Impact

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AUGUST 2026 |
The Negotiation Issue | "Canyon"

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Bridging the Partnership Canyon

5 questions to ask when negotiating strategic partnerships

As physical therapy business owners, we negotiate in a personal, relationship-focused world. Whether you're partnering with a local gym, a corporate wellness program, a referring physician's practice,
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BY Karen Litzy, PT, DPT

A mountainous, rugged, green and brown chasm
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Helping Patients See the Other Side of the Chasm

Improve plan-of-care completion with these practical tips

Up to 90% of therapy patients do not complete their plans of care. And in my experience, those patient drop-offs are most often about them not seeing the far side of the...

BY Sturdy McKee, PT, MPT

A blue ladder going up a steep cliff toward the blue sky
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How to Climb Out of the Hiring Canyon

16 non-salary benefit ideas to win over candidates

Private practice owners are actually in a great position to offer more creative benefits in lieu of the kind of standard/unchangeable packages typically offered by larger...

BY Neisha Wetzel, PT, DPT

A brown and white house near mountains with animals grazing
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Home on the Range

Turning your clinic space into a powerful long-term asset

Real estate is the hidden variable in most PT practices’ financial plans. While clinic owners invest enormous energy in growing patient volume, improving outcomes, and...

BY Brent Bednar, PT

DEPARTMENTS

A hiker with a red backpack standing in the mountains
Member Perspective

Mastering Negotiation: Beyond 10,000 Hours

Periodization, not repetition, is the key

Competitive athletes take a periodized approach to training. Applying these core principles beyond exercise to negotiation could fast-track the clinic owner to competency...

Smoke rising from a deep chasm in the mountains
Marketing & Outreach

Smoke Signals

How to speak payers’ and legislators’ language for stronger negotiations

Stories create emotional connection, but data creates credibility. It gives decision-makers concrete information to anchor their reasoning and justify their decisions to...

A family going whitewater-rafting
Regulatory & Compliance

Whitewater Rafting Through Payer Contract Negotiations

Navigate these tough conversations with confidence

By shifting the dialogue from cost to contribution—from just another clinic in the network to an indispensable care partner—practices can fundamentally reframe how payers...

INSIDE APTA PRIVATE PRACTICE

Editor's Note

I still remember my very first debate tournament. I walked in feeling confident. I knew my case, I had my note cards, and I was reasonably good at winning arguments...

Membership Matters

Welcome New Members!

On the Move

Where Conversations Become Competitive Advantages

Unlike a traditional webinar, Beyond the Treatment Table isn't about sitting back and listening to a lecture. There are no lengthy slide decks or scripted presentations...

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