Since Measurable Solutions, we’ve actually got some referrals from a few of those physicians that we thought we would never get referrals from. And some referral sources that were sporadic have become more consistent. There are some people in our area that go to Tulsa for their specialty care and those are generally really big orthopedic groups or very closed or very difficult groups to market to. We’ve actually had some doors open to us since the New Patient Course and I think it’s a direct result of what we learned on the course.

M: For me, my responsibility has risen tremendously. I thought
I was a responsible person, but I found that I had projects that weren’t getting done and things that I wasn’t doing or confronting. And that has changed tremendously.
I would say the stress level has pretty much gone to zero. And the things that do stress us, we’re able to confront and fix.

A: We can manage it better.

M: That would be a good way to put it. The stresses don’t prolong and irritate for weeks. Before we came for The New Patient Course, just dealing with our personnel, we had some difficulties. We had a staff member who was keeping everyone else down, who was causing major conflicts. It really split the plans — really. We were able to target where the trouble was coming from and fix it.

A: It was a situation where deep down we knew it, but weren’t really ready to admit it or confront it and Measurable Solutions offered a way for us to handle it. Solving that situation was a tremendous relief, not just for us, but the improvement in the morale of the clinic was night and day.

M: I would suggest to private practice physical therapists that they’d be foolish not to take advantage of The New Patient Course. Measurable Solutions has shown us things that we’d never have dreamed were problems or obstacles. And you know, we thought we were doing great. But we found out things that we weren’t aware of — that we weren’t doing, that would help our production tremendously. Even though people may think they’re doing really well, you typically are really blind in what you are not doing or what you are missing. We didn’t know what our top was and we found out that we have a lot of room for growth.

This is What Other Physical Therapists Have to Say About the New Patient Course!

The workshop enlightened me on how to be proactive and progressive in increasing volume of new patients in my clinics and not be reactive to trends and factors that I have no control over. I am extremely excited about implementing the program as soon as possible. I learned never say never to a successful business if you do it the right way no matter what barriers may block your goals! LH

Many physical therapy marketing seminars that I have attended offered bits of information but really didn’t seem to offer much to take out and utilize in the field. This seminar offers an extraordinary amount of information in regard to making one’s business successful. I had similar ideas to Measurable Solutions, but I really didn’t know how to implement them. Jeff and Shaun are extremely personable and knowledgeable, I usually am ready to go home after most seminars due to boredom or lack of interest, however with Measurable Solutions, I could stay around for a while. The New Patient Course should be a standard for all, with the exception of those in our area. TL

Perspective! I have spent many hours duplicating the efforts of my peers. My success has never been significant enough to warrant a continuation of any particular approach. Changing my perspective and looking at the problem from the eyes of a marketing principle viewpoint has opened my eyes to a whole new potential I have never considered. SJ

I am opening a new private practice in September. After The New Patient Course, I now have an organized way to approach physical therapy marketing, or should I say public relations. I also received some excellent “nuggets” that will help with administration and operation of a new clinic. NT

Before taking this course I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and knew that I needed some help to organize my thoughts and determine my shortcomings as a business owner. I had some fairly good ideas of what they were and attempted to “fix” them on my own, usually sacrificing another area of the business (I am currently the sole staff member, wearing all the hats). This course has given me some very concrete and practice tools to put into place right away to help me build my practice with “patients out the wazoo!” It has helped me see more clearly what it takes to be really successful in business. I now know I have a much better handle on how to “drive the ship.” The overwhelmed feelings are replaced with renewed excitement and energy! KB

I have realized the areas of my practice that need to be addressed. Each of these areas have specific numbers that have immediate and future implications on realizing a now obtainable goal. It thankfully has expanded on my prior goal of putting the patient first in their goals which then allow me to accomplish mine. DR

After completing this course I realized how much control I have over my success as a practitioner. Helping me to identify my weaknesses in turn, I feel, will lead to strengthening them and improving my practice. I am very optimistic and eager to return home and implement some new policies. Thanks for a great course. PS

After attending The New Patient Course I felt a sense of relief knowing there is an effective plan to give me direction in growing my practice. When I came to the course I was completely overwhelmed with my practice and I already feel that I will be able to empower my situation when I return home. (Plus spend more time with my kids and husband!) JH

