Overcoming The Fear Of Financial Conversations With Cash-Pay Patients

If you’re a cash-based physical therapist and you struggle with talking about money or plans of care with patients because you feel bad about delivering this information, then this article is perfect for you.

When a patient is struggling with an ache or pain, they hire a physical therapist or healthcare provider to solve their problem. Physical therapists often struggle with offering a comprehensive plan of care or the number of sessions someone needs because they fear the patient might negatively view them. Consequently, they might offer fewer sessions to avoid judgment. In essence, they consider the patient’s finances over their health outcomes.

The problem is that the patient doesn’t get what they need, and the physical therapist doesn’t achieve their desired results.

This is a challenging situation for both parties, but there are effective ways to address it. Here are two strategies to develop confidence and quickly overcome this fear:

1) Provide the Patient with Options

Instead of giving just one plan of care because you’re fearful of their view of you, provide two options so they can make their choice. This approach removes your personal feelings from the equation. For example:

“Mary, based on everything we’ve covered today and your concerns, I have two recommendations for you based on how aggressive or conservative you want to approach care. We can see you three times a week for the next six weeks, which will expedite your healing so you can get back to playing tennis with your friends in the tournament. The second option is to see me twice a week for the next six weeks. However, this would potentially slow down your outcomes but still put you in a really good place. Which option works best for you?”

This allows the patient to be a participant in their care, and you don’t have to feel like their financial advisor.

Your job is to help people overcome aches and pains and improve their quality of life better than they can on their own. That’s why they hire you. They don’t hire you to give them the lowest plan of care because you feel bad. Their goal is to live their best life. Your goal is to help them get there. The main challenge is delivering what they need and want in a concise statement at the end of every session.

2) Make Your Plan of Care Concise

Many physical therapists continue to talk because they feel they need to justify their recommendations. For instance, they might offer a plan of care and then, before the patient can respond, continue to ramble about why their care is the best option. This doesn’t give the patient a chance to process what has been said.

Silence is valuable and allows people to process information. Because physical therapists often feel bad, they have a hard time allowing silence. Your plan of care or financial discussion should be one statement that even a child can understand. For example:

“Mary, based on everything we discussed, I recommend coming in three times a week for the next six weeks. This will get you better faster. If you’re okay with a slower process and less confidence going into your tournament, the bare minimum I recommend is two times a week for the next six weeks. Which do you want to continue with?”

These two strategies will help you streamline your process with cash-pay patients, feel good about delivering this information, and give your patients the best opportunity to heal.

You don’t need to be a financial advisor and you don’t need to feel bad about what you do, but you do need to deliver this information professionally without feeling guilty.

So the next time you have an evaluation or follow-up session, use these tips and watch your patients smile with newfound excitement instead of looking confused due to a vague plan of care influenced by your concerns about their finances.

Below is the podcast I created for cash-based physical therapists on this topic:

If you’re more of a visual learner, check out the YouTube video on this topic below:

If you have any questions, please email me at drchris@drchrisgarcia.com.

Sincerely,

Dr. Chris Garcia, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS, USAW

“Dr. Chris creates award-winning clinical systems, is a multi-cash PT clinic owner, leading authority on cash-pay patients, and trusted advisor to cash PT business owners across the U.S.”

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