Physical Therapy Products recently spoke with Robert E. Brooker, CEO of PTOS Software, Tarzana, Calif, about his company's role in the physical therapy market.

What trends do you foresee in the physical therapy industry, and how will those trends affect the software market niche?

The rate at which physical therapy clinics are adopting documentation and scheduling software is accelerating. We are seeing that about half of the clinics out there are looking to buy billing, documentation, and scheduling from one vendor. The other half prefer to pick their favorite products in each category from different vendors and have them interface together.

Reimbursement and documentation rules and guidelines are always changing. Physical therapy is getting more competitive, and practices increasingly need to push the envelope of efficiency and productivity to succeed. As a result, I see many clinics that are dropping their software designed for general medical practices or other specialties, and replacing it with solutions geared specifically toward physical therapy.

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recently endorsed Physical Therapy Office System Software. What does this mean for PTOS and its users?

In order to win the APTA's endorsement, the APTA gave the product a thorough review and spoke with a selection of PTOS users in different parts of the country to hear about their experiences. As a result of this endorsement, we are extra mindful of the needs of APTA members. We also keep a close eye on APTA publications and policies with regard to insurance reimbursement and other issues, and try to incorporate appropriate aspects of this into PTOS software.

What does PTOS offer users that other programs do not?

There are extensive features developed over many years that help practices to bill "smarter" and to maximize collections as compared with other programs. PTOS also has great support capabilities and provides product seminars throughout the country. The large PTOS customer base also ensures that PTOS gets intensive use in a variety of settings. Any shortcomings come to our attention immediately so that we can address them.

Why is your software so widely implemented?

Most of our customers are referred to us from other customers, and many of these recommendations stem from our customer-support department. The more customers we have, the more we invest in support. At this point, we are the largest player in this market and have the resources to invest more than anyone else in support and product development. We also try our best to be smart about investing these resources in a way that achieves the greatest user satisfaction. It's a virtuous circle that is self-reinforcing.

How long did it take PTOS software to become as successful as it is today?

It took about 25 years of continuous development, refinement, and improvement. The product has been through multiple versions and technology platforms during that time period, from DOS to Windows, and now to .NET.