In 2005, Rob Vining developed and launched the world’s first digital practice for physical therapy. His telehealth model allowed him to accept and treat patients from all over the world on a cash-pay basis, and it became clear those patients were getting great results. In time, Rob found himself focusing more on developing software tools that would enable medical professionals to easily enter the growing telehealth market. He and his students are proving the potential for PTs to become more efficient and profitable by making telehealth visits available for the convenience of existing patients as well as by reaching the large number of potential customers who are unable or unwilling to pursue in-person PT. 

In this interview, Rob explains how telehealth visits work in terms of effectiveness, technology, workflow, marketing and conversions, and legal issues … And he also explains something I didn’t realize was possible: how a telehealth component added to your website can massively increase in-clinic/local leads for your brick-and-mortar practice!

He shares details about how software tools make such visits easy to implement and relatively low cost for those considering a jump into private practice. His approaches for marketing, including a highly effective strategy for lead generation, offer any practice an opportunity to create new sources of revenue with little risk. And finally, he offers a very-encouraging update on telehealth legislation that may soon bring telehealth into the mainstream in terms of Medicare and insurance acceptance.