Build a successful industrial consultancy with the rightpromotional tools.

Opportunities to market and sell ergonomics and worker-rehabilitation services are abundant and omnipresent. Payors, insurance carriers, and employers in many industries are continuously looking for opportunities to prevent and manage work-related injuries, as well as new ways to contain costs and control work-injury rates. Physical therapists (PTs) who offer ergonomics and worker-rehabilitation services as part of their practices should focus on these groups and present solutions to their workers’ compensation issues.

To keep pace and be effective, marketing must be both dynamic and ongoing when consumer wants and needs are in a constant state of change. Effective marketing positively differentiates one’s individual services from those of the competitor’s. A PT must define his or her specific market and then establish a strong link between quantifiable therapeutic benefits and the various consumer needs and expectations. There are three main steps a PT can take to successfully market and sell ergonomic and worker-rehabilitation services.

Establish a Knowledge Base

The first step in marketing and selling ergonomics and worker-rehabilitation services is to obtain and build a knowledge base in ergonomics and work factors, which include:

• clinical or therapy terms and concepts;

• physical therapy industry trends;

• workers’ compensation industry issues;

• outcome measures;

• objectives of the various worker-rehabilitation and ergonomics services;

• general format of the various worker-rehabilitation and ergonomics services;

• costs of worker-rehabilitation and ergonomics services.

A good understanding of the specialized services of ergonomics and worker rehabilitation, and how these programs can help contain workers’ compensation costs and injury rates, is critical. Additional education and training is often required, as these specialized services are typically above and beyond traditional therapeutic interventions.

The key to maximizing marketplace presence is to establish a level of clinical expertise in work-injury management and prevention. This can be achieved by developing skills and competencies in specialized ergonomics and worker-rehabilitation services.

As a provider of ergonomics and worker-rehabilitation services, PTs should demonstrate additional clinical knowledge and core competencies in the following areas:

• ergonomics;

• workload;

• functional assessment;

• physiological adaptations to work-load;

• work-related injuries;

• work-injury-prevention principles;

• work-injury-management principles.

Knowledge and core competencies in these concepts are critical, as the goal of worker rehabilitation is ultimately to treat the injured worker and return him or her to work as promptly, safely, and appropriately as possible.

The second step in building a knowledge base is to become familiar with the general format of the various worker-rehabilitation and ergonomics services. Each service has its unique format and goal. To successfully market each one, PTs need to understand its goals and structures, especially for the specific ones they are going to offer. All of these programs and services offer the referral source potential solutions to return-to-work, injury prevention, work-injury management, and other issues associated with the workers’ compensation arena.

Worker-rehabilitation and ergo-nomics programs and services may include:

• skilled therapy for the injured worker;

• ergonomic evaluations or jobtask analyses;

• functional-capacity evaluations;

• return-to-work programs;

• pre-employment programs;

• employee training;

• work-injury screening and prevention.

 The final step in building a knowledge base is to become familiar with the costs and reimbursement structures of the various programs and services mentioned above. It is important to understand the costs associated with the various worker-rehabilitation programs to show the client or referral source that you are working on providing cost-efficient solutions to manage their work-related injuries. PTs who can effectively demonstrate how cost-efficient their rehabilitation services are compared to other competing practices will be successful in creating strong marketing campaigns.

Identify the Market

Several individuals are involved with the overall clinical care and management of the injured worker in workers’ compensation. Each of these persons has his or her own role and responsibility, and is a potential referral source for worker-rehabilitation and ergonomics services. Some of these individuals are target referral sources, which can be identified based on specific criteria.

The individuals involved with the overall clinical care and management of the injured worker in workers’ compensation, and who are therefore potentially important referral sources, include the following:

• injured worker;

• employer;

• occupational health nurse;

• physician;

• insurance carrier/claims adjuster;

• case manager; and

• rehabilitation professional.

PTs should become familiar with the roles and responsibilities of these potential referral sources to best address their concerns and provide them with cost-efficient solutions.

Develop Marketing Strategies

Successful marketing strategies turn marketing efforts into sales. The first step in developing a marketing strategy is to perform a market analysis or survey. The completion of a detailed market analysis or survey, either by the therapy provider or an outside marketing firm, is an essential step that should be performed prior to program development. Market-survey information helps the PT customize programs and services specifically to the demographic, industrial, educational, and economic needs of the market.

The next step is to develop a marketing plan. A marketing plan is an action plan by which PTs illustrate their goals and destinations. The marketing plan clearly identifies target groups, quantifies projected time frames, and designates individuals who are responsible for implementation and follow-up.

The third step is to use the four Ps of marketing—product, price, place, and promotion. Effective marketing, sales, and promotion should capture the consumer’s attention, then accurately inform him or her about the product’s quality, pricing comparison, marketing value, service convenience, accessibility, and competitive edge.

Finally, although marketing and selling approaches and techniques may vary, the ultimate goal of marketing ergonomics and worker-rehabilitation services is to present a strong and consistent message that attracts referral sources. Ongoing review and frequent modification of the marketing plan and processes, based on the response and fluctuations in the market, are an essential aspect of effective marketing.

Some marketing efforts, which can be used based on the response and fluctuations in the market, include:

• networking;

• consumer expansion;

• professional promotion;

• direct mail;

• service offerings; and

• developing and promoting functional outcomes.

By arming yourself with these marketing tactics, ergonomics and worker rehabilitation services can become a more popular and profitable part of your business.

Nicole Matoushek, MPH, PT, is president of ErgoRehab Inc. She has more than 12 years of experience in consulting, continuing education, ergonomics, and utilization management in worker rehabilitation. She can be reached at www.ergorehabinc.com.