Iris Kimberg consults personally with  therapists  to improve the strategic, financial and operational parameters of your therapy entity regardless of where  you are in this process.  Iris  has worked  with therapists around the country involved in unique and  diverse business endeavors ranging from traditional hand therapy practices, pediatric home care agencies, orthopedic practices,  wellness centers, continuing education companies, placement services,  senior care housing placement services and more.    

The  base fee for services is $185 per hour  for individual therapists and partnerships  to $350.00 per hour for contract agencies. Discounted packages for those therapists who want ongoing consulting services are also available.  There is no minimum and based on your need, consultations can be  on a short or long term basis. For some this can mean   projects like developing a marketing plan and letter writing campaign; for others it is help on filings to  become Early Intervention providers or answering bids to provide services in the school systems.

To date Iris has consulted with over 600 PT OT and ST practices throughout the United States in various stages of starting, growing or selling a practice.

• WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START,START HERE:   Many of the  e-mails and telephone calls I receive start out by saying “ I have always wanted to…”  or  “I dream of one day starting…”.  This is the best time to seek advice!  You are motivated, no mistakes have been made,  and  are probably still gainfully employed.  Realize that starting a private practice is a multifaceted endeavor.  The day to day operations, the service, and the end product  are the result of both comprehensive planning and making sure you establish a practice that matches your business as well as your professional abilities.    You are fortunate  if the reason  you want to start a practice  is because you have  already identified a particular  need  or niche  out in the marketplace rather than because you yourself have a need.   During the initial consultation, I often  help: 
  
  1. Identify what need your practice can fulfill. 
  2. Discuss  options for the  legal structure of your company 
  3. Review  start up insurance equirements /record  keeping                  
  4. Determine the best location for your therapy entity. 
  5. Establish  a preliminary market research plan 
  6. Evaluate  participation in insurance plans
  7.Establish a cash base in your  practice  and a billing system 
                    
  Follow-up consultations generally include advice on how to present your practice to the public including:
                     
  1. Devising a specific market plan geared toward promotion and publicity, press releases,  developing word of mouth referrals, and marketing directly to the consumer  
  2.  How to continuing growing your practice for the first year.  

 FOR THERAPISTS ALREADY IN PRACTICE WHO WANT TO Expand or Jumpstart Existing Practices:  Most therapists in this category are generally in the stage where they  want to take their practice to a new level but are not sure how to proceed;  this may mean expanding to another location, branching  out into other specialty areas, hiring  other therapists, or bidding on competitive contracts to become exclusive providers  both in the  public or private sector. Iris works  one on one with you and your staff to assess what areas of your business can be improved and helps to establish an plan of action or correction  outlining  specific results that will be achieved. Our hands on approach to the implementation of these steps insure that you and your business are meeting the goals and objectives.

 Consultations in this area are generally very specific to the issues raised; they can include:

              1.  Discussing the  pros/ cons of hiring  therapists as independent 
                  contractors or employees
              2. Preparing and winning RFPs  and service contracts in your area
              3. Evaluating plans for opening a second location
              4. Expanding your existing referral base. 
              5. Evaluating your position in managed care 
              6. Initiating new marketing campaigns 
              7. How to deal with increased competition in the marketplace
              8. How to integrate complementary and cashed based services 
              9 How to institute incentive compensation plans

Consolidations in the healthcare market place and the continuation of managed care are  permanent entities that must be dealt with.  It is challenging  to determine if you have  adapted in the best way possible as both a therapist and business person  to current conditions. Some therapists might suspect  a “problem “ in their practice, but  may not clearly see what the problem is, or determine the solution.    Others may have pinpointed certain issues in their practices but need validation that they are on the right track for the solution.  Most of us have  wondered at some point  whether we should strive to grow bigger either through acquisitions or joint ventures or stay within a defined specific market that we feel most comfortable in.   A few of us are concerned even though we experienced  short term success - when demand exceeds supply it is difficult NOT to do well in the short term.  The challenge is to make sure that your success will be sustained and continue because of your  good management, forward strategic thinking  and  of course good service. 

  
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO PREPARE YOUR PRACTICE FOR SALE OR MERGER: At this point, most therapists have worked very hard for many years to build their practices or therapy companies.  The hardest work may be yet to come; preparing your entity for sale or merger means “getting all  your ducks in a row” and coming up with a realistic exit strategy.  Not unlike putting a piece of real estate on the market, it is always better to paint and clean up before your open house.    This again is very specific consultations  dependant on  in  what areas your practice/entity needs “fine tuning” ; the goal here is to help your practice puts its best face forward for the best end results for you!  Typical areas evaluated are revenue and  cash flow, sources of referrals, contracts awarded (competitive/non competitive), geographic  presence, infrastructure of your organization, and your  viability in the market place both  with and without you in the equation.  Consultation regarding the overall  valuation of your practice including  goodwill are also available.

I look forward to hearing from you and possibly working together. Please feel free to email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with any questions about the consultation process.

If you are interested in our consulting services fill out the form here.