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This episode dives into what it actually takes to build a modern physical therapy business — starting with almost nothing and scaling through smart decisions, not big budgets. Nathan LeMaster shares how he launched a clinic during the pandemic with less than $4,000 and grew it into a multi-state company by focusing on culture, ownership, and patient experience. Key Insights: • You don’t need big capital to start — you need sweat equity and relationships • Burnout in PT is often caused by lack...

In this episode, Jimmy McKay sits down with Tony Maritato and Dave Kittle to break down what actually works in physical therapy marketing today. The conversation cuts through the noise around content creation and focuses on what busy PTs and clinic owners need to know: how to get attention, build trust, and turn that into patients. Key Insights: • You don’t need high-end production to get results—consistency wins • Most PTs fail at content because they never start • Content should be built ...

Most physical therapists know they should negotiate—but few feel confident doing it. In this episode, Jimmy McKay and Rebekah Griffith break down why negotiation feels uncomfortable in PT and how that hesitation impacts salary, contracts, and clinic growth. This isn’t about becoming a “salesperson.” It’s about communicating value clearly so you can get paid appropriately and build better professional relationships. Key Insights: • Negotiation isn’t about you—it’s about the impact you create ...

Most PT clinics still believe growth comes from referrals alone. But patients don’t choose clinics the way they used to. In this episode, Jimmy breaks down why digital presence is now the first impression—and often the deciding factor—for new patients. If your clinic isn’t showing up online in a meaningful way, you’re losing patients before they ever call. Key Insights: • Digital is now the front door to your clinic • Referrals still matter—but they’re no longer first • Word of mouth is st...

Physical therapy feels harder than ever for many clinicians—burnout, declining reimbursement, and career uncertainty are constant conversations. But what if the problem isn’t the profession… it’s perspective? In this episode, Derek Landis shares what happens when you step outside the U.S. system and practice in a place where access to care is limited and every PT skill matters. Key Takeaways: Why PT burnout is often tied to perceived value, not actual impact What changes when patients finall...

Most physical therapy clinics are tracking metrics—but not all metrics actually matter. In this episode, Jimmy and Tony break down how KPIs can unintentionally drive the wrong behavior inside your clinic. From arrival rate to cancellation tracking, they explain how focusing on the wrong numbers can lead to worse patient outcomes and stalled business growth. They also explore a bigger shift: why PT clinic owners should think beyond traditional revenue models and start leveraging attentio...

Most PTs focus on getting better clinically. The ones who build lasting careers do something different—they get involved. In this episode, Edie Benner shares how engagement in associations, events, and community directly impacts your career, your clinic, and your long-term satisfaction in the profession. If you’re feeling stuck, isolated, or b urned out, this episode gives you a practical path forward. OPTA Gala Event: https://www.ohiopt.org/event/OPTA75Gala Key Takeaways Networking isn’t o...

Many clinicians feel tension between patient care and productivity targets. In reality, that tension often exists because clinicians were never taught how the business side of healthcare works. In this episode of PT Pintcast, Jimmy McKay talks with Katie Holterman about how clinics can bridge the gap between clinical excellence and operational performance. The discussion focuses on practical ways clinic leaders can introduce metrics without alienating clinicians — and how transparency, standar...

Healthcare organizations spend millions on marketing — yet patients often trust a clinician with a phone more than a polished hospital commercial. In this episode, Jimmy and Andrea unpack why authenticity beats traditional healthcare marketing and how PT clinics can leverage clinician voices to build trust with patients. They also dive into one uncomfortable truth: Many clinics believe they have a marketing problem when the real issue is operations and patient experience. From the “three T’s...

Physical therapists often feel pressure to collect certifications and letters after their name. But does that actually make better clinicians? In this episode, Jimmy talks with Clint Serafino and Nate Henry about why the PT profession needs more mentorship, deeper clinical reasoning, and better collaboration across healthcare disciplines. They also share the story behind Global Physio Training, a nonprofit working to deliver hands-on clinical education to physical therapists in underserved co...

Most physical therapists feel stuck between productivity expectations, documentation requirements, and changing reimbursement models. But what if the problem isn’t clinicians — it’s the systems around them? In this episode, Jimmy talks with Katie Holterman about how healthcare systems, documentation processes, and compliance frameworks can either burn clinicians out or support them. Katie explains why efficiency and quality are not enemies, why most documentation is unnecessarily complex, and...

Physical therapy clinics don’t struggle because they lack skill. They struggle because they lack attention. In this episode of PT Breakfast Club, Jimmy McKay and Tony Maritato explore how PT clinic owners can rethink marketing using lessons from unexpected places — viral videos, restaurant chains, and real-world business strategy. Instead of chasing trends or expensive advertising, the conversation focuses on creating authentic attention through simple ideas, repeatable content, and engaging s...

