Each year, Fusion helps hundreds of therapy clinicians and clinic managers perfect their practice, so they can continue providing care to those who need them. Because of this, we’ve become a bit of an expert in identifying areas of opportunity for therapy clinics – whether this is helping therapists expand their offerings to new populations or improving outcomes by streamlining their care delivery. One area we often help clinics fine-tune is occupational therapy for autistic patients.

 

Evaluating ASD and Why OT Matters

As an evidence-based practice that often takes a holistic approach, occupational therapy can be of great benefit for both pediatric and adult patients diagnosed with ASD. Since occupational therapy helps develop and maintain skills for everyday life – which are essential and build strong foundations for self-care, leisure, learning, and productivity – including OT in an autism care plan can have profound benefits.

Furthermore, Corinna Laurie, Clinical Lead OT with the NAS elaborates that, in her clinical experience, “those with sensory processing differences, often have co-occurring difficulties with posture, coordination and motor planning.” So beneficial are occupational therapy interventions with neurodivergent individuals, that, as an OT, you may even play a part in evaluating the severity of an ASD diagnosis.

Schedule a demo to see how Fusion can help your clinic grow.

 

Finding Patients

Most of the time, patients and/or their caregivers will rely on insurance to cover the cost of their occupational therapy. If you’re looking to begin or make a larger impact on this unique population, it’s important to build your referral pipeline by networking with developmental pediatricians, primary care providers, psychologists, and neurologists. Read up on the work they are doing, reach out with introductions, and when referrals do come in, ensure you are following up promptly and professionally to maintain that open door. Of course, as a caveat, ensure you are abiding by your state’s regulations and guidelines.

If you are practicing in a state that doesn’t require referrals or are working with largely self-pay clientele, consider surveying your existing patients to see how they discovered your clinic and continue your networking with special education schools and autism programs that connect those with ASD to helpful resources such as yourself.

 

Providing Excellent Patient Experiences

As always, one of the best ways to maintain the caseload you need to meet revenue goals is to foster patient retention. Provide seamless experiences with a tone of compassion and education to stay in your patient’s trust. Beginning with intake, make sure you are keeping clients abreast of what they can expect. Share documents via the patient portal from day one that introduce care delivery processes, staff, FAQs, billing, and insurance information, and whatever else may be helpful to take away with them. Outlining expectations can soothe a lot of anxiety that comes from care – regardless of your specialty.

And, speaking of intake, use streamlined electronic forms to help everything run smoothly and to collect all the information you will need to build a plan from the get-go. If you’re working with cases where the patient may struggle with mobility or sensory overload – offering telehealth options can be a great way to take pressure off visits – and help prevent no-shows. Likewise, if you’re working mainly with a parent or caretaker – your EHR must be equipped to handle those kinds of discrepancies in notetaking and permissions, so talk to your tech vendor to make sure you have what you need.

 

Fusion Brings Patients and Therapists Together

Whether you’re embarking on a new journey for your clinic or are looking to perfect your practice, Therapy Brands and Fusion are here to help. Our EHR has been designed by therapists and includes all the tools you need to provide excellent care for autistic pediatric and adult patients. Check out our features or schedule a demo to see how we can help your clinic grow.

 

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Vanishing patients. No, they’re not magic, they’re the unfortunate reality for clinics across the country. And patients who don’t finish their course of physical therapy can have massive repercussions for your clinic. First, acquiring new patients requires far more man hours and funds than continuing with existing patients. Second, if patients aren’t having positive experiences with your team, this could harm your local reputation and damage your referral network.

So, what are the reasons patients don’t finish their physical therapy, and how can you increase their completion rate?

 

The Cause: They Aren’t Seeing Immediate Results

The Solution: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, change doesn’t happen overnight. And as much as we prepare our patients for this reality, it tends to go in one ear and out the other or fade from the forefront as the going gets hard. Set expectations with patients. From the get-go help them understand what each stage of their journey will look like. Help them see smaller goals that indicate progress. Learn to recognize signs of discouragement and take a moment to reflect on those benchmarks. A session of “hey, remember when..?” accompanied by pulling up previous session notes or visual representations of past assessments can help reignite hope and patience.

 

The Cause: It’s Too Expensive

The Solution:  Medical expenses are a large source of debt for many American households. Unexpected costs of treatment can derail an individual or a family’s finances and many don’t understand the intricacies of insurance. Before the initial visit, have office staff sit down with patients to help them understand the true financial commitment to treatment. Walk them through their options in clear language and consider implementing fee discounts for 100% self-pay patients.

Schedule a demo of Fusion – a speech, occupational and physical therapy EMR software.

 

The Cause: Life Happens

The Solution: We’ve all been there. Between soccer practice, that big meeting on Tuesday, your cousin’s wedding, and just needing a night to veg in front of the TV, our time is in high demand. If you’re seeing a trend of no-shows or last-minute reschedules or cancellations, it’s time to reassess your plan. Open a conversation with your patient about their time constraints, consider offering more at-home exercises if you think they can stick with it, or implement a telehealth platform to make it a little easier to adhere to their treatment plan.

