More and more patients are asking for shockwave therapy that very few if any clinics offer in your community. One of the clinic owners I’m mentoring right now told me that he is crushing it at his multi-million dollar clinic. His patient base is skyrocketing and he’s introducing new services to fill his patient’s requests.
One of the services he recently added is shockwave therapy for MSK conditions. He says his patients are getting better treatment outcomes faster. Plus he’s found his other services are more effective when combined with shockwave therapy.
So that’s why I want to give you 6 reasons why every clinic owner needs Shockwave Therapy to be more competitive so you can grow their practice and serve even more people in your community.
1) Your current and future patients are searching for it on Google
Take a look at the screenshot below of the trending searches on Google. It’s been trending for the past 10 years without showing any signs of slowing down.
Shockwave therapy is one of the most commonly advertised treatments for pain. It's been around since the mid-1980's but was not common until the next decade because costs were so high. Now due to technological advances, the cost has dramatically decreased and become much more affordable for clinic owners to get a significant ROI.
2) Many doctors are recommending it to their patients.
There’s a trend happening right now. More and more doctors are learning about the benefits of shockwave therapy because they’re seeing the amazing results others are getting and because their patients are telling them about it.
Fact - 30% of all visits to family physicians are for musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints. Shockwave therapy is now recognized for its effectiveness in treatment of MSK injuries in rehab clinics all around the world.
This is a great opportunity to get referrals from doctors who want to refer their patients for shockwave therapy but don’t know where to send them.
If nobody in your community is offering shockwave, this can be a key differentiator from your competitors. You could use this to bring in new patients as part of your marketing strategy - shockwave therapy is a safe and effective treatment that can provide faster and better results for patients. Studies have proven: pain reduction by more than 60%, more than 75% satisfied patients, elimination of calcifications in 84% of cases.
3) Get better and faster results for your patients.
I had a conversion with my good friend Darryl Yardley about shockwave therapy in a recent webinar.
Darryl is a highly accomplished physiotherapist and FCAMPT who has turned his business expertise to consulting and educating practices in high level clinical operations and therapist development. Darryl is also the current Chair of the Private Practice Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.
He was telling me about how this modality is getting a high patient satisfaction rate at his clinics and his clients are getting results. "We’re seeing quicker improvements in symptom relief, reducing pain faster so clinicians can begin working on functional goals even quicker."
Because of the quicker results we’re getting, our patient and doctor referrals have increased, revenue has increased, and more people are staying through the treatment plan (fewer self-discharges).
He went on to say…
There’s a growing field of evidence on how shockwave is an effective modality for many conditions and how it’s a safe, non-invasive treatment that can benefit a wide range of conditions, such as:
- Shoulder Calcific Tendinitis and other tendon injuries
- Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow
- Chronic Heal Pain and plantar fasciitis
- Chronic Ankle Pain and achilles tendinopathy
- Knee Pain
- Hip Pain
- Trigger Finger
- Muscle Pain
- Tendon and Ligament Injuries
Additional conditions that benefit from Shockwave Therapy are:
- Back Pain
- Neck Pain
Best of all, patients report successful outcomes in as little as 3 to 6 treatment sessions.
Another clinic owner Rosen Kolev PT who I spoke to uses it for at his multi million dollar clinic:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Tendinopathy
- Whiplash
- Tennis elbow
- Rotator cuff calcific tendonitis
Not only will adding shockwave therapy to your clinic give you the opportunity to educate physicians and other referral sources on this new modality they are already interested in… it also provides an opportunity to make them aware of all your clinic services.
One strategy Darryl and I have seen work insanely well is to tell doctors how you’re using shockwave workshops to educate specific community groups, like runners, for example. Tell them they can come or invite their patients. You can even do an education session for runners and show them how to combat plantar fasciitis with shockwave therapy. A great way to bring in new patients.
4) The perfect recruitment tool
One of the biggest problems clinic owners have is hiring good and reliable Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, and Massage Therapist that stay.
One way to attract the best therapists and prevent your staff from leaving you for your competitor is by equipping your clinic with the latest technology so they are motivated to build a loyal following and practice at your clinic. That’s one of the big things they look for in a clinic.
When they see your clinic equipped with the latest technology and tools they need to be successful, this will be a draw for them to join your team instead of you having to pursue them.
