In this episode of What's Best For The Patient Is Best For The Business, Jerry sits down with CJ, founder of CJM Strategic Consulting, for a deep dive into the intersection of AI, technology, and physical therapy practice.

Recording in late November 2025, fresh off PPS (which looked more like a tech conference than ever before), this conversation tackles the most pressing questions facing PTs today: Where does AI fit? What's our role? And how do we become architects of the future rather than replaceable cogs in the system?

CJ brings a unique perspective—starting her career at Johnson & Johnson in quality engineering and operations, then transitioning to PT, working through digital health at Hinge Health, and now consulting with healthcare tech startups. She's seen both sides: the promise of technology and the reality of implementation without clinical empathy.

This isn't a conversation about AI taking jobs. It's about PTs stepping up to train the systems, becoming context experts rather than task experts, and recognizing that in November 2025, AI needs us more than we need it. From ambient listening technology to benefit verification to documentation, Jerry and CJ explore why reviewing AI outputs isn't busywork—it's building the architecture for the entire profession's future.

Key topics include: the human-in-the-loop vs. human-on-the-loop distinction, why documentation quality matters more than ever, how to add value to AI platforms, the risk of automation bias and deskilling, why coordination beats siloed care, and how one team member got a massive raise by managing their AI model effectively.

If you're wondering where you fit in this tech-enabled future, this conversation will give you clarity—and a call to action.

Key Takeaways
- AI Needs Us More Than We Need It (November 2025): Right now, AI systems need expert clinicians to train them, correct them, and build the architecture for future improvements. This is our opportunity to shape these tools rather than let them shape us—but that window won't last forever.

- You're Not Reviewing Notes—You're Building Systems: When you review AI-generated documentation, you're not just checking for accuracy. You're teaching the system what matters, how to think like a PT, and creating the foundation for better care delivery across the entire profession.

- From Task Expert to Context Expert: The future of PT isn't about getting faster at individual tasks—it's about becoming context experts who understand the bigger picture. This shift from fragmented task completion to systems thinking is what will separate thriving practices from struggling ones.

- Documentation Will Finally Reflect Reality: For decades, we've documented to get paid, not to show our value. Ambient listening and AI documentation tools are changing that—capturing education, clinical decision-making, and the full scope of what we do. This will change billing patterns and prove our worth.

- Reskilling Is Really Re-Evaluating: You don't need to learn entirely new skills—you need to re-evaluate how you apply your existing expertise. The electrician doesn't become a mason; they become a systems architect who understands how electrical work fits into the whole building.

- Embrace the Stairs in the Age of Escalators: Technology offers automation, but we must actively choose to maintain our clinical reasoning skills. Just as we tell patients to take the stairs for physical health, we must "take the stairs" mentally—continuing to think critically even when AI offers easier paths.

In this episode of What's Best For The Patient Is Best For The Business, Jerry welcomes back Katie O'bright, founder of Redefine Health Education, for a much-needed update on the primary care physical therapy movement. Recording just days after speaking at a conference in Alabama on patient engagement, Jerry recognized it was time to catch up with Katie—a leader who consistently exemplifies putting patients first while building sustainable business models.

Katie returns to the show (her first appearance was 1.5-2 years ago) at a pivotal moment for the profession. In 2025, the ABPTS primary care clinical specialization finally passed the House of Delegates, creating the first pathway for physical therapists to become board-certified primary care specialists. This isn't just another certification—it's a fundamental repositioning of what physical therapists can be in the healthcare system.

Drawing from her military background where she served as an embedded PT in a soldier-centered medical home, Katie breaks down what primary care PT actually means, how it differs from traditional outpatient practice (3 feet deep and 3 miles wide vs. 1 foot wide and 10 miles deep), and why this model represents the future of the profession. She shares the comprehensive consensus definition developed by the Primary Care Special Interest Group, explains multiple payment models (fee-for-service, direct-to-employer, direct-to-consumer), and announces her upcoming Primary Care PT Startup Workshop for Business Leaders launching in 2026.