After a long period of confusion and frustration resulting from feeling trapped in patient care I broke free, free to grow my business. Attempts to market/promote largely failed and I felt lost as to my purpose and direction. I now know what I have to do and feel confident and at peace because of a newfound direction. DC

Before attending this physical therapy marketing seminar, our business was stagnating and morale was low. Now I feel rejuvenated and with new ideas, and I found out what my purpose in Physical Therapy is. This seminar was awesome. I am taking away some incredible ideas which I sincerely believe will help our business. The presenters were interesting and made the entire experience quite enjoyable. I appreciate the opportunity to attend! CM

I have not taken a physical therapy marketing/business expansion workshop previously, but this has been one of the best and useful seminars I have done. Almost everything I had hoped to achieve from this seminar – I did. I was especially please that Shaun was a PT, because he understands the type of business we are in and was able to give us SPECIFIC information and tips that were very helpful. I look forward to applying these principles to our business and I am confident they will work. RE

When I came to The New Patient Course I was frustrated with the lack of a plan and need a course to follow to get new patients into our practice. I needed some guidance and now I have some powerful ideas and tools to use at home – THANK YOU! LD

I Have the Tools to Flourish and Prosper

I have had my clinic for almost 6 years. During that time I have helped a lot of people feel and function better but I work to hard and make too little money. Prior to doing the New Patient Course I really had no idea how to change that.

In two intense days, I have learned so much about myself and my practice. I now have a plan to implement immediately and I have the tools to flourish and prosper. I plan to do both.

And I plan to continue with the program as there are many other areas of running my business that need help and I am certain I can get that help here.

Carolyn Judd Richard, PT

The Sky is the Limit!

Prior to attending the New Patient Course I did not have any direction or plan on how to begin an effective physical therapy marketing program for my clinic. I now have a clear idea on how to implement my new marketing program which will show physicians that our care is effective and deserves new patient referrals. I came to this program with an underlying feeling of failing and am leaving this program with a sense that the sky is the limit!

Amy L. Hayes

“If everyone knew the results you get in clinical practice you would be more successful.”
– Shaun Kirk, M.H.S., P.T., M.T.C. CEO and
Co-Founder Measurable Solutions, Inc.


The number one way in which private practice PTs build a successful practice is by simply having their patients speak for them when they see the referring doctors or their friends. The results that you make known are those happy patients who are no longer suffering from their condition, know how to manage their condition AND go back to the doctor and say how wonderful you and/or your practice is in helping them get better. The more often your patients go back to the doctor with a similar success story the more your reputation grows and you become known as a facility that gets results. The word of mouth from your patients to your referring physicians and their friends increases and the result is more new patients into your practice.

It is sad to see a hugely competent clinician who is sitting on a gold mine and does not know it.

Now if you’ve been around for a while and have done a better than average job of making your results known you generally begin to “ride the wave” as far as reputation goes but it could be even better. Far better!

Do your patients refer you patients? They want to send you patients. You probably didn’t know that. If you have a great experience with a restaurant, a mechanic or a dentist don’t you say something to someone who is looking for a place to eat, fix their car or clean their teeth? I’d imagine you do. I know I do.

Many practices do absolutely NOTHING to enable their patients to refer their friends even though many of them desperately want their friend or family member helped. When these patients ask for help with a family member, many practitioners fail to effectively handle it so that friend or family member can be helped. Why aren’t more private practice PTs taking advantage of this opportunity? Because they don’t know how.

Most of the time, when a patient is discharged the only thing said to the patient to get them to refer is, “Make sure you tell your friends and family about us.” That successful patient outcome is not, in this example, effectively leveraged to get you more new patient. It could be. The New Patient Course can show you how.

I had one patient send me 26 patients within a 3-month period and I wasn’t even in a direct access state! I had another patient send me 18 patients within a 4-month period. It was easy. Those patients were proud to have helped their friends get better by referring them to my practice. THIS IS WORD OF MOUTH! There is a gold mine in your practice. Are you interested in prospecting for gold? Find out how!

Certainly you would have to get referrals from physicians to really make it. Your patients and their results are what truly opens the door to you getting those referrals. Word of mouth from your patients back to the doctor can be easily directed by you to maximize that “word of mouth” and effectively create a situation where the doctor feels he or she knows you and your practice without ever really meeting you. You have to know how to guide that communication from your patient to their doctor and the doctor will fall in love with you, your results and your practice. Would you like to know how?

