Building Awareness of the Benefits that Physical Therapy Provides Consumers
Nate Bard, Chief Growth Officer
As an industry, we have done a poor job educating the public about the appropriate use and benefits of physical therapy, and if we are not purposeful, external forces are going to define it for us.
As context for the lack of awareness and education, consider these points:
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50% of Americans suffer from an MSK condition, yet PT is utilized by less than 5% of the population.
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In a recent consumer study that we conducted, less than 3% of respondents said that they would go to PT first for back pain; in fact, more people said they would go to the emergency room first.
Advancing PT to the Forefront of Care
Being at the back end of a referral chain doesn’t allow us to educate and control our destiny. Digital start-ups and large retailers are making significant inroads that are capitalizing on these inefficiencies and disrupting our ecosystem.
That’s why we at ATI are taking a leadership role in moving physical therapy to the front of the line, to redefine PT as the MSK specialty best suited to help patients live their lives free from pain.
Disrupting the Industry
Look no further than retailers like Walmart, CVS and Walgreens, as well as tech start-ups like Hinge Health and Sword Health.
What they see and what our industry needs to see:
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The referral-based model is inherently inefficient. Disruptors are looking to control the patient journey from the point of triage.
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Changing consumers’ habits and preferences is easier with a trusted brand. Walmart’s addition of its Walmart Health clinics adds convenience and care navigation to their existing customer’s routine journey through their store. That captures the patient before they even consider one of our clinics.
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In a place where we haven’t educated consumers and employers on the benefits of what physical therapy offers, start-ups have a lane to create their own story. Hinge and Sword are talking about the benefits of a ‘digital clinic’ that capitalizes on the convenience of virtual care to solve employers’ MSK spend problems.
At ATI, we are not just sitting back waiting to react. We are proactively driving the message of the importance of physical therapy directly to consumers, employers, payers and our new ecosystem entrants. We’ve built a national brand focused on delivering consistent, data-driven functional outcomes for our patients.
New Clinics Across the Country
Growth is very important to our business. We continue to expand our geographic reach through the opening of new clinics as well as acquiring the right companies that want to join in leading the industry to its rightful place in U.S. healthcare.
Join Us in Leading the PT Industry
If you are interested in talking about the current physical therapy market and potentially joining ATI Physical Therapy, we would love to connect. Please fill out the form linked below and our team will promptly reach out.
Nate Bard leads ATI’s growth function, serving as its Chief Growth Officer. In this role, he is responsible for mergers, acquisitions and real estate.