Key Takeaways

- Primary Care PT Certification Changes Everything: Unlike previous PT specializations, the new ABPTS primary care clinical specialty creates a pathway for PTs to be recognized as primary care providers for neuromusculoskeletal conditions—potentially opening doors to CMS recognition and reimbursement changes that could transform the profession.

- Scope Redefined: 3 Feet Deep, 3 Miles Wide: Primary care PTs practice with a fundamentally different scope than traditional outpatient therapists. Instead of deep specialization in one area (1 foot wide, 10 miles deep), they provide broad-spectrum care (3 feet deep, 3 miles wide)—managing first contact, ongoing preventive and reactive health services as integral members of primary care teams.

- Multiple Settings, Multiple Payment Models: Primary care PT isn't limited to medical clinics. Katie outlines how this model works in work sites, community centers, schools, sports facilities, wellness centers, and homes—with payment ranging from fee-for-service to direct-to-employer contracts to membership-based direct-to-consumer models.

- You Don't Have to Blow Up Your Business: Practice owners don't need to abandon their current model to integrate primary care PT principles. Adding acute care slots, implementing risk stratification, or establishing relationships with value-based care organizations can enhance existing practices while opening new revenue streams.

- The Profession Isn't Ready (And That's Okay): Katie acknowledges that primary care PT isn't for every physical therapist—and that's fine. The profession needs therapists in all settings. But for those ready to practice at the top of their scope, think differently about risk management, and engage with population health, the opportunity is massive.

- Physicians Want This: Katie shares stories of physicians and orthopedic surgeons actively reaching out to recruit PTs into their practices. The barrier isn't physician resistance—it's that many PTs haven't learned to speak the language of primary care or understand value-based care arrangements.

In this episode of What's Best For The Patient Is Best For The Business, Jerry sits down with Paul Singh CEO of StrataPT, just days after the 2025 Private Practice Section (PPS) conference in Florida. They dive deep into Paul's highly attended presentation, "Moneyball for PT Practices," and discuss the evolving landscape of physical therapy practice ownership, M&A strategy, and the tech transformation happening in the industry.

Paul brings a unique Silicon Valley perspective to healthcare, drawing from his extensive background in tech investing and startups. He breaks down the critical difference between "getting bought" versus "getting sold" - a concept that resonated powerfully with practice owners seeking to understand their true business value and exit strategies.

From the packed exhibit hall filled with AI-powered solutions to the contrasting conversations about clinician burnout happening in the conference rooms, Jerry and Paul provide an unfiltered assessment of where the PT industry stands and where it's heading. They explore the influx of venture capital, the proliferation of new tech players, and what it all means for practice owners trying to build valuable, sustainable businesses.

Key Takeaways

- Getting Bought vs. Getting Sold: There's a fundamental difference between putting a "for sale" sign on your practice (which creates downward price pressure) and being so valuable that buyers come knocking without prompting. Paul illustrates this with the Mint.com story - how understanding WHY a buyer wants to acquire you can 10x your valuation in six months.

- Build to Grow, Not Just to Exit: The activities required to prepare a practice for acquisition are identical to those needed to grow a thriving business. Practice owners should focus on creating genuine business value rather than just preparing for a sale.

- Think Like a Consumer Business: The most valuable PT practices will be built by owners who think of themselves as consumer businesses, not just healthcare providers. This mindset shift is what creates billion-dollar exit opportunities.

- The Tech Conference vs. The Burnout Conference: PPS 2025 revealed a stark dichotomy - the exhibit hall was dominated by well-funded tech companies and AI solutions, while just 1000 feet away, packed rooms of practice owners discussed preventing burnout and retaining clinicians. This disconnect reveals where the industry's growing pains lie.

- Output Over Features: With every vendor claiming AI capabilities, the critical question shifts from "what technology do you have?" to "what outcome do I get?" Practice owners need to demand billing-aware, audit-safe solutions that deliver measurable results, not just impressive features.

In this episode of What’s Best for the Patient Is Best for Business, Jerry Durham delivers a solo deep dive into one of the most critical yet misunderstood areas of physical therapy business success: “Arrivals.”

Speaking from the stage of the APTA Private Practice Section (PPS) conference, Jerry shares the philosophy, process, and practical tools behind improving patient arrivals—and why mastering this concept can solve nearly every downstream business problem in a PT clinic.

