How Brad solved his greatest physiotherapy conundrum
Brad was recently interviewed by a journalist about why we pioneered a new approach to private practice physiotherapy.
Brad shares with the journalist why he felt the need to approach physiotherapy with a new approach, fixed fee unlimited access care.
Story Start
Gold Coast physiotherapist Brad Beer has reached the finish line after more than 10 years trying to solve his greatest physiotherapy conundrum.
Well before he became a physio as a promising triathlete he realised the traditional model of session-to-session treatments was flawed. This belief was reinforced when he started practising himself in 2005.
Beer has been prepared to challenge convention if it meant a better outcome for patients.
However coming up with a solution to what he saw as “industry limitations” was another matter and it frustratingly eluded the POGO physiotherapy director for more than 10 years.
“I believe the physio industry in Australia is not what it could be,” Beer said.
I believe the physio industry in Australia is not what it could be. #performbetter @pogophysio Click To Tweet“I’ve been a physio for 11 years and one of the frustrations I’ve had over that time is seeing people get decent results but not the best results that are available to them.
“The traditional session-to-session model is ad hoc and largely unproven, prone to clients receiving a diluted service and the rate of successful outcomes at just over 50 per cent is unacceptable. One in two people having that moment of ‘wow, got there’ … I don’t think that’s good enough and that’s something that really bugs me.”
After considering many possibilities and exploring a few of them the seminal moment came while Beer was running.
“I’ve always been interested as a runner about the whole psychological effect of the finish line,” he said.
“As soon as you see the finish line in races, it’s amazing that you find this extra zest.”
As soon as you see the finish line in races, it’s amazing that you find this extra zest. #performbetter @pogophysio Click To Tweet“Two minutes earlier you’ve got nothing left and then you see the finish line and all of a sudden you find this extra gear.”
“It actually stopped me and I kid you not, it stopped me in my tracks and I’m ‘that’s it, that’s the finish line. That’s what is missing with our clients. They need to know the date that their treatment will end and what it’s going to take to get there.”
“That gave birth to the term ‘finish line’ and these finish line programs.”
POGO clients now have access to three fixed-price Finish Line programs:
*The 2-week Fast Track Program to quickly relieve the pain of clients who are not concerned with long-term outcomes.
*The 6-week Complete Recovery Program which addresses pain issues as well as dealing with the contributing factors before a finish line guarantee.
*The 12-week Into Performance Program offers insurance for athletes to get a complete result and return to their physical best with a finish line guarantee.
Beer draws the comparison with the fitness industry and the hugely successful boot camps which have become popular over the past decade.
“What they do is put together a 12-week program. The client knows they have 12 weeks to give it all they’ve got, and generally speaking they get everything out of it they can,” he said.
“Why? Because there’s a finish line in the diary, they pay their money up front so they’re fully committed, and they get the most out of it.”
Beer said the Finish Line response from patients had been overwhelming and the data being collected each month had already displayed an ever-increasing rate of successful outcomes.
“Patients love it because they can see the merit in it and they can see benefits,” he said.
“It doesn’t take a mathematician long to work out that if I choose a two, six or 12-week finish line compared to session-to-session, of course I’m going to come out in front.”
“Every single time a patient has graduated a program they have received oodles more in value than what they would have going session by session.”
“From a business owner perspective and this is what I’m excited about is … I care about the client getting the result. I don’t care how many sessions it takes to get them there.”
“I just don’t want the brand risk for POGO of the patient saying at a barbecue ‘I saw those people and they got me okay’. I want them saying ‘they were outstanding, they got me from where I was they got me back to the footy field and beyond’.”
At the crux of POGO’s new model for delivery of service is the initial consultation – the Discover Recover Session – which is an hour-long with a second session available if required.
It flies in the face of industry trends in recent years with some physios trimming their initial consult to as little as 30 minutes.
“Ultimately success is dependent upon the diagnosis and that’s why we spend an hour during our Discover-Recover Session,” Beer said.
“We talk around here about diagnosis determining prognosis. If we’re not clear on our diagnosis, how on Earth can we recommend what we need to do moving forward?
“Unfortunately, and not just in physiotherapy but in health care across the board, there’s this move over the years to spend less and less time with people, yet the irony is it ends up taking a far longer to get the thing right, be it an illness or an injury.”
“Short cuts are taken in a 30-minute initial appointment. I’m just getting to know the client in half an hour, and they probably are just start to feel comfortable with me and trust me to start sharing what I need to know.”
“It comes back to a clear and accurate diagnosis to then be able to make a recommendation for treatment. We go slower at the start to go faster down the track.”
“We talk about ourselves as being the guide and the client then becomes the hero of the story.”
Story End
For more information about our industry first fixed price unlimited access Finish Line physiotherapy programs.
Physio With A Finish Line,
Brad Beer (APAM)
Physiotherapist (APAM)
Author ‘You CAN Run Pain Free!’
Founder POGO Physio
