1. Post rehab clients have functional needs
2. Post rehab clients are highly motivated
3. Medical services are recession proof
4. Fitness is disposable
5. Post rehab fitness allows you to build a practice
6. Post rehab fitness doesn’t require expensive marketing

Post rehab fitness has allowed hundreds of post rehab professionals to maintain their practices while personal trainers are struggling during this recession. These six points are only a few of the reasons post rehab fitness will recession proof your personal training business. Follow the link below to join or listen to our Post Rehab Profits teleseminar of the ‘6 Reasons Why Post Rehab Fitness Will Recess Your Proof Business’.
 

Dr Mike

'6 Reasons Why Post Rehab Fitness Will Recession Proof Your Business'

1. Exercise is the key modality in a post rehab setting.
2. Function is the focus of post rehab programming.
3. Post rehab services are very cost effective.
4. Post rehab services are only for medically stable clients.

These four distinctions make post rehab services very attractive to medical professionals, clients with medical conditions and even insurance carriers. Join us for our FREE 'Post Rehab Profits & Protocols' teleseminar on June 8th at 6pm ET/3pm PT and learn how to use these 4 distinctions to help you attract clients and referrals. Click the link below to register.

Click here to register for the '4 Distinctions Between Post Rehab and Physical Therapy'

Our member in the spotlight this edition is Andrea Klekman, CPT, MES of Yorktown Heights, NY. Andrea is a recent Medical Exercise Specialist workshop graduate and owner of Pink Start Personal Training. In a short time Andrea has developed a number of post rehab referral relationships. Please listen in as Andrea shares the secrets of her successful post rehab practice building techniques.

So when establishing your rates look at the going rate for personal training in your community. Use that as your baseline for post rehab services. I recommend your post rehab fee should be a minimum of 20% above the going rate for personal training.  The 20% margin is due to the complex nature of the post rehab client and the communication you must have with medical professionals to effective manage the client's exercise program. That requires time and skill. Now notice I said a minimum of 20% above the personal training rate. You can charge more but 20% is the minimum I recommend. If you feel your services are worth more…then charge more. Don't base your rates on everyone else!

That leads us to "how much do I charge for the post rehab assessment?". Well that's even easier. Charge 50% above the going rate for a personal training assessment. Why 50%? The post rehab assessment is where you demonstrate your professionalism, skill and experience. The assessment is the key in the whole post rehab program. The more skill you have, the better the client outcome will be. The real post rehab skill isn't in the training, the important skill is in the assessment. A good assessment produces a good program and client outcome. The assessment requires the write up of a report as well as communication with medical professionals. This warrants the 50% margin.

NEVER GIVE AWAY AN ASSESSMENT FOR FREE!! It diminished your professionalism. Give away a free screening but not your full assessment. The assessment is what makes you a POST REHAB PROFESSIONAL!! No one else will assess the post rehab client better than you. Notice I said the post rehab client. Not the physical therapy patient or the surgical patient. Those assessments are best performed by the physical therapist or surgeon. You are the best professional to assess and manage the post rehab client and his exercise program.

The post rehab client requires more skill and knowledge on the part of the post rehab professional. The post rehab client also requires your communication with medical professionals and maybe an insurance carrier. The fees I noted above take these components into account. Don't be bashful about your fees but be able to back up your fees with excellent professional service and positive client outcomes. If you cant produce those two….your clients will definitely let you know.

Dr Mike

I have been amazingly surprised at the success many of our MES' and PRCS' have achieved since our first course in 1994. As a result, I am a firm believer for any trainer looking to stabilize his or her income and lay the foundation for a strong, profitable and stable practice…you must begin offering post rehab services. The post rehab client realizes your services are vital to his or her function and overall health. These clients buy into the idea 'Exercise is Medicine" but you have to deliver the goods in a manner that will help them maintain their level of function and health. The question is….can you, the post rehab professional, fill this need? YES!! But you have to communicate your outcomes and success stories to the medical community. Do you think they will come looking for you…..wrong answer!!  You have to seek them out!!

Your client success stories are your best introduction to the medical community. Answer this question for me. Have you worked with obese clients, arthritics, diabetics, total joint replacements and/or other medical conditions and the client demonstrated improvement in function or lost weight or maybe his blood glucose levels started to stabilize? If you are nodding your head yes…….THEN DID YOU CONTACT THE CLIENT'S PHYSICIAN TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF? If you answered…no….why not? You already have a living testimonial in the form of the client….your exercise program helped manage their medical condition but you never contacted their physician. I bet there are plenty more clients in that physician's office with similar conditions. If you really want to fill in those gaps in your income and stop living from month to month…then get started sharing your success stories with your local medical community.

There is no fitness certification on planet earth that will guarantee access to medical professionals or that is universally recognized by the medical community. IT DOESNT EXIST YET!! But medical professionals do universally understand the positive results or 'functional outcomes' they see when their patients exercise. You need to step in and take the credit for the results your exercise programs produce. Stop looking for a short cut to the medical community. The best path is a client that functions better, feels better and sings your praises. You need to contact the physician and take a bow. From this point on every new client you work requires an introductory letter be mailed to the client's physician. A simple one-page letter noting the client has started the exercise program, any modifications you have implemented in the program based on the client's medical needs and provide a contact number if the physician has any questions. Even if the physician never reads the letter it ends up in the most important place in the doctor's office…..the client's file. If you send enough letters I guarantee you as some point you will receive a referral from that doc. It might take awhile but understand…..medicine moves slowly and methodically. The real gold for the post rehab professional is in the introductory letter. 