Jerry explains how his years of studying the entire patient journey led him to realize that success doesn’t start in the treatment room—it starts at the front desk. He honors the admin and intake teams who carry enormous influence over patient outcomes but are rarely empowered or trained to own that impact.

In this talk, Jerry breaks down why PT clinics must stop trying to “fix problems in the weeds” and instead step back to design systems that guide the patient from their first call to successful completion of care. He introduces his five-step front desk sales process—a structured, relationship-centered approach to patient communication that builds trust, manages expectations, and prevents objections before they ever arise.

Whether it’s cancellations, no-shows, or poor reviews from patients who “got better but had a bad experience,” Jerry shows how the solution always leads back to understanding and optimizing the patient’s arrival experience.

Key Takeaways:
- Arrivals Solve All Business Problems: Every business metric improves when patients show up. Focusing here simplifies management and reduces chaos across billing, scheduling, and clinical outcomes.

- The Front Desk = Patient Success: The front desk isn’t administrative—it’s strategic. Their conversations determine not only who arrives, but how the entire journey unfolds.

- Solve from the Big Picture: You can’t fix recurring no-shows or cancellations by tweaking scripts. You must zoom out to understand the full patient journey and define success at every touchpoint.

- The 5-Step Front Desk Sales Process: Acknowledge → Find a problem to solve → Get expectations → Sell the expert → Tell them what they’ll get for their time, money, and energy → Ask how they want to pay.

- Objections Are Preventable: “It costs too much” isn’t an objection—it’s a sign you didn’t build value early enough. Great processes eliminate objections before they happen.

- Love the Work of the Front Desk: These are the true doers in healthcare—the team most capable of improving patient success when empowered with the right systems and mindset.

Tune in for a masterclass on patient experience design, front desk empowerment, and how truly understanding “arrivals” can transform your practice from chaotic to consistent, from transactional to transformational.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!

This week, we’re revisiting Jerry’s exclusive sneak peek into the can't-miss sessions from the upcoming APTA Private Practice 2025 Annual Conference.

Get ready for a power-packed lineup featuring three consecutive interviews with the thought leaders and innovators headlining Wednesday's schedule.

Jerry sits down with:

- Lindsey and Rich Kenny of Kenny & Associates Physical Therapy, who will demystify the world of AI in a hands-on workshop designed for clinic owners.

- Paul Singh, CEO of Strata PT, who will break down the "Moneyball" tactics tech startups use to grow profit and prepare for a successful exit.

- Stephen Rapposelli and Matt Phifer, CEO and COO of Stretchplex, who reveal the exact strategies they used to add a staggering $900,000 in cash-based services to their physical therapy practice.

Tune in to get fired up for the conference and walk away with immediate, actionable insights you can apply to your own practice.

Key Takeaways:

• AI is accessible now: Learn why you don't need to be a tech expert to leverage Generative AI for immediate administrative efficiency and how to become a literate consumer of this powerful technology.

• Think like a tech startup: Discover how the foundational principles of scaling a successful tech company directly apply to growing a profitable and exit-ready PT practice.

• Unlock massive revenue streams: See how to seamlessly integrate cash-based services like fitness and assisted stretching into your existing practice, dramatically increasing patient lifetime value and top-line revenue.

• Learn from real-world mistakes: Gain from the hard-earned lessons and scars of those who have successfully built these services, so you can avoid common pitfalls and accelerate your own success.

This episode is your ultimate guide to maximizing your experience at the PPS 2025 Conference.

In this episode of What's Best For The Patient Is Best For The Business, Jerry sits down with Julia Zhou, a seasoned Healthcare Technologist with nearly 30 years of experience on both the payer and provider sides of the industry. They dive deep into the practical and transformative role of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare, moving beyond the hype to explore its real-world applications.

Julia brings a unique, high-level perspective, arguing that AI is not a magic bullet but a powerful tool that must be strategically integrated. She outlines a clear framework for healthcare organizations to adopt AI successfully, emphasizing that the goal isn't to chase technology, but to solve pressing business and patient-care challenges.

