Fitness and Health Care are Failing You

There is more research done in a year than there was around in total 30 years ago, yet the #1 predictor of injury is a prior injury.  Health Care is FAILING its mission…Why? The USA is fatter today than it was 20 years ago, yet there are more gyms and more people working out.  Fitness is FAILING its mission…Why? This week’s blog comes from a powerful Facebook post that we did recently that stirred some controversy. It delivers a strong message about the poor performance in the Fitness Industry and Health Care Industry, particularly the Physical Therapy world, due to the economics of profit seeking through volume. Many practitioners are starting non-traditional models of both Fitness and Health Care businesses because of the frustrations outlined below. There is a movement happening.  A shift away from the traditional commercial model of “fit as many clients as you can into a day” is going by the wayside as the statistics come out about how ineffective it is. A new thought process around helping PEOPLE, not maximizing the lifetime value of a cold faceless client, is emerging. In the Physical Therapy world, there is a movement to “Cash Based” practice.  This means that the clinic does not participate with insurance on an “in-network” basis. You pay the clinic at the time of service and then they give you a receipt that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement under your “out of network” benefits. This also means that they charge about 50% LESS than insurance providers and can do MORE for you because they are not restricted by the insurance companies.  Their contract is with you, the person with the injury and goals; not the insurance company and a faceless client. The economics of this means that “Cash Based” clinics can have at least 2 fewer employees since they don’t have to convince insurance to pay them 45-60 days later…they then pass the cost savings onto you. The clinic also gets paid from you, personally, at the time of service and you know…wait for it…EXACTLY what your cost is going to be BEFORE the session!!  You don’t have to wait 45 days for an EOB form that is more confusing than helpful.  Wild, isn’t it? The final kicker of the economics is this… With deductibles as high as they are, the average cost for “Cash Based” Physical Therapy to you is on average 75% LESS than if you used your insurance.                      Oh…and you usually need 75% FEWER visits to get better. This is because you will be seen 1 on 1 for an hour with the actual Therapist as opposed to sharing your hour with 3 other people and being “watched” by someone with a High School Diploma. Crazy right?                      It is cheaper for you; you go less; you reach your goals quicker. Seems like a no brainer to us, that is why we switched to this model years ago!

How You Can Help

Share this with your friends if you are tired of poorly performing fitness and health care industry standards today. Share this if you are tired of the lack of personal service, sheisty contract terms with hidden costs and poorly thought out workouts that cause more injuries that goals met. Share this if you are tired of your gym, insurance company or PT office caring more about your checking account number than your goals. Share this if you don’t know the difference Client Volume Based Businesses(CVBB) and People Centered Businesses (PCB). Personal service is the number one differentiator. At a gym, you go, do your same 10 machines maybe jump on a treadmill and then call that good. As long as automatic payment draft is up to date, it is unlikely anyone says more than hello to you. You are on your own Or maybe you’re one of 10 or more people who run through a workout a boot camp trainer designed quickly, 10 minutes before your class, in order to just kick your butt. Or maybe you have gone to Physical Therapy and are one of the 5 people in the gym doing silly exercises without anyone actually putting their hands on you.  Perhaps you haven’t even seen the same Therapist every time you go… There is no real thought, assessment, care or concern for specific goals and efficient return on your time.  The only care is their bottom line. There certainly is little if any thought to making workouts specific to you and your goals of golf, running, playing with your kids or grandkids or anything else for that matter.

A PCB is all about YOU

Professionals at a People Centered Business assess & reassess you regularly to make sure progress is occurring. If not, the program is adjusted to assure progress is made. Every staff member knows your goals and knows you by name. Everyone in the facility is there with the same goal in mind…to achieve their goal of being better in what matters to them. Everyone values and understands the importance of having a team of professionals who are invested in you succeeding. A PCB has not only training staff, but also highly educated medical staff to handle any need that may arise during the course of your program.  There is no barrier or separation between Fitness and Medical. There is a coordinated team effort to make sure you reach your goals. Team members are excited to see you when you arrive and actually care about YOU. You are not a client or a number. You are a person with goals, family, and feelings.  You are a human being. We LISTEN, CARE and PLAN. You SUCCEED. Chris Finn MSPT, CSCS Owner, Par4Success   For more on the Physical Therapy services we offer here at Par4Success, please visit our Physical Therapy page.