More than 80 physical therapists from across the nation gathered in Los Angeles recently for the Empower Educational Seminar Series, sponsored by outpatient rehab business solutions provider, Clinicient. One of the primary aims of this business-focused conference was to provide experts to help “coach” practices to improve their positions in the landscape of healthcare providers.

Rehab Management was on site April 30th for day 1 of the 2-day seminar, which featured speakers such as Nancy Beckley, Jerry Durham, and Sturdy McKee. Each of these experts took a moment with Rehab Management to share highlights from their presentations.

One of the first with whom we spoke was Jerry Dunham, co-founder of San Francisco Spine and Sport. Durham told us about the “identity crises” he says is ongoing in PT, and the need to define the value of physical therapy in a way that prospective patients will grasp, and act on.

Two of the featured speakers at the Clinicient Empower Seminar in Los Angeles, Nancy Beckley and Jerry Henderson, address attendees on the first day of the 2-day event.

Two of the featured speakers at the Clinicient Empower Seminar in Los Angeles, Nancy Beckley and Jerry Henderson, address attendees on the first day of the 2-day event.

Durham’s business partner and seminar speaker, Sturdy McKee, also spoke to us between sessions. McKee commented on the importance of therapists’ consciously reconnecting with forces that keep them motivated, and getting patient buy-in to plans of care.

Finally, we sat with Nancy Beckley just after her presentation. Beckley shared several important observations about what practices can do minimize the probability of being blindsided by compliance issues, which can have very costly consequences. She begins with a few cautionary tips about “profiling,” and the always-present potential of an audit brought on by a “whistle blower.”

Internet platforms such as listservs and chat rooms make it easy for therapists to discuss compliance questions out in the open, in real time. While these free-flowing exchanges may seem convenient and beneficial, Beckley points out the potential potholes of turning to the Worldwide Web for compliance advice.

Two other Empower Seminars are scheduled for this year in Boston and Chicago. Clinicient CEO, Rick Jung, explains that the seminars are now a vital part of the company’s strategy to serve the industry, spotlighting the shift in the company’s focus away from being simply a software manufacturer.

— Frank Long, Rehab Management