 

The Cause: Mental Health Struggles

The Solution: Living with chronic pain can really drag us down. When our bodies become such an impediment to daily life, we can end up isolated, dehumanized, and depressed. Therefore, it’s so crucial for therapists to consider the relationship between the mind and the body and bring mental health to the forefront of treatment. Provide advice for improving mood, maintain an encouraging hand, and stress the positive outcomes in store by sticking with therapy.

 

The Cause: Living a Sedentary Life

The Solution: How many hours did you spend sitting today? Even with standing desks and lunchtime walks, these days we’re all living largely sedentary lives. Unfortunately, this isn’t usually conducive to maintaining the changes needed for positive outcomes. Take the time in the initial assessment to understand a patient’s lifestyle and don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Start with small changes and compromises that, over time, can amount to significant improvements.

 

Keep the Momentum Going

Remember, you’re not alone. Patient retention and no-shows are a huge pain point for clinics across America, and this is always at the forefront of our minds at Fusion. We’re here with software solutions to help clinicians create smarter treatment plans, generate positive outcomes (and positive revenue), and offer stellar experiences for patients. With features like telehealth, billing, note-taking and so much more, we can help you keep the momentum going with your patients. Schedule a demo today to see us in action today.

 

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As a physical rehabilitation therapist, whether specializing in PT, OT, or SLP, you may have written off telehealth options for your clinic. After all, meeting with patients face-to-face is preferable to virtual visits. Perhaps you have adapted to teletherapy out of necessity during the pandemic. Regardless, teletherapy can help you expand the reach and impact of your practice even after we say goodbye to pandemic entirely. Though it may not be a great fit for every patient and every clinic, here are some post-pandemic benefits of teletherapy options.

An Overview of Teletherapy 

Contrary to popular belief, teletherapy has been in existence for a long time but only started gaining massive popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. With patients stuck at home, the only way therapists could connect with them was through online platforms. The best part is that a majority of Americans mainly connect with others on online platforms, so teletherapy doesn’t feel foreign to them. 

At first, clinics that offered teletherapy were mainly doing so out of necessity to ensure continuity of services, but even with the reduction of COVID-19 regulations, some clinics still see the benefits of virtual appointments.  

1. Flexible Scheduling  

It seems we’re all busier than ever. When you treat pediatric patients, it’s important to remember that parents and caregivers are also juggling school and work schedules. When patients and families don’t have to factor in commutes and can hold their session from any web-enabled device, it becomes much easier to find a time that works for them and stick to it 

2. Fewer Missed Appointments 

When your clinic offers teletherapy sessions, you’ll likely see fewer missed appointments. Since teletherapy appointments may better mesh with patient schedules in the first place as well as be a lot easier to accommodate within the day-to-day chaos of life, it’s easier for patients to attend more of their appointments.  And we don’t need to tell you that fewer missed appointments mean more revenue for your clinic.  

3. Lower Overhead Costs 

Though physical therapy isn’t by nature as easily transitioned from a traditional clinic, many of your clinicians may have found ways to adjust to working from home. With teletherapy, your practitioners can easily connect with the client while they are at home. This allows you to minimize some of the costs that come with running a clinic.  

4. Mobility and Transportation Concerns 

Working in the physical rehab space, many of your patients may have mobility concerns. Often this is why they are seeing you in the first place. If possible, per a patient’s treatment plan, holding teletherapy sessions eliminates the additional burden of getting to your clinic, which can help restore independence and boost confidence and comfort. The same can be said for patients who are physically able but still may not be able to find a way to you.  

5. Expanded Radius 

Offering virtual therapy services gives you access to an otherwise neglected client segment. Since most therapy clinics are located in metropolitan and suburban areas, teletherapy has a significant impact on people who live in rural areas and those that are far from the nearest clinic.  

6. Peace of Mind 

We live in a tumultuous world, and never really know what’s on the horizon. Many of your patients, and therapists too, may have adjusted to a home-based therapy environment and feel more comfortable with that mode of practice. And, with the tail end of the pandemic still among us with an uncertain future, you can rest assured that, with teletherapy, patients and therapists are safe.  

Quick Teletherapy Tips 

To ensure your teletherapy services are successful: 

1. Ensure your therapists have a stable internet connection. Downtime can be frustrating for patient and therapist alike and disrupt the flow of the appointment.  

2. Make sure the devices being used are functional, e.g., the microphone and the webcam works well. Test your platform beforehand too. Even amongst staff, make sure everything is in working order.  

3. Ensure there’s someone to guide the clients around the platform, especially on how it works, the best way to use it, the equipment they will need, etc. You can even have clinic staff call clients over the phone to make sure they’re all set up just before their appointment and explain it when they book their appointment. 

4. Ensure your practitioners have a safe and quiet environment where they can conduct sessions without distractions.  

5. Get a reliable platform that is HIPAA compliant. According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the platform used has to be secure. 