In marketing there are only 2 positions worth promoting in any business. One is being the first. If you were the first private practice in your city and you’ve been around the longest you may be able to leverage that into good word of mouth. If you’ve been in practice for years and years but nobody knows your name you definitely should not promote that you’ve been around the longest because you will get negative word of mouth. Doctors would say, “Never heard of him.” You don’t want that.

The best position to be in is being the BEST. Being known as the best in town is only accomplished by effectively leveraging word of mouth. If you are poor at doing this it will take you 20 years to become known as the best but if you are good at doing this it could take less than one year. How much time do you wish it to take you?

You may already be considered as the best in town but believe me someone is gunning for you. This is an increasingly competitive environment and if what took you years to achieve can be ruined in a year or two by your competitor you should be interested in safeguarding your position as well.

I have been consulting private practice PTs exclusively for over 10 years and have seen a steady decrease in reimbursement, an overwhelming increase in PT salaries and a mind-blowing increase in paperwork necessary to get paid. I think there will be some private practice PTs who will not be standing if this condition worsens and it IS worsening. I also consider that those that don’t make it successfully in private practice may likely work for you. You can not legislate physical therapy out of existence but you can make it so that the best executives who run their practice like a healthcare BUSINESS will survive and survive very well. My clients are expanding when many others are crying, “The sky is falling.” It all starts with your effectiveness in spreading WORD OF MOUTH and the speed in which you do it.

Again, if everyone knew the results you get in clinical practice you would be more successful. Our New Patient Course shows you how. Become the talk of the town!

Hope to see you soon.

Best Wishes,
Shaun

A Physical Therapy Marketing System You Can Implement Immediately

The New Patient Course has provided me with a system that can be implemented immediately. As the owner and CEO, I can now sleep at night without worrying about our next physical therapy marketing promotion.

This system can easily be delegated to a qualified staff member leaving my time free to be the owner. I am even more motivated about marketing and excited about the future potential of practice expansion, hiring another 1-2 therapists and freeing up more personal time for whatever I want to do!

Robert Inglis, PT

To find out more about physical therapy marketing please
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The Excitement is Back!

I wish I would have found Measurable Solutions’ physical therapy marketing program 10 years ago!

The excitement is back! I have confidence that the direction my business will go is straight up!

Working with Measurable Solutions is impressive and I’m fortunate to have found this team!

Tammara Moore, PT

To find out more about physical therapy marketing please
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I Have A Plan For New Patient Referrals

Thanks to all for time well spent! It was very beneficial for me to attend the New Patient Course as everything I've been to previously had not dealt specifically with private PT practices. I can see that I have a lot more work to do in the "management area" of my practice but feel I'm leaving with a lot of concrete ideas and a plan of attack for new patient referrals.

Teresa Gilroy, Owner

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I Look Forward To The Challenges Of Life And Work Now

I opened my private practice in June, 1991 in a very small town of North Central Florida. I was the only licensed physical therapist in the practice until 1999. The business provided a means of employment for myself and 4-5 other staff members. I also had a second location that opened in 1995. After almost 15 years with no time away from work and no improvement in my own personal or professional life, I was ready to close the doors and move on to something else. I received a flier from Measurable Solutions about a 3 hour introductory course on managing a physical therapy practice in Orlando and I decided to hear what they had to say. At this point, I had nothing to lose. The whole evening it seemed they could read my mind and understood my concerns. I came to the New Patient Course several weeks later and then after completing it I enrolled in Executive Training. Since receiving this training my practice has grown significantly and I now have the tools and knowledge to create a great working environment for our staff. I continue to provide excellent care to our patients and I have a profitable, stable company that will persist into the future. I look forward to the challenges of life and work now, rather than feel over burdened by the fight to survive. Measurable Solutions has shown me a better way to handle life and work and my world has significantly improved with this technology.

