How WelcomeWare Provides Coverage and Flexibility for Professional Physical Therapy’s 200+ Locations

Jan 15, 2024 | Case Studies

Managing a physical therapy practice while ensuring a high level of front desk coverage and flexibility is no easy feat. With over 200 locations across five states in the Northeast (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire), Professional Physical Therapy (Professional PT) experienced difficulty ensuring full front desk coverage during all operating hours. Professional PT was in need of an efficient, personalized solution that enabled an improved patient experience.

The Problem

Frequently empty front desk due to high turnover, sick days, vacancies, and vacations. Need for a live person to deliver personalized service and to create a real connection (not just a self-service).

Patient Care Coordinators (PCCs) at high volume clinics needed supplemental support during peak hours and at busy clinics.

Increased difficulty hiring in a post-COVID world and continuing difficult labor market.

Poor patient experience when clinics were not properly staffed, especially when no one was there to greet them.

Continuous coverage led to administrative staff burnout among Clinical Admin Managers (CAMs) and PCCs.

Difficulty finding ways to leverage technology to lower operating costs.

The Solution – WelcomeWare

Professional PT needed a personalized and modern solution that provided flexible front desk coverage while ensuring a high-quality check-in experience was maintained across their locations. Professional PT now utilizes the WelcomeWare kiosks across all 200+ of their clinics as either A) a sole check-in solution for low- volume clinics; or B) supplemental support during peak hours at medium and high- volume clinics. Virtual Patient Care Coordinators (VPCCs) cover multiple locations simultaneously, ensuring each patient is greeted by a live, smiling Patient Care Coordinator, whether in the clinic or virtually. This solution safeguards Professional PT clinics against the possibility of an empty front desk and eliminates the need for their CAMs to travel to cover as a Patient Care Coordinator.

Primary Solution

Virtual Patient Care Coordinators are seamlessly integrated and leveraged across multiple clinics as the sole check-in solution, often times as the sole solution. Intake forms are completed, and credit card payments collected using the existing EMR system while connected with the easy-to-use WelcomeWare kiosk. New clinic openings and hard to staff operating hours are now fully covered. One VPCC can cover multiple clinics at the same time making for an efficient and easy solution.

Supplemental Support

All of Professional PT’s clinics have the supplemental support of WelcomeWare. Utilizing WelcomeWare kiosks during peak hours or when a Patient Care Coordinator may not be present means a check-in is rarely missed. This improves the patient journey and ensures a minimal wait time and an engaging experience. In cases when ad-hoc support is needed, WelcomeWare serves as a fast and reliable solution for Professional PT. When administrative staff are out of office, Patient Care Coordinators no longer need to work extended hours and Clinical Admin Managers no longer need to travel to clinics to cover.

“It is exciting to see the success of the roll- out in our clinics and the significant value this technology has brought to our company. Remote reception not only ensures a superior patient experience, but it also makes it easier for us to retain and nurture administrative talent and gives our clinicians space to thrive.”

Steve Schneider

CEO of Professional PT

The Result

WelcomeWare kiosks are utilized within all of Professional PT’s locations, ensuring future appointments are scheduled and payments are collected. Virtual Patient Care Coordinators remotely check in patients, maintaining a high level of patient service.

Professional PT improved their administrative coverage while also improving staffing flexibility at a reduced cost. WelcomeWare’s implementation has contributed to decreased staff burnout and ensured safe interactions between their staff and patients.

Effortless Check-Ins and High-Quality Patient Interactions with a Live, Smiling Virtual Patient Care Coordinator

Don’t Miss A Beat With Collections - Virtual Patient Care Coordinators Also Ensure That Patient Responsibility Payments Are Collected

Reduced Load on Administrative Staff

Improved Administrative Coverage Especially During Opening and Closing Times

Safer and Healthier Work Environment

Front Desk Optimization

Professional PT is in complete control of their administrative operations. Virtual Patient Care Coordinators are grouped in pods with a team of VPCCs covering multiple clinics (for example: 5 VPCCs covering 12 clinics). VPCCs are moved between pods to cover vacancies on a day-to-day basis and ensure each pod is properly staffed between in-person PCCs and virtual PPCs. Phone support and fewer in-person distractions mean VPCCs are either answering phones or checking in patients, ensuring each patient always has an empathetic check-in experience. Professional PT can now award their staff more time off, increasing team morale and decreasing staff burnout. Clinical Admin Managers now spend less time traveling between locations to cover as a Patient Care Coordinator and spend more time on more highly valued tasks such as enhancing their clinic’s capabilities, coaching and training their administrative staff or improving the patient experience. By utilizing WelcomeWare, Professional PT can leverage useful metrics and platform insights to drive efficiencies across their administrative operations. Professional PT’s collections and scheduled appointments have increased. Peace of mind is achieved knowing WelcomeWare’s platform supports and strengthens all aspects of their administrative operations.