From smart scheduling and revenue cycle management to ambient clinical documentation and personalized patient engagement, Julia breaks down how AI can streamline workflows, empower providers, and fundamentally improve the patient journey—ensuring the right person gets the right care at the right time.

Key Takeaways:

• Start with the Problem, Not the Tool: The most successful AI implementations begin by identifying the organization's biggest pain points, not by searching for the latest tech developments. Julia advises asking, "If you had a magic wand, what would you solve?"

• AI is an End-to-End Patient Engagement Engine: Discover how AI can revolutionize the entire patient experience—from pre-visit summaries that prepare a provider in one minute, to ambient listening during consultations, and post-visit follow-ups that improve compliance and reduce claim denials.

• The Criticality of an "AI Readiness" Assessment: Before implementation, organizations must ask hard questions about their data governance, guardrails, KPIs, and manual processes. Automating an inefficient system only amplifies its problems.

• Think Upstream to Prevent Chaos: Jerry and Julia challenge listeners to use AI proactively to solve problems like patient no-shows and claim denials at their source, rather than just creating bots to fill empty slots or chase down payments.

• The Future is "Right Person, Right Place, Right Time": The ultimate value of AI in healthcare is its ability to act as a sophisticated triage and coordination system, ensuring patients and providers connect in the most effective and efficient manner possible, whether in-person or via telehealth.

Tune in for a conversation that demystifies AI and provides an actionable roadmap for leveraging technology to enhance patient outcomes and build a stronger, more resilient healthcare business.

🔗 Follow Julia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliazhouciocto

In this episode of What's Best For The Patient Is Best For Business, Jerry reconnects with a force from his past, April Oury. Once a multi-clinic physical therapy practice owner, April has successfully pivoted into the world of venture capital and angel investing. She shares her incredible journey from treating patients to funding and advising the next generation of health tech startups.

Jerry and April dive deep into the critical mindset shifts necessary for success in today's healthcare landscape. They challenge the status quo, debunking common myths that hold clinicians back, such as the belief that "healthcare is different" and that standard business principles don't apply. April brings a fresh perspective from the investor's table, explaining how her operational experience as a PT practice owner makes her a uniquely valuable asset in the venture capital space.

She also reveals how learning to play poker transformed her approach to business and investing, teaching her how often she should actually be "folding" in order to maximize her success rate.

Key Takeaways:

• Stop Fighting for Scraps: The biggest opportunity isn't in the 10% of the population currently seeking PT, but in the 90% who aren't being served. The future lies in creating new models to reach them.

• Your Value is Multi-Dimensional: Your skills as a clinician and business operator are highly valuable outside the clinic. Don't box yourself in; your expertise can be a major asset to tech companies and startups.

• Adopt an Investor Mindset: Learn to "fold" bad opportunities (like a founder with a great idea but no execution) so you can "bet" your energy and resources on the ventures and strategies with the highest potential.

• Tech is an Ally, Not an Enemy: Technology and one-to-many models are not here to replace therapists but to solve the massive therapist shortage and serve patients you would never have reached with a traditional model.

• Own the Process, Not Just the Outcome: Success comes from consistently following a proven strategy, not from fixating on every single result. Sometimes the right process leads to a short-term loss, but it wins in the long run.

In this episode of What's Best For The Patient Is Best For Business, Jerry sits down with the leadership team from LASO Wellness: Founder & CEO Ron Cappello, Chief Strategy Officer Greg Perry, and Chief Growth Officer Tanny Crawford.

LASO Wellness provides high-quality nutraceuticals designed specifically for physical therapy practices to offer their patients. The conversation dives deep into the critical shifts happening in healthcare and why physical therapists are uniquely positioned to adopt a more holistic, "whole-person" approach to patient care.

Jerry and his guests explore how integrating trusted nutritional supplements is a natural extension of the clinical guidance PTs already provide, strengthening patient relationships while simultaneously creating a new, frictionless revenue stream for the practice.

Key Takeaways:

• Relationships Over Transactions: Discover why the deep trust and extended time PTs have with their patients is the "golden ticket" to forward-integrating into their long-term health and wellness.