I bet 90% of your new clients have a personal or family physician. And I bet they provide the physician's name on your facility's demographic intake form. If your facility is near a residential area, if you look through your client files you will find the majority of your clients are treated by just a few physicians in the community. These are the  medical professionals you need to target for your marketing. They know about the positive results of exercise……your clients demonstrate that every time they go back to the doctor for a follow up visit. Your programs are improving their strength, function, lowering blood pressures and allowing them to move again…..but the physician doesn't know you. Take the first step and start sending those introductory letters. You might end up with more referrals then you can manage just by investing 10 minutes to type a letter and a 44 cent stamp. Folks….it works!!

My recommendation to trainers is stop looking for the magic bullet to get you in front of physicians. Look for the proper training and education so you can understand how to manage post rehab clients and produce strong, functional and mobile clients.  Positive client outcomes and sending those introductory letters are the start to developing referral relationships. Referral relationships aren't built overnight. They require time and effective communication. Simply holding a certification can't give you that. Referral relationships are the result of applying the education from the Medical Exercise Specialist and/or Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist workshops to produce results!! Results…..not certifications will build referral relationships. These relationships will bring in clients and income to stabilize your financial situation.

I challenge to start sending introductory letters and taking credit for your client success stories. What do you have to lose…..44 cents? If you need assistance with writing that first letter, email your draft to me at DrMike@postrehab.com. There is no charge but if I review or edit the letter I want your promise you will mail the first one and keep mailing them thereafter. Take a chance. Post rehab fitness is the best kept secret in health care. Let everyone know about your success stories. The medical community needs your help managing chronic disease and enhancing health and wellness.

Best wishes building your post rehab practice,

Dr Mike

I have said for years 'Exercise is the key to long term management of most medical conditions'. Whether its diabetes, a stroke and a total joint replacement…exercise is key in maintaining function and movement. Function and movement are the keys for human life. Post rehab professionals are ideally suited to help clients with medical conditions maintain their levels of function, strength, endurance, balance, power, coordination. proprioception and flexibility after the physical therapy, chiropractic and medical treatment are over. Someone has to fill this void. The POST REHAB PROFESSIONAL IS THE ANSWER!! This void if filled…will allow our health care system to make the shift from managing disease to enhancing health and promoting prevention.

How will post rehab professionals do this? By freeing physicians, physical therapists, nurses and chiropractors to manage the patients with disease and acute/subacute disorders. Lets face it…many patients with chronic disorders such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and diabetes simply need a good structured exercise program to eliminate the 'residual functional deficits' found after discharge. The MES, PRCS or MEPD can take this client (notice the shift in terminology from patient to client) and develop a safe and effective program. This program will: 

1. Reduce the possibility of re-injury
2. Eliminate or reduce  residual functional deficits
3. Educate the client on the keys to establishing a health lifestyle
4. Maintain or improve functional capacity for ADL's

Do these items require the attention of a physical therapist or chiropractic if the client has no radiating pain, no swelling, greater than fair strength, stable balance and medical clearance from their physician…..NO!! This is the ideal client for the post rehab professional. This frees the therapists, chiropractors, physicians and nurses to manage patients with serious medical issues that need the attention of licensed medical professionals.

As you can see….post rehab professionals are the missing link in the health care reform model. I urge MES', PRCS' and MEPD's to start letting medical professionals in your community know your unique skills in developing safe and effective programs for wide range of clients. Every medical professional out there needs you as well as every patient discharged from physical therapy and/or chiropractic care!! I strongly encourage you to approach the medical professionals in your community with fitness strategies that will help them better manage their patients with chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, low back pain, etc. As a post rehab professional you are the first line and last line of defense in health care reform. My next post I will discuss how post rehab programming can help medical professionals manage their patients.

Dr Mike

Will the exercise program the post rehab professional provides improve strength, posture, endurance, flexibility, power and function….YES!! Will that exercise consist of similar activities the client performed under the supervision of the therapist.…YES! But unless you are licensed as a physical therapist or chiropractor the use of the term 'therapeutic exercise' is restricted. Simply refer to your exercise programming at functional exercise or functional conditioning. These are better terms to describe your services. Actually these two phrases are much more indicative of the goals of your program. Will your programs produce the same results…YES!! But avoiding the use of 'therapeutic' will prevent grief later. Please continue to develop exercise programs for your clients and remember "Exercise is the key to long-term management of most medical conditions". I would like to hear your thoughts on the use of the term 'therapeutic exercise' in your post rehab practice. Is this constant vigil over the separation of therapeutic exercise and exercise……even worth the time?

Dr Mike

The Post Rehab Business Model teleseminar just concluded. We had a full call. If you were unable to join the call the recording will be available Thursday evening. We discussed the four pillars and foundation of a successful and profitable post rehab practice. We had a tremendous number of questions from our participants. Though the connection did not allow live questions, the questions submitted via Internet were fantastic. Look for the recording to be posted here tomorrow. In a few days you will also find information to join our upcoming "Post Rehab Jumpstart Program'. Post Rehab Jumpstart to help you build your post rehab practice.

For more details on the Post Rehab Business Model. Follow this link: Post Rehab Business Model.

Pam Olscamp, MES, LMT

Our member in the spotlight is Pam Olscamp, MES, LMT of Cincinnati, OH. Pam is a friend and a very experienced MES. Pam provides massage therapy and post rehab services as well as injury prevention services to the local fire department in her community. Click the link below to listen to my interview with Pam.