Get Started with Integrated Teletherapy  

The demand for teletherapy services is rapidly increasing, and it’s not hard to see why; it has fundamental benefits for both clients and medical professionals. In the United States, 1 in every 5 people is diagnosed with a mental health condition, but sadly, only 44% of them get treatment.  

With teletherapy options, however, clinics are able to serve a wider range of clients who can’t access therapy services who may otherwise be unable to or would experience challenges with in-office visits.  Could teletherapy be the answer to your growth and sustainability challenges? Schedule a demo today to learn more about how Fusion can keep your practice and your patients moving with teletherapy.  

If growth is one of the goals for your therapy clinic, marketing is probably on your mind. But, with all the needs of managing the day-to-day of your practice and patient care, you may not know where to start. Or, maybe you have started, but aren’t getting the results you hoped for. The problem may be that you lack a strong foundation.  

A well-planned marketing strategy will show prospective clients that your practice is both compassionate and competent enough to meet their needs. And, a big chunk of that strategy happens before your first email or social media post. Here are a few foundational elements we suggest putting in place to make sure your marketing campaigns are easy to put together and generate results.  

The Value of Marketing for Your Practice 

When it comes to the bottom line of your organization, marketing may be the last consideration for funds. However, marketing is only an expense if it doesn’t work. Still, starting out with some marketing campaigns can be daunting, especially when your expertise lies more with treating patients them attracting them.  

Marketing, however, doesn’t have to be scary. Start small and take it at your own pace. Implementing just one of these strategies at a time can bring more patients through your doors, without detracting from the rest of your practice management. As you grow and become more confident, you’ll find it easier to scale your marketing efforts. 

The Value Statement 

It’s important to decide what your organization stands for and how you will communicate that to patients. Start with a value statement that begins with “We believe…” or “Our mission is to…” Then, make a list of ways you exemplify your values. For example, if part of your mission is to bring peace of mind to families, you may want to list things like your helpful staff or take-home resources. This list can include what makes you unique, ways you add value to your audience’s experience, the way you lead your organization.  

Your statement should be a short paragraph or two, and you can list as many supporting items as you like, but try to keep the document to one page, so that you can focus on what’s most important. This value statement will be a living document that guides your marketing efforts moving forward. Everything you put out into the world should come back to your value statement. Pro Tip: A value statement is truly powerful and unique when you can’t swap your practice’s name for your competitors.  

Know Your Audience 

There’s no use marketing water to fish. It’s important to have a clear picture of who you serve. A neat strategy is to develop a profile for a fictional person who represents your audience. Give them a name and flesh out the details of their life. In order to inform your marketing strategy, it’s best to have an idea of where they might be interacting with your brand. For example, Sarah is a busy mother of three who spends a lot of time reading family life blogs to make decisions for her household.  

It’s perfectly fine to have multiple personas as well, as long as they are unique. So, Sarah from the previous example may be visiting your clinic so her son can receive therapy while recovering from a sports injury. Whereas Michael and his daughter may be seeking help with her muscular dystrophy. You may also want to consider Dr. Brown, who is the referring physician for many of your patients.  

Choose up to 5 personas to help you understand who you are speaking to and flesh out traits that will help you understand how best to reach them. Ask questions like: 

• What websites are they visiting? Do they read blogs? 
• Are they present on social media? If so, which platforms? 
• Do they listen to the radio? Podcasts? 
• Do they read magazines or newspapers? If so, what kinds? 
• Where do they shop? 
• What might their home life look like? 
• What is their financial position? 
• What might their interactions with other medical professionals look like? 

For referring doctors is may look something like: 

• How do their patients come to see them? 
• Are they specialized?  
• What organizations are they a part of? 
• What professional publications or websites do they read? 

Understanding who they are will help you communicate how you can solve for their pain points and make their lives easier.  

Competitive Analysis 

A key component of your value statement is understanding how your organization is unique.  You can’t know this unless you’ve taken a look at the competitive set – the other clinics in your area that may serve a similar population or provide a similar service. Do some research and determine what sets you apart. Doing so will help you understand where you may meet a need that isn’t otherwise being met. Make a list of key competitors, what they do well, and how you either do it better or offer something different.  

Brand Design 

Once you’ve decided on who you are, what you stand for, and what sets you apart from competitors, it’s time to decide on a logo and colors. Don’t worry, it doesn’t take a fancy graphic designer to put together a brand kit.  

Colors – Pick two coordinating colors. For consistency, you will need to find the exact identifier for that color. Either the red, green, blue values, the Pantone number, or the hex codes.  

Logo – Your logo will be the beacon for your therapy clinic. Pick something that not only embodies what you do or what you believe in but make sure it’s versatile enough to be used everywhere. This means it will work on both dark and light backgrounds, vertical and horizontal placements, etc.  

This may seem like a lot to think about, but not to worry there are great resources out there that make these design elements easy for those of us who might not excel in design. Free tools like Canva can provide templates to make it quick and easy. Still, need more help? Try a freelancing site. 

Website Woes 

The last foundational element of marketing is your website. You probably already have a website, but now may be a good time to make sure all the information is up-to-date and it’s very easy for someone to contact you. Especially in a world where much of the marketing you do will be digital, making sure you are driving contacts to a website that puts your best foot forward is key.  

