Building MET Practice Infrastructure
In this third installment of the series on the MedExPro Operating System, host Michael Jones emphasizes that knowing every exercise variation is simply not enough to succeed in the medical exercise field. According to the sources, fitness professionals must build a robust practice infrastructure to establish true professional credibility and effectively collaborate with doctors, therapists, and chiropractors.
Key Takeaways from This Episode:
• The Necessity of Systems: Relying solely on your certifications will not give you the confidence to communicate with medical professionals or manage a sustainable business. You must implement integrated systems for documentation, communication, billing, scheduling, marketing, and client management to create a consistent, reliable, and profitable operation.
• The "One-Page" Communication Rule: When communicating with physicians, keep it brief. Doctors do not have the time to read multi-page assessment reports; they simply want to know how the client is doing with their exercise program and if they are making progress. Clear, concise, written documentation is the absolute best way to build long-lasting referral relationships with medical providers.
• Navigating Legal and Billing Boundaries: It is critical that any physician referral you receive specifies "medical exercise training" and not "physical therapy". Providing services under a referral for therapy without a license violates state and provincial laws. Additionally, the sources recommend using HIPAA-compliant digital fax systems to safely communicate with doctors' offices.
• Targeted Marketing: Instead of showing off your biceps or marketing general fitness, tailor your online presence to people searching for relief from specific conditions late at night. Use simple, condition-specific messaging, such as highlighting the best exercises to do after a total hip or knee replacement, because clients simply want to know how to get better.
• Standardized Client Management: Just like hospitals enforce standard operating procedures for their nurses, your practice must have mandatory, standardized guidelines for assessing and managing clients. This ensures that every client receives top-notch, professional care, regardless of which staff member they work with on any given day.
The Golden Age of Medical Exercise The sources highlight that we are entering a 20-year "golden age" for medical exercise training. Driven by an aging baby boomer population, rising rates of chronic disease, and insurance cutbacks, the demand for highly professional, system-driven medical exercise practices will be greater than ever.
Please read the blog post here: https://www.postrehab.com/blog/building-practice-infrastructure-why-skill-alone-will-never-make-you-referral-ready
Resources Mentioned in the Sources:
• Read more about the MedExPRO operating system on the blog at postrehab.com.
• Pick up the Advanced Medical Exercise Specialist Manual (a 1,200+ page standardized guideline) and the MedX Pro Referral Ignition Kit (featuring scripts and sample letters to help you talk to medical professionals) at postrehab.com.
• Send your questions or feedback directly to Dr. Mike at drmike@postrehab.com.