• The "Easy" Model: Learn about LASO’s "three no's" model—no capital, no inventory, and no administrative burden—designed to enable practices to say "yes" without adding operational headaches.

• Become a Resource, Not Just a Clinic: Shift your mindset from running a practice to building a platform for patient wellness, using your credibility to recommend evidence-based solutions for joint health, sleep/recovery, and overall nutrition.

• Overcoming the "I'm Not an Expert" Hurdle: LASO addresses common PT concerns head-on by providing access to a paid-for nutrition certification program and a curated resource center of clinical research to build confidence in making recommendations.

Tune in to learn how embracing this model combats declining reimbursements, enhances the patient experience, and ultimately does what’s best for both the patient and the business.

In this episode of What's Best For The Patient Is Best For Business, Jerry sits down with Lissa Taitano, Director of Clinical Operations for Livara Health. Livara is a purpose-built musculoskeletal (MSK) management solution that combines care planning, delivery, and navigation to create a more connected healthcare system.

Lissa, a physical therapist by training with over 15 years of experience in value-based care, pulls back the curtain on how a truly patient-centric model delivers superior outcomes for both people and businesses. She details Livara's journey from a local clinic to a national leader, explaining how integrating a holistic, biopsychosocial approach—including physical therapy, pain reprocessing therapy, nutrition, and health coaching—led to patients getting "100% better, faster" while simultaneously reducing costs and surgical utilization.

This conversation is a masterclass in the future of MSK care. Jerry and Lissa tackle the tough questions every practice owner needs to ask, challenging the unsustainable fee-for-service status quo and outlining the essential mindset shift required to thrive.

Key Takeaways:

• Why the traditional, fragmented model is failing MSK patients and how a "quarterback" approach creates central accountability and a seamless patient journey.

• The power of a holistic, biopsychosocial model: Discover how addressing contextual drivers like stress, nutrition, and mental health is the key to unlocking better outcomes and preventing chronic pain cycles.

• How to build a powerful patient engagement strategy that extends beyond episodic clinic visits, using technology and personalized communication to meet patients where they are.

• The business case for value-based care: Learn how proactive, high-engagement models lead to dramatically lower costs (35-45%), reduced surgical utilization (40-53%), and higher patient satisfaction.

• The two things clinic owners must do today to prepare for the future: Collect and leverage your clinical outcome data, and be open-minded about changing your business model to prioritize value over volume.

Tune in for an inspiring and practical look at how getting upstream, owning the patient's entire MSK journey, and focusing on what's truly best for the patient is, unequivocally, the best path forward for business.

In this special conference preview episode of "What's Best For The Patient Is Best For Business," Jerry brings you an exclusive sneak peek into the can't-miss sessions from the upcoming APTA Private Practice 2025 Annual Conference.

Get ready for a power-packed lineup featuring three consecutive interviews with the thought leaders and innovators headlining Wednesday's schedule.

Jerry sits down with:

Lindsey and Rich Kenny of Kenny & Associates Physical Therapy, who will demystify the world of AI in a hands-on workshop designed for clinic owners.

Paul Singh, CEO of Strata PT, who will break down the "Moneyball" tactics tech startups use to grow profit and prepare for a successful exit.

Stephen Rapposelli and Matt Phifer, CEO and COO of Stretchplex, who reveal the exact strategies they used to add a staggering $900,000 in cash-based services to their physical therapy practice.

Tune in to get fired up for the conference and walk away with immediate, actionable insights you can apply to your own practice.

Key Takeaways:

• AI is accessible now: Learn why you don't need to be a tech expert to leverage Generative AI for immediate administrative efficiency and how to become a literate consumer of this powerful technology.

• Think like a tech startup: Discover how the foundational principles of scaling a successful tech company directly apply to growing a profitable and exit-ready PT practice.

• Unlock massive revenue streams: See how to seamlessly integrate cash-based services like fitness and assisted stretching into your existing practice, dramatically increasing patient lifetime value and top-line revenue.

• Learn from real-world mistakes: Gain from the hard-earned lessons and scars of those who have successfully built these services, so you can avoid common pitfalls and accelerate your own success.

This episode is your ultimate guide to maximizing your experience at the PPS 2025 Conference.