Websites don’t have to be complicated or fancy, especially if your team doesn’t have the expertise, funds, or time to maintain its upkeep. A single, simple landing page will do with your contact information. You can always build as you go.  

The next step may be to add a few pages about your business. Include your value statement. Team bios. Photos of your clinic. All these elements can help humanize and put a face and a feeling to your organization. You can even consider adding a contact form or a blog where you can share success stories, thought leadership, and resources for patients and their families.  

Summing it Up 

Okay, so now you’re well on your way to building a super-strong foundation for your marketing strategy. Let’s review 

• Develop a value statement that includes who you are and what you offer.  
• Put together a persona of those you serve in order to understand the message you want them to hear and how they will come across it.  
• Analyze the competitive set to know where your clinic stands and what makes you unique.  
• Design an appealing brand that conveys what you’re all about and build credibility.  
• Build a website that is up-to-date and makes it easy for someone to get in touch.  

Marketing can be intimidating. At Fusion, we understand and make it our mission to simplify your therapy clinic’s practice management, so you can provide the best care possible to as many patients as possible. Schedule a demo of our EMR designed specifically for pediatric physical, speech, and occupational therapists to learn more about how we simplify practice management and empower your growth.  

Billing can be a pain. When you’ve got a therapy clinic, or even 3 or 4, to run, billing pains can be more than frustrating. The complicated process is not easy to navigate and can cause your revenue generation to suffer. A dedicated, well-trained billing team would be ah-mazing, but the cost of payroll may not be an option. And even with a billing team on staff, they could be wasting their valuable time with administrative headaches like tracking down claim denials and keeping current with coding guidelines. And mom-and-pop billing services may not allow you the visibility you need to feel confident in your finances.

But you’ve got to keep the lights on. Maybe you’ve got plans to open another clinic or want to bring about some much-desired improvements to your current locations. So, there you sit, struggling with inefficient billing methods. Luckily, there is an alternative.

Rather than trying to keep up with the daily humdrum of billing for your physical rehab clinics, entrust technology and the experts they work with, automate and streamline this process. You likely already use an EMR, so let that software handle your billing. Even better if it’s an EMR designed for your specialty and knows the ins and outs of billing for your specific practice.  

Of course, onboarding new software can be daunting. Fears of slowing down business during the onboarding process, training, cost, usability and so much more are all valid concerns. But, when you outsource billing to your EMR, the benefits far outweigh the costs. While you’ll incur an extra cost onboarding a new software, it goes a long way in making sure your clinic receives more of what it earns. Integrated billing services will help you get every dollar you earn rather than lose it in the claim management process.  

1. Streamline Workflows 

Billing, especially insurance billing, can be a nightmare for practitioners. Insurance companies do very little to support providers when it comes to submitting claims. As a result, many physical therapy clinics end up losing hard-earned revenue to denied and rejected claims, delayed payments, etc. etc. Not only that, the time it takes to rectify claims can be a real burden on your staff.  

With billing automation put in place thanks to your EMR software integration, you can get back to treating patients and rest assured that your revenue cycle is running efficiently and effectively.  

2. Protect Patient Information 

Your patients’ information should remain confidential and protected from unauthorized persons. Your EHR software is fully equipped with the technological infrastructure to make that happen at no extra cost to you. 

The software is also compliant with privacy regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This means all patient information is kept safe, and you shouldn’t worry. Instead, you should channel the efforts in restoring their health. 

3. Maintain a Steady Cashflow 

Whether you hope to expand, want to invest in your existing locations, or if you simply want to have a little more financial security with your current clinic operations, an efficient billing process can help you increase revenue generation even without increasing intake.  

When you trust physical therapy billing services to fix any holes that may be leaking revenue in your operations, your accounts will thank you. With billing experts and software automation working behind the scenes to prevent claim denials and reduce the time it takes for you to see reimbursements from insurance payers, your accounts receivable balances should decrease. Which means more money in your pocket.  

4. Save Time and Hassle with Complete Integration 

No doubt, you’re a pro at multitasking. Yet still, technology should reduce administrative burdens, not add to them. When you trust your EHR’s physical therapy billing services, you can access everything you need for effective practice management right from a single software instance. You can’t make a clone of yourself, but this is the next best thing. With complete integration of your clinical support tools and your billing service, you don’t have to spread yourself and your staff across too many log-ins and can keep a better eye on your practice and finances than you could by hiring a separate billing entity.  

5. Access Customer Support and Education Tools 

Factors like usability and training are normal and valid concerns when it comes to outsourcing any aspect of your practice management. Thankfully, when you trust your EHR, there’s one less system to learn. Plus, most competitive EMR products include a wealth of training for their users and helpful staff to get you started on the right foot and support you throughout your partnership. 

6. Run Comprehensive Financial Reports 

The key to effective practice management, especially when operating more than one clinic, are reports that provide insight as to the current state of your organization. With physical therapy billing services fully integrated with your EMR, you have an easily accessed ay on top of your payer payments with detailed billing reports. Generate graphs to identify the billing codes that make you the most money, which payers take the longest to pay, which payers owe you the most money, and much more.

