Once you start your own practice, you are now a business owner in addition to being a therapist. As with any other type of business, making connections and building relationships in the community will be a major key to your overall success.

In the case of Industrial Therapy, these relationships are of paramount importance. When you view Employers as Partners, and work with them as such, business will grow quickly! But what do we mean by working with Employers as Partners? And how, exactly, do you build these relationships?

If you want Employers to be a critical and influencing point of contact with the community, you will focus on providing invaluable services to them. More than “just” a therapist, you also serve as a consultant who saves Employers money and helps boost their productivity. You start by gathering key data relating to their history of injuries – and then by providing services that match against those needs. These bring about quality and cost saving outcomes for your new Partner.

The following processes would be initiated from the very beginning of the relationship:

• Get their stats – injury types, numbers, percentages, so that you can help Employers fully identify and understand their risks
• Help them analyze both direct and indirect costs – worker’s compensation claims, days off work, lost productivity, and so on
• Track outcomes with the progression of delivery of services – show Employers the difference between “before” and “after” directly illustrating the value of your services

Once you begin to perform Prior-to-Hire Assessments, Employers will start to see a decline in injuries, and a decrease in Workers’ Compensation claims, sick days, and interruptions in productivity. All lead to significant decreased costs. Focus on data to highlight this progress, and the value of your Partnership contribution will speak for itself.

Act as a Partner, so Employers will view you as one. The above points highlight the difference between providing therapeutic care and providing a full branch of service that supports the Employer’s entire business. As the two of you work together to improve the health and safety of their employees, you become integrated into the company as a whole. Contact us at KEY Functional Assessments Network 800-333-3KEY (3539), gkey@keymethod.com to help you with this process. Get started today!