Today on the Podcast: How to Grow a Mobile PT Practice Without a Brick-and-Mortar Clinic (w/ Annie Koslow, DPT)
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About This Episode
Are you a mobile PT practice? In this episode, I talk with Annie Koslow, Founder of Active Health Solutions, a four-therapist mobile PT practice serving Northern Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland. Annie shares how she built a thriving mobile orthopedic and pelvic health practice and why she chose the mobile model instead of opening a clinic.
We discuss what it’s like treating patients in their homes, managing a growing team, and the unique challenges and advantages of running a mobile practice.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why Annie started a mobile PT practice and how it has grown
- Differences in patient compliance and scheduling with in-home care
- The #1 marketing channel bringing in new patients
- Valuable local partnerships and referral sources
- How she markets pelvic health vs orthopedic and sports injuries
- Tips for clinics considering adding mobile therapy services
- Why she chose Practice Promotions and the results she’s seen since becoming a client in 2024
- Her growth plans for 2026
If you’re interested in mobile physical therapy, pelvic health marketing, or growing your patient volume, this episode is packed with practical insights.
Remember, Practice Promotions is the PT Marketing Agency you'll WISH you hired first. Visit PracticePromotions.Net to view our plans, pricing, and why 1200+ PT clinics across North America trust us with their marketing.
Listen Above or Read The Summary Here:
Building a Successful Mobile PT Practice: Key Strategies
Understanding the Mobile PT Model
Annie Koslow, founder of Active Health Solutions, shares her journey from side hustle to a thriving mobile PT practice. She emphasizes the value of convenience for clients, especially professionals and new parents: “Time is our most valuable asset right now. People are realizing they don’t want to spend time in the car or driving somewhere. Convenience is huge.” By focusing on out-of-network, fee-for-service care, Annie’s practice delivers one-on-one, hour-long sessions directly to clients’ homes, allowing for transparent pricing and flexible scheduling.
- Target niche markets: High-value audiences like attorneys and postpartum parents appreciate the time savings and flexibility.
- Fee-for-service model: Patients pay directly and can submit for insurance reimbursement, leading to greater transparency and satisfaction.
- Clear communication: Annie notes, “Patients seem to like the transparency as well… there are still high costs associated with in-network. People might actually pay more depending on their deductible.”
Scaling Your Mobile Team
Growth brings new challenges. Annie highlights the shift from solo practice to managing a team, prioritizing workplace satisfaction and therapist compensation: “We can pay therapists more because we know our costs coming in. It’s a very easy calculation… there’s not the mystery of insurance companies.” Her therapists start part-time and often transition to full-time due to reduced burnout and increased motivation.
- Performance-based pay: Therapists receive a percentage of what they bring in, allowing for control over their workload and income.
- Culture and mentorship: Annie avoids hiring new grads due to limited face-to-face mentoring in a mobile setting, focusing instead on experienced clinicians who thrive with autonomy.
- Team connection: While camaraderie is harder remotely, regular events and in-services help maintain a supportive culture.
Marketing, Niches, and Expansion
Annie’s growth strategy involves identifying and targeting niche markets. She hires based on personality fit and then builds programs around her therapists’ specialties, like pelvic health and golf injury prevention. She recommends small, local events—such as pairing educational sessions with yoga or Pilates—to attract new clients for niche services.
- Program development: “It was fun to do it backwards, say to the therapist, ‘What do you want to do?’ and then build the patient pipeline.”
- Marketing investments: As her team expanded, Annie outsourced SEO and website work, resulting in a 25% growth in patient visits from the website after six months. She advises, “Stop wasting your time trying to DIY SEO… it’s time to get the big guns involved.”
- Recruitment: Using a recruitment center on her website helped attract new hires by showcasing her workplace and culture.
Advice for PT Owners Considering Mobile Services
Annie encourages practice owners to consider a hybrid model, adding mobile services to traditional brick-and-mortar operations. She advises starting small and iterating: “Don’t expect too much too soon. It is very steady growth, but it’s slow… it’s a different kind of sales process with that first phone call.” She also stresses the importance of letting patients talk and being transparent about what the practice can—and cannot—provide.
- Train your front desk: Ensure staff can clearly communicate the value and structure of mobile, out-of-network services.
- Be selective and transparent: Refer out when a case isn’t a good fit. Annie notes, “We want to help people… Let us help you find somewhere that will get you better.”
- Prepare for the future: Annie is a strong advocate for moving beyond insurance dependence: “Insurance reimbursement… is going down. People are getting paid less for the work they’re providing, and it just doesn’t seem sustainable.”
Neil and Annie agree: the demand for PT is strong and the mobile model offers flexibility, better compensation, and increased patient satisfaction. “There are enough patients. PTs don’t have to compete with each other. We need to get insurance companies to pay us for what we’re worth.”
Common Questions Practice Owners Ask About This Topic:
- How do I start a mobile physical therapy practice?
- What are the benefits of mobile PT services?
- How to market a mobile physical therapy business?
- What challenges do mobile PT practices face?
- How to manage a team in a mobile healthcare setting?
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