Integrated Physical Therapy Billing Services: Final Verdict 

So, there you have it. Whether you’re currently outsourcing your physical therapy billing services to another company, have a team on board already, or have filled a toolbelt with billing tools, you and your organization could stand to benefit from billing services integrated into your EMR. Schedule a demo today to learn more about Fusion Web Clinic and our fully integrated billing service designed specifically for pediatric physical, speech, and occupational therapy.

From limited report specificity to roadblocks with visibility, many of our users reported grievances with the usability of our current Insights solution.  Our team is always listening and dedicated to always improving the services of our software. We’re proud to unveil our new Insights solution.

New Features and Improvements 

The new Insights reporting and analytics solution with Fusion is designed to be more intuitive, easier to use, and reliable for your pediatric physical, occupational, or speech therapy clinic. The new solution allows you to:  

• Run faster reports with more data all at once – become a lean, mean, data machine with speedier reports that encapsulate more data about your clinic.  
• See a description of every available field used to build reports – be more confident in your report building with a little bit of guidance along the way. 
• See applied filters at a glance – easily see exactly what data you’re looking at.  
• Apply flexible filters to every available field – create reports that get you exactly what information you need. 
• Edit a report on the same screen as the results and see your results faster – no more toggling back and forth.  
• See all results in Fusion without having to download a file – forget about document downloads and frustrating look-up functions. Have what you need, right within Fusion.  
• Create useful charts with a more guided, user-friendly experience – display your results in a way that makes the most sense to you and your team.  
• Save your reports to a section dedicated just to you – in just a few clicks, access the reports relevant to you.  
• Rather than recreating reports from scratch, copy and adjust an existing report – save time and headache with report cloning.  
• Share reports with non-Insights users (results restricted based on patient access) – disseminate information to those who need it.  

How Fusion Users Can Start Using New Insights? 

New Insights will be available soon for all users currently using Insights with Fusion. But not to worry, you’ll still be able to access the original Insights feature where previously created reports and data will be stored.  

Interested in Learning More about Fusion Web Clinic? 

Having data at your fingertips and running reports to get the information you actually need is key to managing your clinic. If you’re interested in learning more about Fusion Web Clinic and our other features such as Assisted Billing, scheduling, or teletherapy, schedule a demo today.  

Toddlers and younger children are in a key developmental stage, making their first strides towards confidence with speech and language. And what an exciting time. But it can be frightening for parents who are noticing their child’s language skills aren’t progressing according to certain benchmarks, opening the door for panic. With children so young, another response could be to put it off and wait a while, perhaps until the child is in school or until the family’s schedule can better accommodate sessions with a professional. After all, each child grows at their own pace and perhaps they will “grow into” their voice.  

However, when assessments show a child could benefit from treatment, it’s time to step in as a clinician and help those parents and caregivers embrace the journey they are about to begin. Patients, or in this case their caregivers, who are informed and empowered about their treatment plan, are more likely to succeed. So, let’s dive into some ways you can set the stage for successful speech therapy for toddlers.  

Prepare the Parents (or Other Caregivers) 

Before your initial evaluation appointment with the patient, make sure their caregivers are prepared for a successful session. Consider creating a checklist of to-dos to take care of before they meet with you. This can include items like preparing insurance information, reflecting on their concerns, writing down their questions, or listing observations. This can not only help you collect more information for your evaluation, it can soothe caregivers by giving them a task to accomplish.  

Explain the Benchmarks 

Caregivers, especially first-time parents or parents whose other children have developed speech and language capabilities without delay, may likely be unfamiliar with the nuances of steppingstones for healthy progress. With a crowd of friends and family or even the internet telling them what *should* be happening, they may need some clarity as to what is fact and what is fiction.  

Educate caregivers about the benchmarks their children should be meeting. Provide resources, like helpful .pdfs or video links you can share through your patient portal for parents to take with them.  

Explain the Assessments 

Now that your patient’s support understands where their child should be, help them understand where the child may be falling behind. It may seem obvious to you as a practitioner, but take the time to give some background about the assessments you chose, why you chose them, and your results. Present the data you uncovered and couple it with context to bring the situation to light. Proceed with sensitivity, assuring parents there is nothing *wrong* with their child and soothing worries they may have.  

Explain the Treatment Plan 

An obvious next step, explaining the treatment plan is critical. Help caregivers understand what you will be putting into action and your reasoning. Paint a picture of what the short-term and long-term goals are, and everyone will be better positioned as a team to get there together. Take the time to lay out what the time commitments and at-home responsibilities are. Prepare documents or share this information with them to refer to so they are not relying on their memory. Remember, paper notes can get lost, so utilize the technology at hand to create a place where all this information can easily be accessed in the future.  

Add Value with Updates 

When any aspect of their young child’s life is out of their control, the family can feel helpless and may need reassurance. As the journey progresses, provide frequent updates. “It’s working,” is simply not enough information. Include them in the process by relating your observations and thoughts. Show them data from your records to illustrate progress and trends.  