If you've worked inside a healthcare organization you've probably heard the question: “What's the EBITDA impact?” But what happens when a financial reporting metric slowly becomes the mission of the entire organization? In this conversation, Jimmy McKay and Larry Benz unpack: • What EBITDA actually measures • How "Adjusted EBITDA" becomes a fiction contest • Why chasing the metric can distort clinical care • The Soviet nail factory problem in healthcare • What a healthier dashboard for P...

Private practice physical therapy owners: learn the KPIs that drive clinic growth, PT marketing ROI, and revenue forecasting. This MBA for the DPT lesson shows PT clinic owners how to track leads, visits per case, and key business metrics that predict success. Most physical therapists open a clinic without ever learning how to read the business numbers behind it. In this **MBA for the DPT** episode, Jimmy talks with **Sturdy McKee** about the key performance indicators (KPIs) that successful p...

Most physical therapy clinics approach marketing backwards. Instead of teaching and building trust, they try to promote services — and patients can see through it instantly. In this episode, Jimmy McKay, Dave Kittle, and Tony Maritato discuss what actually works when it comes to content and clinic growth. They break down how attention drives patient acquisition, why authenticity beats corporate messaging, and how clinics can build authority by consistently publishing valuable content. If you...

Most physical therapists were taught that clinical excellence leads to career success. But according to Greg Todd, that model no longer works. In this episode, Greg explains why many PTs feel stuck despite doing everything “right” — earning a doctorate, taking continuing education courses, and working long clinical hours. The problem isn’t skill. It’s leverage. Greg breaks down how clinicians can start productizing their knowledge, building scalable income streams, and creating content that...

Most healthcare marketing does not fail because marketing is useless. It fails because clinics make it hard to trust them, hard to book, and hard to talk about them. In this episode, Jimmy McKay and Andrea Cheney unpack what PT clinic owners and healthcare marketers keep getting wrong. They break down why patients now behave more like consumers, what they actually look at before booking, and why reviews, websites, and front desk processes matter more than another generic ad campaign. The big t...

Most physical therapists assume healthcare policy is decided somewhere far away. But Utah PTs just proved something different. In this episode, Howard Quackenbush explains how competing physical therapy clinics united to pass legislation that recognizes PTs as primary care providers for co-pay purposes—reducing financial barriers and improving patient access. Instead of waiting for national policy changes, this group of clinicians and clinic owners worked state-level relationships, coordinate...

PTs are expected to be the movement experts—yet most movement assessment is still subjective: “knee valgus noted,” “pelvic drop,” “looks better.” Dan Seidler (Business Development Lead, DorsaVi USA) and Maka Lange unpack what changes when clinics can quantify biomechanics with video AI and wearable sensors. They cover how objective data improves patient education and buy-in, strengthens documentation, and makes return-to-play/return-to-work decisions more defensible—especially as AI, wearables,...

Most physical therapy clinics market the wrong thing. They promote visits, treatments, and techniques — but patients don’t actually want those things. What they want is the outcome: getting back to running, lifting, sports, or living pain-free. In this episode, Jimmy McKay and Dave Kittle explore how PT clinic owners can shift from transactional care to transformation-based care. Drawing insights from thinkers like Seth Godin, Gary Vee, Rory Sutherland, Chris Voss, and Chris Do, they explain ...

A comment calling hospital PTs “discharge monkeys” kicks off a real conversation about burnout, autonomy, and what the system incentivizes. Rebekah Griffith and Jimmy McKay unpack why acute care PTs feel boxed into discharge throughput, how that attitude spreads through teams (presenteeism), and what leaders can do to get great clinicians back to practicing with purpose. What You’ll Learn Why “we’re all just PTs” can still ignore real specialization and skill differences How payer-centered con...

Episode theme: If your marketing “isn’t working,” your real bottleneck is usually operations + friction—and tech/ads will only amplify what’s already broken. What we covered The blizzard story: how a “post-visit survey” fired after a visit that never happened—and what that signals about your systems Why everything is marketing in direct-to-consumer healthcare: phones, response time, scheduling, cancellation flow, vibes The leadership disconnect: expecting marketing to “perform” while giving ...

A real-world clinic-owner problem: a therapist who wants the upside (patients “dropped in their lap”) but won’t do the minimum (timely notes, accountability). Dave and Jimmy walk through the practical HR/documentation approach, how one low-effort teammate drags culture and outcomes, and the retention strategies that keep high-value patients loyal to the practice even when staff changes. What you’ll learn How to build a paper trail that makes HR decisions clean and defensible Why resignation is...

Physical therapy can’t survive on “me, me, me” messaging. Dr. Lisa VanHoose breaks down why rehabilitation deserts are growing, why gatekeeping admissions is fueling the PT workforce shortage, and what it looks like to rebuild the profession around community, access, and relational capacity—not just credentials and productivity. We talk rural retention, community-based rehab, why “bootstraps” is a myth in healthcare design, and how the Ujima Institute is building real-world mobility support thr...