Outpatient PT's: How Many Evaluations and How Many Recertification Visits do you see per hour?

[Anonymous PT]

How many patients is appropriate for new evaluation / re-evaluation per hour at maximum in an outpatient setting? How many Recertification visits or Therapist visits are appropriate per hour at maximum? I have a boss with unrealistic expectations but he tells me he knows 4 PTs who are fine with seeing large volumes of patients and I just wanted to know if I am wrong and maybe other outpatient PTs see more patients than I feel is appropriate.

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[DaveMillerDPT]

In my opinion, treatment quality suffers significantly at more than 2 patients an hour. Many might disagree with me but the level of education and interaction that is needed to treat the way I feel is best requires at least 30 minutes one on one. So that would put me at 80 visits a week at my current job, and from a business standpoint it is wise to push for this number as it means your business is earning enough to expand or to create enough hirings to stabilize the company for security reasons. I find it doable but it isn't my dream and I don't like my weeks filled with 80 visits. It is why I am leaning towards cash PT. 1 hour sessions, 1 on 1 5-6 visits a day. I would say any more than 80 is unreasonable but I know many therapists that see more than this regularly and don't seem to mind. I have opinions on that as well. But I find it more than fair to voice disapproval of an employer putting profits over ethics. There are better jobs out there, always be on the lookout for new opportunities and apply for them.

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[Anonymous PT]

In my opinion, treatment quality suffers significantly at more than 2 patients an hour. Many might disagree with me but the level of education and interaction that is needed to treat the way I feel is best requires at least 30 minutes one on one. So that would put me at 80 visits a week at my current job, and from a business standpoint it is wise to push for this number as it means your business is earning enough to expand or to create enough hirings to stabilize the company for security reasons. I find it doable but it isn't my dream and I don't like my weeks filled with 80 visits. It is why I am leaning towards cash PT. 1 hour sessions, 1 on 1 5-6 visits a day. I would say any more than 80 is unreasonable but I know many therapists that see more than this regularly and don't seem to mind. I have opinions on that as well. But I find it more than fair to voice disapproval of an employer putting profits over ethics. There are better jobs out there, always be on the lookout for new opportunities and apply for them.

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They feel that it is appropriate to schedule me 15 minutes with an evaluation as long as there is a PTA to take over any treatment. Not all of them are evaluations, some of the patients on my caseload are recertification notes or just progress notes to the physician. I signed up for this forum in the hopes of getting opinions from other PT's so that maybe I would have something to show them that it is normal for a PT to have two patients per hour and their expectations for me are wrong. I'm not talking about treatments, I'm talking about patients that need paperwork done or need to have their progress checked. I do not see 80 patients per week on my personal caseload, however, we see all of our patients for at least an hour for treatment. I cover two offices and one office schedules me appropriately while the other one tries to fit as many patients as they can on to my schedule in the time that I am there.

 

[jadedphysiotherapist]

They feel that it is appropriate to schedule me 15 minutes with an evaluation as long as there is a PTA to take over any treatment. Not all of them are evaluations, some of the patients on my caseload are recertification notes or just progress notes to the physician. I signed up for this forum in the hopes of getting opinions from other PT's so that maybe I would have something to show them that it is normal for a PT to have two patients per hour and their expectations for me are wrong. I'm not talking about treatments, I'm talking about patients that need paperwork done or need to have their progress checked. I do not see 80 patients per week on my personal caseload, however, we see all of our patients for at least an hour for treatment. I cover two offices and one office schedules me appropriately while the other one tries to fit as many patients as they can on to my schedule in the time that I am there.

2 per hour is the business model mean I believe.

Ideal is 1.5

Correct medical referral screening, establishing rapport, initial subjective and objective eval, and an initial assessment and plan with an initial education or poc start should be 45 minutes for good practice.

Get down to 30 when fast.

With followups being shorter and screens being shorter, 1.5 is ideal from what I've heard.

The 15 minutes a person is mill territory. You may be making a lot of other people money.....I would tell them to screw off.

The max patients per day I've heard w/o decreased quality is 16. Hospitals for acute do 10 as a mean. For outpatient I have heard of 8-12 for some hospitals systems as well as 12-15 for private practice. Anything that's 8 or less is going to be inpatient rehab.

If you are a newer grad, I would not work there. You need a good amount of time just to develop effective prognosis and progression. You graduate safe, not good but do what you feel is best.

I'm not delegating to PTAs or techs upon initial start. I'll take extra paperwork time. Screw it