Set Expectations 

You are a therapist, not a miracle worker. Make sure everyone is aware of the limitations of speech therapy and, more importantly, caregivers know what is expected of them for treatment to be successful. Does everyone understand the payment policy? Are we on the same page about appointment commitments and cancellations? Ask questions to make sure there is no confusion or misunderstanding.  

Conversations about expectations can also bring to light issues that could disrupt treatment down the way like insurance coverage or the cost of treatment, scheduling issues and the like.  

Give out Homework 

We’ve touched on this throughout our list, but providing parents with further reading as well as  tasks for home can be therapeutic for parents, productive for your treatment, and healthy for  your patient.  

How Your EMR Can Help 

A lot goes into preparing a patient and their caregivers for the journey of SLP therapy, but you’re not alone. Utilize your EMR to relieve you and your staff from these burdens. With a practice management system like Fusion Web Clinic’s EMR, setting families up for success has never been easier. Schedule in-person and teletherapy sessions with ease, share information via the patient portal, handle billing, and even gather insights from an EMR specifically designed for pediatric speech therapy. Schedule a demo today to get started.  

Running a pediatric physical therapy clinic can be complicated. There’s more on your plate than patient care and, most of the time, onboarding more staff simply isn’t an option. Not to worry. Here are a few pediatric physical therapy practice management dos and don’ts. 

Do: Automate Administrative Functions 

There’s more to running a physical, speech, or occupational therapy clinic than excellent patient care. Administrative burdens are a huge pain point for practitioners of all specialties. When a clinic’s focus is split between assessments, treatment plans, intake, scheduling, billing, reporting, and more, clinic staff can end up running themselves ragged. Perhaps one of the most important practice management tips we can share is to entrust your EMR with these tasks. Look for practice management software that allows you to effortlessly manage schedules, securely stores documents for easy access, and provides insights to help you make decisions about your clinic. 

Do: Analyze What’s Working and What Isn’t 

How will you be able to improve the tomorrow of your clinic without knowing what is and isn’t working today? Reporting and insights should be an essential part of any clinic’s functional planning. Form better hypotheses and answer important questions like “What percent of my scheduled appointments end up being no-shows?” and “What CPT codes are generating the most revenue?” With an understanding of what propels your clinic forward and what is holding it back, you can optimize your activities to streamline your organization, build a more profitable practice, and more.  

Do: Offer Teletherapy 

The COVID pandemic catapulted telehealth from nifty tech to an absolute necessity. This need, however, does not disappear when the pandemic does. As a pediatric physical therapist, you may serve patients who struggle to meet with you in person due to mobility or developmental issues. So, continuing to offer teletherapy allows you to better treat these patients in a way that is inclusive and accommodating. Teletherapy sessions also allow you to broaden your reach, allowing you to serve patients and their families you may not have been able to treat before.  

Don’t: Forget about Billing 

Insurance billing may not come as easily to you as patient care. And that’s okay, but even if you’re seeing a steady flow of patients, your clinic could still be suffering financially from ineffective revenue cycle management (RCM). RCM is the process of creating charges, submitting claims to insurance companies, and the following those reimbursements through. Unfortunately, claim management is complicated and insurance companies aren’t making it any easier. Each has different requirements for claim processing, and it can be impossible for you to keep track of all of that on top of your patient care.  

Denied claims are rampant in the physical therapy world and could be costing your clinic revenue. When you onboard a billing tool like Assisted Billing with revenue cycle management, you can trust that your EMR is at the ready to make sure you’re maximizing your insurance reimbursements.  

Don’t: Spread Your Clinic Across Too Many Tools 

You wouldn’t see a carpenter carry identical hammers onto a roof, so why would you use more software than you need? In our modern digital world, we are inundated with promising miracle platforms, but having too many systems can easily get out of hand. Each new practice management tool brings with it new passwords, new security and interoperability concerns, more staff trainings, etc. Consolidate your tools to a single software suite where telehealth, documentation, billing, and anything else you may need are only a click away.  

Don’t: Wait to Onboard an EMR 

As a medical professional, everywhere you turn you see the changes happening in the health IT landscape. Regardless of what legislature is most up-to-date and how it affects you as a physical, speech, or occupational therapist, it’s time to either start thinking about onboarding practice management tools like EMRs or, if you already work with one, evaluating if it is going to best serve your clinic and your patients for the long haul. Meaningful use and interoperability may seem like a lot to digest, especially when patient care is your passion, and partnering with a trusted EMR can lay a clear path through the health IT revolution.  

Practice Management Done Right 

You know how to best treat your patients, make sure you have what you need to best take care of your clinic. If you’re interested in learning more about an EMR designed specifically for your specialty that is intuitive, advanced, and stays out of the way, schedule a demo with Fusion Web Clinic today.  

