By all accounts, movie theaters should all be out of business or have very low prices.  Streamed movie rentals services like Netflix are ubiquitous and inexpensive.  HBO, Showtime, and many others are producing their own quality shows and they can be viewed from the comfort of your own home, smartphone, or tablet. Yet, despite these substitutes, movie theaters are doing just fine, name actors demand mullions per movie, and ticket prices are at their highest prices ever.  I think about this enigma a lot in reference to healthcare reform and physical therapy, particularly private practices.  “Managed competition”, integrated healthcare delivery systems, HMO’s, and Physician Hospital Organizations (PHO’s) were our kryptonite of the 1990’s and since then Medical Homes, ACO’s, large hospital systems, and Obamacare were our demise of this decade. Unlike Blockbuster video stores, PT’s in private practice are not only standing, they are growing.  The naysayer pundits were wrong-perhaps what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.

But, it is one thing for external policy experts to signal our demise, what about physicians, particularly those that rely on us for post-operative care?

I reference this article in Forbes Magazine.  First a warning, don’t read this after a few egg nogs and a full stomach of holiday cookies. It is amusing that a surgeon, as respected as the legendary Dr. Richard Rothman with a thriving Institute and at last count roughly 14 of his own PT clinics uses the words “disruptive technology” and “moving therapy” online in the same interview.  Claims include practicing “internet-driven” physical therapy that will reduce costs by 80 percent and “into disruptive technology that will lower costs and improve convenience for our patients”.

Of course, to all this I say Bah Humbug.

But, am sure there are plenty of ways to reduce cost by 80%. Might want to start with unnecessary surgery, excessive imaging, and reduced prescriptions of pain-killers.

Now that really would be disruptive.  It would also really improve convenience and care for patients.

Thoughts?

@physicaltherapy