The Top 5 Ways PT Outcomes Are Used to Build Better Therapy Practices

In an industry that’s constantly striving to refine the customer experience, positive patient outcomes form the foundation of better therapy practices. When patients are healthy, they’re happy — and their satisfaction rates prove it. But just how pivotal are rehab therapy outcomes to the viability and future profitability of a therapy clinic? 

Outcomes impact nearly every aspect of a practice, from enhanced staff and patient satisfaction to improved operations and revenue for the business. Whether you’re involved in hospital outpatient therapy, home health, or private practice, here are the top five ways PT outcomes can help build a better, stronger therapy business for every party involved.

1. Incentivize Therapists and Improve Outcomes 

Though nothing incentivizes a team more than witnessing their hard work pay off, learning that current rehab therapy outcomes are below national standard can also spark a positive shift in team-wide productivity. Therapy outcome management allows therapists to track functional improvement throughout an episode of care, and serve as inspiration to take the necessary steps for further improvement.

For instance, functional outcomes tools can identify therapist strengths and weaknesses to guide continued education, or reveal how present patient treatment progression compares to the national average. These benchmarks can serve as incentives to improve productivity and overall PT outcomes; and with more therapists working towards a unified goal, more patients reap the benefit. 

2. Standardize Reporting and Documentation

Patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction scores are weighted heavily by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS); therefore, there’s never been a better time to standardize data collection surrounding the patient experience. From general satisfaction to functional improvement, these data sets can impact final clinic reimbursement. 

Fortunately, functional outcomes tools allow therapy practices to measure outcomes at the patient level and generate aggregated data that can be used for insights to drive better patient outcomes. Even more, outcomes management software provides real-time alerts of negative patient responses, so therapists can recognize and remedy sub-optimal processes to better the patient experience.

3. Strengthen the Therapeutic Alliance (and Patient Engagement)

A therapeutic alliance refers to a cooperative, beneficial working relationship between a patient and therapist. Therapy outcome management fuels a strong therapeutic alliance by helping to engage patients in each step of their care. Engaged patients are not only more likely to follow through with their full plan of care, but they are also more likely to report better PT outcomes.

For instance, functional outcome tools can inform patients of how they’re progressing against expectations for their age, acuity, condition, and other risk-adjusted data. This information can encourage patients to remain engaged for the duration of their episode of care, strengthen their alliance with their therapist, and enhance motivation for exercise or other necessary behavior changes.

4. Appeal to Potential New Customers 

Therapy outcome management doesn’t just benefit existing patients; positive PT outcomes can serve as a conduit for new business as well. Clinicians can leverage a functional outcome tool to generate outcomes reports that highlight practice effectiveness to share with other physicians, helping to increase practice referrals. 

Likewise, rehab therapy patient outcomes can be cited throughout a marketing campaign to draw in new customers, especially as it pertains to treatment progression averages. Providers should feel free to boast about their positive PT outcomes, including verbiage such as, “Best patient outcomes in the Tri-state area,” or, “Our patients’ outcomes are in the 90th percentile nationwide.”

5.  Boost Reimbursement Rates and Practice Revenue

What do better functional outcomes, higher patient and therapist satisfaction, and increased referrals all have in common? They all drive revenue! Plus, patients with positive PT outcomes and better experiences are more likely to complete their entire plan of care, helping to boost reimbursement rates. When patient outcomes improve, the clinic as a whole improves.

Leverage Functional Outcomes Tools to Build a Better Business

Therapy outcome management tools provide the vital details necessary to enhance a rehab clinic, and Net Health knows just what the doctor ordered. FOTO Patient Outcomes is a trusted industry tool that allows providers to capture and leverage patient outcomes in an easy and meaningful way. Begin building a better business when you harness insights garnered from FOTO Patient Outcomes today.