Pediatric therapy professionals are always learning, evolving, and finding new ways to help their patients. This ongoing process can include keeping up with industry journals, reading books, and attending seminars. Blogs written by fellow OT, PT, or SLP specialists are another fantastic option, and they usually take less than 10 minutes to read. You can learn valuable information about industry trends, get inspired by stories of patient successes, or dive deep into an innovative technique. This collection of high-quality OT, PT, and SLP blogs will make for insightful reading in 2021.      

Physical Therapy Blogs

Athletico Physical Therapy 

This national network of Physical Therapy clinics offers top-notch care for people of all ages, especially athletes. The Athletico Physical Therapy blog is a collaborative effort from many of the clinic’s PT professionals, which makes a very diverse and informative resource. Posts dive into every aspect of patient care, including the best way to treat specific injuries, how to motivate patients, and the importance of empathy.  

Mike Reinold 

Mike Reinold is a noted physical therapist and athletic trainer who has worked for the Boston Red Sox. His well-established blog covers a broad range of physical therapy topics, but with a focus on exercise and helping active patients stay injury-free. You’ll also find plenty of practical advice for professional development in the PT field, including managing your workload and collaborating with other healthcare professionals. Mike also explores these topics on his podcast.  

Starfish Therapies  

This pediatric physical therapy blog written by Stacey Menz is geared towards supporting both parents and PT professionals that work with children. She is the owner of Starfish Therapies, a clinic that provides rehabilitation services to patients from the age of zero to 22. Her blog offers detailed advice on how to encourage strength, coordination, motor development, and much more. Many of the posts have specific exercises and activities, including games, stretches, and tips for using mobility tools. 

Occupational Therapy Blogs

The OT Toolbox  

Colleen Beck has been an occupational therapist for more than 20 years, including school-based settings and early intervention. She has worked with children with fine motor deficits, sensory processing dysfunction, and many other challenges. The goal of The OT Toolbox is to promote the healthy development of kids with play-based learning and evidence-based practices. Her approach is always very informative, and every activity suggestion has a detailed explanation for why it can help kids develop specific skills.    

Skills 4 Life 

Along with being a pediatric occupational therapist with 3 decades of experience, Karina Black knows what it’s like to be a special needs child. She struggled with school throughout her childhood because of a visual impairment and poor hand-eye coordination skills. She went on to found a pediatric occupational therapy practice in 2010. Karina specializes in helping kids with handwriting, dyslexia, executive function skills, and more. The Skills 4 Life blog is regularly updated with actionable, well-researched interventions that can help children develop necessary life skills.   

Growing Hands-On Kids  

Heather Greutman writes a popular resource for parents, teachers, and pediatric occupational therapists. She’s on a mission to help children reach their potential with enriching, hands-on play. Growing Hands-On Kids is full of creative ideas for engaging children in enjoyable activities that improve their fine motor skills. You can also read thoughtful posts on developmental milestones, handwriting skills, and the importance of creating a sensory diet.  

 My OT Spot 

This informative blog is an amazing resource for anyone that’s just getting started with a career in occupational therapy. Sarah Stromsdorfer is on a mission to help new OT professionals thrive by providing useful content for every step of the journey. My OT Spot has thoughtful advice on how to be more productive, managing the emotional challenges of being an OT, and using evidence-based practices.   

The Inspired Treehouse 

This popular blog is the collaboration of two practicing pediatric rehabilitation therapists. Claire Heffron is an OT, Lauren Drobnjak is a PT, and they both have extensive experience in school-based settings. The Inspired Treehouse is their joint effort to create child development resources for parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals. The blog covers topics like improving visual motor skills, advice for teletherapy, and fun seasonal crafts.   

Speech-Language Pathology Blogs

The Dabbling Speechie 

Felice Clark is a speech pathologist working in a pre-K to 5th-grade setting. Her blog is a great resource for helping school-age patients have fun while reaching their speech and language goals. The Dabbling Speechie has a wealth of creative ideas, including functional crafts, seasonal therapy activities, and engaging lessons. Felice is very passionate about the value SLP professionals can offer their patients, which also her makes her blog a highly motivational read.    

Speech Time Fun  

Hallie Sherman’s blog is brimming with practical tips for working with older speech therapy students. The current focus on Speech Time Fun is making the most of remote SLP sessions by using virtual resources. Recent posts have highlighted how to incorporate digital tools like Kahoot and Jamboard to practice language skills. Hallie also shares valuable content on her podcast and YouTube channel.    

Anna Dee SLP 

This excellent blog is a must-read for SLP professionals that work with toddlers and preschoolers. Anna Dee is passionate about the value of natural, play-based therapy for early intervention treatments. Her blog has detailed posts on enriching activities that kids really enjoy, including the use of toys, stories, and digital. Anna Dee SLP also specializes in actionable advice for helping patients with childhood apraxia of speech.  

The Speech Bubble SLP 

Maureen Wilson is a school-based SPL with down-to-earth advice to on handling the challenges of the job. Her blog manages to be both conversational and very substantive. A recent post offers thoughtful analysis of the research behind literacy-based speech therapy, as well as concrete examples of how to incorporate this technique. The Speech Bubble SLP also highlights activities, many books, toys, and games that are designed to encourage language skills. 

