Hi, I’m Jamey Schrier
Your Physical Therapy Coaching Expert
Welcome… if you’re here, I imagine that you may be a bit frustrated or worried… or both….
Frustrated with
• the inconsistency of new patient
• the unreliability of visits
• the shock of declining reimbursements
• the utter ridiculousness of third party payors
Worried about
• money
• competition
• employees
• the long hours
• the stress
• the impact of it all on your family
You really want
• financial stability
• the certainty of new referrals
• time for yourself… and those you love
• oh and freedom too…Oh, you want freedom too!
Well, you are definitely in the right place!
I’ve helped hundreds of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other practice owners build highly successful businesses and create financial security without working more hours.
Together we can regain the business you’ve longed for. Together we can infuse the passion and love back into your business and your life.
The lie I told myself
You see, when I first opened my doors way back in 2001, I had no significant experience or education in how to run a practice. I thought because I’m a pretty good clinician that I should be able to figure this business stuff out. Marketing, hiring, systems management, financials…how hard could it be?! Let’s face it, I got good grades in school, worked hard and, oh yeah, I have the word “Doctor” in front of my name.
So, I used my academic smarts and my natural grit, toughness and an incredible work ethic to build my business from the ground up. I wasn’t afraid to work hard, putting in 60+ hour work weeks…sacrificing family time if need be, being there for my patients early in the morning and late at night. I was like a Swiss army Knife, able to treat a patient, handle a complicated insurance issue, approve a time off request, interview and hire a new employee and clean the tables without breaking a sweat. I had a dream and was willing to do whatever it took to get it!
The dream turned into a nightmare.
The lie I told myself was that if I work my butt off, show up early, stay late, do what needs to be done that it would eventually all work out.
Wrong!
It only got worse.
I became overwhelmed…constantly anxious…stressed about money…exhausted
…and my energy and zest for physical therapy and caring for others was slowly debilitating me physically, emotionally, and mentally (and yes, financially).
Could I ever achieve my goal of having a real business, I asked many times?
Could I ever have a business, as I read somewhere, that “ran like a well-oiled machine”.
Could I ever own a practice with a team 2 steps ahead of me rather than 3 steps behind?
Would I ever NOT be the first person there and the last to leave?
Would I ever be able to play golf or tennis during the week or even during the day instead of only on Sunday’s if there’s no paperwork work to do?
Was it a pipe dream to think I could make a really good living as a private practice owner?
And then my place burned down
As time passed, my stress and frustration grew. I began to realize that the answers to my questions were a big, fat No! And that’s about when an accidental fire destroyed my clinic. As I reflected on my life as a business owner, I came to the conclusion that I hadn’t a clue how to run a business...even if I was one of the best PT’s in the state.
So I began using my thirst for learning to educate myself on the business of physical therapy. I read books, invested in programs and hired coaches. I learned about marketing, how to hire and develop teams, systems management, and metrics. I got clear on my goal to create a practice that could operate like a well-oiled machine. I later called it having Practice Freedom?
Enough theory. It was time to implement. I started with the most uncomfortable area for me…marketing.
I’ll never forget how nervous I was the very first time I sat down with a doctor.
Before the fire, my marketing consisted of one strategy…word of mouth. About 95% of my patients came from friends, family and returning patients. Basically, I didn’t market. However, I knew in order to grow my practice, hiring other therapists and achieve practice freedom, I would need a consistent referral base. I began to build my network starting with doctors.
I was scared to death speaking to doctors. I felt intimidated and inferior. I often asked, how was I going to get these doctors to refer me patients? I sucked at “selling” and had no idea how to answer the inevitable question, “why should I refer to you?”.
I knew I could help their patients better than the competition, but wasn’t sure how to ask them to send me patients without feeling like an old school used car salesman.
First meeting – nothing. Next meeting – nothing. Third – nothing. Three weeks of meetings and still no referrals. But I didn’t give up. I kept meeting with doctors and kept improving my communication skills. Then, out of the blue…I got one. A new patient. Then another…and another…and another. Within a few weeks my referrals had doubled.
And that’s when I knew I was onto something..
I kept refining my doctor relationship strategy and the new patients kept coming in… until my process was almost guaranteed.
Fired up and full of confidence, I started delving into other areas of my business — systems and organizations, hiring, training and, of course, metrics and financials. I spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars getting educated and putting what I had learned into practice.
I continued to tweak my processes and figure out how to optimize and eventually systemize each area of my business. No longer did everything require me to do it. I had a wonderful team who began taking over. My business started to grow, revenue and profits started to flow and the number of hours I needed to work started to lessen.
And the staff and patients LOVED it!
My passion and energy were restored. I began sharing my journey and what I had learned about re-building my business with other private practice owners. And their results were incredible.
Pretty soon, I was getting asked to speak and teach people about how they can use my practice freedom methodology to build and grow their rehab business. The amazing results continued to pour in – and that’s when I decided to turn it into an easy to follow program that anyone could do.
And the wave of owners using the practice freedom method grew…and dreams became reality
Back then, almost no one in the private practice community talked about building a practice that could practically run without you… and the idea of a practice that didn’t require the owner to be there 24/7 seemed ludicrous (and for many still does). But for the ones who have discovered the Practice Freedom Method, owning a financially successful practice that requires only periodic maintenance is a reality.
And of course, my techniques and strategies are not just for the multi-clinic practice who have bigger budgets and more well established businesses. It has worked for the single location practice owner as well.
I’ve taught rehab professionals brand new to business or seasoned veterans how to successfully build their businesses generating on average 45% more new patients, 45% more visits and almost doubled the profit…while working a minimum of 20 hours LESS in the clinic (and that’s just in the first year.)
And of course, there are a lot of things that have changed in my life since the fire.
Today, I live in Rockville, Maryland with my wife Colleen and kids Jack and Gracie. I’ve got an amazing (and growing) team that helps me teach practice owners from all over North America how to build the business of their dreams and achieve practice freedom. I’m an Amazon #1 Bestselling author. I put on highly engaging workshops that generate breakthrough after breakthrough of ideas.
And I still get to spend a lot of time with my family – and I have plenty of time for sports, fun and working on my passions.
All of this was possible because I decided it was time to take control of my life and my business and create practice freedom.
And now, it’s my goal to help people from all over the United States create the business and the lifestyle of their dreams.
It could happen for you, too.
I’m no different from you. I didn’t have any advantages when I first opened my practice. But I made it a point to create the kind of business that gave me the (practice) freedom I desired. And I’ve helped a lot of people achieve this same goal.
I help growth-minded practice owners build a MORE profitable business while working LESS hours in the clinic. In fact, it is required that you work less hours…and focus the hours you do work on the most important things!
I’ve helped hundreds of physical therapists, occupational therapists, mental health professionals build highly successful practices, make more money without working more hours.
Together we can regain the business you’ve longed for. Together we can infuse the passion and love back into your business and your life.
Maybe you’ve been in practice for a while or just starting a cash-based practice. Maybe you’re selling in a few years and you’re looking to maximize your clinic value. Or maybe you want to build your dream practice and spend less time working “In” your practice, less time in patient care and the administrative abyss.
Whatever it is, we can make it happen.
I am the bestselling author of “The Practice Freedom Method: The Practice Owner’s Guide To Work Less, Earn More, And Live Your Passion” on Amazon.
I speak nationally at association meetings and small business special interest groups.