This is the main way universities attract the best athletes around by having incredible workout facilities. It gives them the edge over their competition and the talent comes to them.
Shockwave Therapy is becoming an area of interest of many Physiotherapists and Chiropractors, and there’s an increase in post-graduate course completion.
Darryl Yardley, who has hired and mentored over 50 new grad physiotherapists, has also confirmed this and reported that there is an increase demand for knowledge in shockwave therapy within the physical therapy field.
5) Save your back and hands
Healthcare professionals who have been working for some time will at some point face a big problem with joint pain from manual treatments. They may develop arthritis in their hands from the constant repetitive motions they do every day, and lower back pain from treatment positions.
This can cause many to retire or not be able to perform their job.
That’s why you see a lot of clinicians moving to needles, IMS, or Graston technique to protect their hands and back.
The best part of using shockwave technology is that it’s easy on your back and hands.
Not only can you get results in 3 to 6 sessions, but each weekly treatment session only lasts 10 minutes or less.
This is great for professionals or patients who are super busy and want a quick treatment and even faster relief.
6) Command a higher fee
Having this treatment in your clinic allows you to charge more for your services. You can bundle it with other services you offer to increase transaction value, or factor in the cost of purchasing the machine and maintaining the modality.
I’ve seen clinics charge $200 per session and a $30 up charge to their additional session.
You can see prices from other clinics below:
Example #1: $100 Visit
Example #2: $155 per visit
Example #3: $200 per visit
But when I talk to clinic owners, they are “shocked” that a shockwave machine may cost $10K.
However, making the investment will allow you to increase your revenue at your clinic.
For example, if you lease the unit, 5 shockwave sessions per month will make back your investment. Anything above that is profit.
Remember - you’ll also be able to expand your market and attract new patients you previously would not get. Many clinics owners who offer this get more referrals from doctors. Darryl has a lot of experience working with doctors and has experienced this first hand. It will be easier to attract and keep top healthcare professionals.
But, DO NOT buy one yet. There are four key questions to consider before buying a shockwave unit. These tips from Razi Khaddage, a biomedical engineer specialized in medical devices, electrotherapy and modalities at OrthoCanada, will help you make sure you’re buying a good one and not waste your money on one that doesn’t get results.
Where is it manufactured?
What you should look for is Shockwave machines that are manufactured in Europe to make sure it’s reliable and achieves good results for your patients. I’ve seen many units out there that use European components but they’re assembled in another country. This can be a big problem if you need to replace a part because they don’t assemble at their own company.
How many shocks does my shockwave applicator or revision kit (projectile) cover?
Most therapists don’t even consider this when buying. You see, the applicator or projectile must be replaced every 1 to 2 million shocks. This is why it’s important to find a manufacturer that offers warranties for 1-2 million shocks.
What is the cost of a new applicator or revision kit?
You should always ask this question because if not, replacing it depending on the machine can be either inexpensive where anyone can do it… or expensive that requires you to hire an expert for help.
You want to find a unit where you just need to replace a projectile which is inexpensive to do and can be easily replaced in a matter of minutes by anyone. You want to avoid units that require the entire applicator to be replaced. This is expensive and many times requires you to hire a technician to do.
Then you have to cover the cost of parts and labor to change the applicator. With a unit that just needs a projectile replaced, you can be back treating patients within minutes… instead of waiting a week for a technician to come out to fix.
Is the Shockwave a compressor or electromagnetically driven unit?
The last important question you must ask is one of the most important. There are different ways the pressure is delivered. Many make the mistake of choosing an electromagnetically driven unit because it’s cheaper. However, for your situation it’s not ideal. The reason is electromagnetic shockwave machines offer substantially less output than a compressor. Which means you won’t get as good results.
The next problem is the shockwave equipment is heavier and overheats after just 2-3 consecutive treatments. Then you have to let it cool down before you use it again. Compressor driven units do not have this problem. You can use it repeatedly, patient after patient without having to let it cool down.
And the last problem is electromagnet unit cannot have its projectile replaced. You have to replace the full applicator which is more expensive, complicated, and time-consuming.
When asking these 4 key questions you’ll know if you have the right shockwave machine for your clinic. If you want to see what the best selling shockwave units are right now that top clinics use and meet all of the criteria above. Then click this link to check them out now.
