I’ve kinda been hiding something from you.  😳

In August 2021, I launched my private oncology physical therapy practice, which means that it is now one year old.

In this episode, we’re going behind the scenes on this whirlwind adventure of how I’m now helping those with cancer in my community.  It’s been challenging, but exceptionally rewarding, & I’m really excited to dive into it with you.

Welcome to Fort Worth Cancer Care!

Fort Worth Cancer Care specializes in helping people reclaim their health and wellness after a cancer diagnosis.  We provide premium oncologic & lymphedema rehab to the Fort Worth community with our income-based pricing.  As of the time of this recording in August 2022, we are entirely cash-based & I treat patients out of our home clinic space.

Why the heck did you start an oncology private practice?

• I usually start my day by getting my clinic space ready.  I’ll fold laundry, pick up the house, put away dishes, sweep, vacuum, etc., so it’s nice & clean for my patients.  
• I usually do different OncoPT projects & tasks before seeing my patients mainly in the afternoon.

Alright, let’s get this out of the way:

I treat patients out of my home.  I made the decision to also do this for a variety of reasons:

• Low overhead cost: no additional rent
• Many patients have some trauma associated with stark medical environments.  While this approach doesn’t work for everybody, my patients have really enjoyed the intimate setting away.

My practice is currently cash-based.

• I did not want to deal with the headache of insurance companies when I first started.

This approach doesn’t work for everybody.  I wish it did, but I do offer income-based pricing based on federal poverty guidelines.

I previously was paid about $31/hour at my corporate job, working 40+ hours a week.

These days, I’m making decisions about my practice to protect my peace of mind & sanity as much as possible. My quality of life is worth so much more than that rat race.

A Day in the Life of Fort Worth Cancer Care

• I usually start my day by getting my clinic space ready.  I’ll fold laundry, pick up the house, put away dishes, sweep, vacuum, etc., so it’s nice & clean for my patients.  
• I usually do different OncoPT projects & tasks before seeing my patients mainly in the afternoon & early evening.
• My patient visits are 55 minutes each, with a 20 minute buffer between each.
  • I’m an extremely hands-on, manual focused practitioner.
  • I avoid doing any documentation or computer work during sessions so I can really devote my full time & attention to my patients.
• Right now, I’m only treating a few patients a week because I’m working on TheOncoPT, plus adjunct teaching, & doing consults for Brylan’s Feat.

What I did right

• Legal stuff right off the bat
  • Filed for my LLC way before I ever launched my practice
• Not overcomplicating the documentation
  • Templates
• Not spending a bunch of time or money on things that don’t matter that much
  • Website
  • Logo
• Low overhead costs
  • Tools I use:
    • Jane App for clinic management & documentation
    • SRFax for faxing
    • HPSO for my business & general liability insurance
    • ConvertKit for email marketing (grab my affiliate link)
    • Google for my business suite tools & emails
    • Canva for social media creation (grab my affiliate link)

What I would do differently next time

• Go all in right away.
• More set schedule
• Make it a habit to do documentation right after the patient visit.
• Create more buffer time around patient visits.

The big vision behind it all

Now you may be thinking to yourself why did you call it Fort Worth Cancer Care instead of something to do with oncologic physical therapy? I have always envisioned a multidisciplinary center of excellence where we can truly care for the entire person with cancer.  I didn’t want to limit myself to just PT right off the bat & then end up changing the name down the road.

What’s next for Fort Worth Cancer Care

• I need help. I’m not at the point where I’m ready to bring on another clinician, but I do need help with the admin side of things. So the next step I’m taking in my private practice is to bring on a virtual assistant to help with the admin, the marketing, and some of the more promotional aspects of my business. But I have realized that I cannot grow this business on my own.
• At some point I would like to open my practice to those with Medicare and those who wish to use their private insurance.

If you want to hear more about my private practice or even strategies to build your own practice, DM me on Instagram. 

This has been one of the adventures I’m most proud of, & obviously love helping other OncoPTs help more patients in their own communities.

In sum, establishing Fort Worth Cancer Care has been one of the coolest experiences I’ve done so far.  I’m really dang proud of all that I’ve accomplished so far & can’t wait to see what year 2 in business brings.

Until next time this is Elise with TheOncoPT.  And remember: you are exactly the physical therapist that your patients with cancer need. So let’s get to work.