Beth Hicks, PT

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I Am Expanding In Spite Of The Competition

We have been doing very well since I started with Measurable Solutions. I am expanding in spite of the competition. There are at least 3 large corporations, a few orthopedic physicians that have their own physical therapy clinics and at least 3or 4 other private practices around me. My marketing method before I did The New Patients Course was visiting doctors’ offices. I was trying to create relationships with doctors whenever I could get away from treating patients. That was difficult — when you’re busy you can’t go out and when you’re not busy you go out – it went up and down constantly.I knew this was a losing situation. I knew that unless I continued to create a good relationship it is not a long lasting relationship because the doctors forget about you even though you do great physical therapy. One of the things I would tell the doctors was, “You know, I could be the best physical therapist in the world, but if I don’t have patients, I’m not helping anybody.” In other words, unless I’m seeing patients, I’m not really utilizing my skills for any good. The reason I went into this profession was because I want to help people, but unless the physicians know that we can do that great work, it’s all for naught.A few people I know had done The New Patient Course and had some pretty interesting things to say about it. A couple of them were actually scared because they thought they would be too busy and couldn’t handle the business. My frame of mind was I knew that if I keep providing a good service and I keep expanding, there is no limit to how far I can go. I had a goal and the only way I was going to achieve it was if I got more education. I saw the value of what Measurable Solutions was trying to do to help me and I knew that the only education I had was how to be a good physical therapist, not how to be a good business owner.The New Patient Course was the first step to something a lot bigger – my gaining control over my practice instead of my practice having control over me. I wanted to gain control over my financial destiny and the outcomes I would have in the future instead of relying on a couple of physicians and hoping that they would refer to me.I’d like to thank Shaun and Jeff for creating Measurable Solutions and doing something so the private practice PT owner can achieve success. Physical Therapists are here to help people and Shaun and Jeff are here to help the people that help people.

Amit Gaglani, Owner

To find out more about physical therapy marketing please
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Do The New Patient Course!

CONSIDER THIS: Should The New Patient Course increase your volume by just one new patient, you would have paid for the course and travel expenses.

BOTTOM LINE: If you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to keep getting what you've got.

Call 1-800-491-2828 and register for The New Patient Course!

To find out more about physical therapy marketing please
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We Doubled the Business in Three Months

After four years in business we took the New Patient Course and doubled the business in three months - and that was just the beginning. Since then our staff has tripled, our production has tripled and we are making considerably more money.

The biggest thing we realized from the New Patient Course was that as physical therapists we were educated in our profession but not in how to manage our business. We have learned management principles and applied them to our practice and it's been tremendous ever since.

Before Measurable Solutions we were telling our families, "Well, we'll pay the bills but we won't make any money at this." But now we're making tons of money and down the road we'll be able to run our business - as opposed to working our business. The New Patient Course has been the best business decision we've ever made.

Darin Tucker, Co-Owner

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I Have Staff That Want To Grow With Me

I have seen a 40% growth, over the same time last year, in my practice since I began implementing the New Patient and Executive Training programs. Our practice is in a much stronger and more stable position, and more importantly I have staff that want to grow with me.

John Twomey, Owner

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47% Increase in New Patients

Since we started implementing the New Patient Course, our clinic has seen an increase of 47% in new patients visits as compared to the same month last year.

Linda Gibbs, Co-Owner

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Worth its Weight in Gold

The training I have received at Measurable Solutions has been worth its weight in gold. Our patient volumes have increased with a greater number of referring physicians. Our past patients are loyal patients and do not hesitate to come back to us when the need arises. More importantly we have a greater sense of organization with everyone in the office knowing what they need to do to get the job done. This will no doubt keep us expanding and growing as an organization. I am very excited about the future and what it holds because I know I have a greater degree of control over it.


Paul Vidal, Owner

To find out more about physical therapy marketing please
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Patient Volume Doubled Without Meeting and Feeding Doctors!

Our practice is located in the New York City area. There is practically a physical therapy clinic on every corner and less than one mile from one of our sites is a hospital with its own rehab group.

The Queens clinic was established thirteen years ago under a different name. I was one of the six partners. After seven years in practice we all decided to split up and go on our separate ways. My wife and I stayed at the Queens location and changed the name of the practice. We opened a second clinic in Huntington about two years ago.

Our patient volume was pretty decent. We were seeing 200-250 patient visits a week for both clinics but we wanted more. Our business came from doctor referrals and word of mouth. I wasn’t going out knocking on doors, but kind of sitting and waiting for doctors to give us patients. Our patient visits were high some weeks and low on other weeks – kind of like a rollercoaster. I wanted to go out and knock on doors but I was so afraid to.