More Resources from Fusion Web Clinic

There’s always so much to learn in the world of rehabilitation therapy. Fusion Web Clinic offers many powerful tools and resources to help you optimize your practice and help patients more efficiently. Check out our resource library or schedule a demo to learn more about how our practice management software can help you streamline your workflow. 

Revenue Cycle Management (or RCM) is no small undertaking. The process of creating and submitting claims to insurance companies is complicated, let alone the fact that a good portion of insurance claims are denied requiring more detail or better data for payment. After all, even if you’re seeing a great number of patients, your clinic may be struggling financially because of an ineffective revenue cycle. Meaning you’re not getting paid what and when you should be.  

On a path with so many steppingstones like RCM, it’s easy for revenue to get lost along the way. With an understanding of the different steps of the revenue cycle for Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapy, you can be better prepared to create a more profitable organization. 

The Steps of the Revenue Cycle 

1. Payment Policies 

Effective Revenue Cycle Management begins before any patients schedule appointments. It’s important to sit down as a provider or practitioner and draw up payment policies. These not only help you communicate with patients but can act as a roadmap for accepting payments. Determine what kinds of payment you will accept and how you will accept it. Don’t forget to lay out how long self-pay patients will have to pay and the consequences of nonpayment. Also consider how you will work with HSAs and what will happen if a client misses an appointment.  

2. Benefits Checking 

Once appointments are made, or ideally, as part of the appointment process, you should check the patient’s eligibility and insurance coverage. Doing so before any treatment takes place can prevent surprises down the line and help patients and caregivers better understand any cost sharing responsibilities they may have, reducing nonpayment.  

Determine the patient’s primary and secondary insurance status and coverage before submitting claims. It’s also a good idea to make a copy of your patient’s insurance card and keep it on file in case you need to reference it later. 

3. Charge Creation and Coding 

Alright, so you’ve created a payment policy, verified coverage, and started with treatment. Time to bill. Here’s where it gets tricky.  

As physical therapy professionals, your mission is to treat clients and bring healing into their lives. But running a clinic involves income and creating charges for services rendered. This process is not so easy to manage, especially with constantly changing billing codes and regulations. In fact, issues with coding are a common reason claims are rejected. Also, watch out for under or over coding, creating a claim that doesn’t match up with the care provided.  

Ultimately, understanding what could cause a claim denial can better inform your charge creation. This will help get money back into your accounts by reducing the number of denied claims and making sure you don’t accidentally sell yourself short to insurance payers.  

4. Reviewing and Submitting Claims 

Before you submit claims, make sure you know the W’s of claim submission for each payer. Who, when, where, and how. Double check your claims before submitting. Remember that copy of the patient’s insurance card? It’s worth giving it another quick look. Make sure no information has been accidently left out or there are any of the coding errors like we talked about before.  

EHRs equipped with PT, OT, and SLP billing may be able to enlist a clearinghouse to review or scrub claims before submitting to make sure they aren’t missing key information or contain obvious errors and are less likely to be denied. They do say you should measure twice and cut once. The same goes for insurance claims. 

5. Status Reporting, Payment & Denial Management 

At this point, the claim has been submitted on time and as accurately as possible. Now, we wait. Make sure to check on the status of your submitted claims. If they are approved with no problems, great, but you still need to follow up to make sure the payment ends up in your account. An EHR with claim status reporting is a great way to keep an eye on claim progress.  

Let’s say a claim is denied. It’s important to act quickly to correct and re-submit the revised claim. The more delays that occur in the claim management process, the longer it takes for you to see the funds in your cash flow. Thankfully, the insurance company can provide remittance advice – their reasoning for why the claim was denied.  

If you’re able to submit claims electronically through your PMS or a clearinghouse, ask if you’ll be able to receive Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) as ERA could save you even more time. With the notes you need to revise your claim delivered instantly, you can get revised claims resubmitted ASAP rather than having to wait for the mail.  

Get Help Managing Your Healthcare Revenue Cycle 

And so, the cycle of follow-up continues until all claims are reflected in your account. And, hopefully, if you’re seeing a steady stream of patients, this process is never-ending.  

As you’ve seen, there’s a lot of moving parts involved in building an effective revenue cycle. Just thinking of all that needs to be done to make sure claims are properly submitted can give someone a headache. A key takeaway? Let your EHR handle it.  

Trusting your EHR with your billing means your staff are freed up to focus on other initiatives. At every point in the billing process, your EHR’s billing services are taking small loads off your staff’s shoulders. And those small assistances add up. Claim submission, denial management, and following up on stuck claims are key functions where outsourcing billing through your EHR can add value. In addition, with a team of experts at your back, you won’t have to train additional billers to meet demands.  

Have Everything All in One Place 

You already trust an EHR with so many aspects of your practice. By enlisting your EHR’s billing services, you’re bringing all your patient care to one accessible log-in. If you’re ready to take your billing to the next level, find an EHR that can help. Fusion’s RCM services through our Assisted Billing solution are designed to help OTs, PTs, and SLPs get more out of the dollars and cents of their business. Schedule a demo of Assisted Billing today.