I decided that we needed help with patient growth. My wife and I went to two management consulting companies before finding out about Measurable Solutions. We attended the first company that offered seminars but we didn’t buy any products. We enrolled in the second company for years, but we didn’t see any results. It took five years to pay them -- we actually just finished paying them off.

I was skeptical whether Measurable Solutions would work or not as this was our third time seeking help. I had to convince my wife that we should give them a try as I really wanted new patients and to increase my patient load. I liked the fact that Measurable Solutions had a system designed to get you new patients without you having to leave your practice. That was the selling point for me. I didn’t want to waste my time going out visiting doctors.

We did The New Patient Course in September and started the Executive Training in December of last year. We implemented what we had learned and within six months saw tremendous growth. The Executive Training gave us certainty in running our practice and steady expansion. With Measurable Solutions we made enough money to be able to pay for the training within a few months.

When my wife and I first started the Queens clinic we had 8 staff. We now have 12 staff (clinician and clerical) and we are hiring more people. Our volume is now 350-380 patient visits a week for both clinics which is close to double.

Measurable Solutions’ system is done step-by-step, on a gradient so it is easier to follow. We are not out on our own in the jungle. We have a nice support system that understands our practice and what is going on and so we’re never at a loss.

The Executive Training helps us tremendously. It gives me understanding of how to run and organize my company and free up some of my time and teach me how to delegate some of my responsibilities to other people. It also helps my wife free up her time and we just follow the system and everything seems to fall into place. The stats go up and we are very pleased about it.
Our staff are getting bonuses, which they are very excited about. They are more motivated and working together as a team. It has turned the whole office around.

The goal is to free up my time totally by next year. That is the goal. I want to be able to have the company run by itself and step away completely. We are already enrolled in a Measurable Solutions program to attain this.

Lino Chuang, Owner

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This Course Offered Far More Than Was Advertised

The New Patients Course has been everything I was looking for and offered far more than what was advertised. With all the ideas spinning in my head on how to grow our practice, this course put them in order and has prepared us to implement a logical, sequential and proven method to begin using immediately. Thank you for helping us along our journey to a busier clinic and improved lifestyle!

Jeff Kitchen, Owner

To find out more about physical therapy marketing please
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A Physician Called Me and Asked for My Information!

Two weeks ago I began doing the New Patients Course. Last night I got a phone call from an orthopedic surgeon out of Boston and he stated that he had been looking for a good therapist in my area because he sees many patients from here. He told me that he wanted me to send him my business cards and script pad and told me he would be sending me patients as soon as he received them. This was the first time in the three years since I started my practice that a physician called me and asked me for my information as opposed to me always dropping stuff at their offices with little effect most of the time.


Brendan Carman, Owner


To find out more about physical therapy marketing please
Click Here!

Do The New Patient Course!

CONSIDER THIS: Should The New Patient Course increase your volume by just one new patient, you would have paid for the course and travel expenses.

BOTTOM LINE: If you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to keep getting what you've got. Call 1-800-491-2828 and register for The New Patient Course!

To find out more about physical therapy marketing please
Click Here!

We Continue to Grow Despite the Economy

I have a growing physical therapy practice in Howell, New Jersey and I want to share my success with you. My wife and I opened our practice in 2002. The first two years were tough. We worked crazy hours and always struggled with keeping new referrals flowing. It all changed in October of 2004 when we attended the New Patient Course at Measurable Solutions.

Two months after we took the course we doubled the number of patient visits and had to hire more staff. Before we took the New Patient Course we had a part-time receptionist, a part-time PTA and a part-time aide. Now we have a staff of 15 equalling 10 full-time equivalents and keep growing despite the economy and all the curve balls Medicare and a generally worsening health insurance crisis throws at us.

What we learned from the New Patient Course is a system that allows us to stay causative in our relationships with referral sources and continue to grow and prosper. It also helps us to educate the public on the value of our profession and I know that you will agree that this is what we need if we want to become the independent providers of choice.

Measurable Solutions has been an invaluable resource for us in managing and expanding our practice. I can honestly say that stepping through their doors in 2004 changed my life both personally and professionally.

Michael Sheynin, Co-Owner

To find out more about physical therapy marketing please
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