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4 Easy Ways to Attract New Patients Without Doctor Referrals

Picture of PredictionHealth Team   PredictionHealth Team  ·  1 minute read

If you’re a PT considering the path to owning your own practice or a current owner who finds marketing your practice uncomfortable and awkward, this session is for you. 

Chad Madden, Co-founder of Breakthrough, and Kelly Brown, PT and VP of Operations at PredictionHealth dive into the journey from clinician to successful practice owner, exploring why many PTs hesitate to embrace marketing and the pitfalls of depending solely on physician referrals. 

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Webinar Recap: 

⚠️ The Big Problem:

  • Reimbursements are down 17% since 2008.

  • Costs to provide care have gone up.

  • → This = shrinking profitability.

  • Private practices need to create more demand and shift to direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketing to survive.

🧩 The 4 Key Patient Acquisition Channels:

(They didn't focus on physician referrals – they’re down 53% since 2003.)

  1. 🔁 Reactivations

    • Reach out to former patients.

    • Set “recheck” appointments 2–6 months after discharge.

    • Best therapists have a 70% reactivation rate.

    • Use email/text/direct mail; texting currently sees best response.

  2. 🗣️ Word-of-Mouth Referrals

    • Ask for referrals right after a patient shares a win.

    • 3-step script: Celebrate the win → Ask “Who do you know?” → Ask how to help them.

    • Keep it simple and personal.

  3. 🤝 Partner Referrals

    • Target large employers who offer your best-paying insurance.

    • Partner through lunch-and-learns, health fairs, etc.

    • Also target gyms, yoga studios, municipalities, and community orgs.

  4. 📢 Cold Traffic

    • Only try this after you’ve optimized the above channels.

    • Paid ads (Meta/Google) are useful for new clinics or scaling but require trained staff to convert leads.

    • Conversion = the most overlooked step.

📊 Breakthrough Can Help:

  • Chad’s 6 clinics: $10M/year, 400+ visits/week from cold traffic alone.

  • 50% of profit from cash-based services.

  • Last quarter: +$55K in cash services.

  • Breakthrough Pro software automates all this—email/text campaigns, tracking, attribution, and reactivation workflows.

🧠 Pro Tips from Chad:

  • Don’t go straight to paid ads—start with warm leads.

  • Track everything: source of every patient.

  • Don’t “check the box” on marketing—actually measure what works.

  • Send value (like quick videos) and follow up only with engaged recipients to avoid spamming.

💡 Tools Mentioned:

  • Breakthrough Pro: All-in-one marketing system for PT clinics.

  • Comes with 100+ prebuilt campaigns.

  • Can now be fully customized (as of 2025).

💬 Final Thoughts:

  • Private practice owners don’t have time. Having a tested, automated system can bring in patients, boost revenue, and avoid burnout.

  • Marketing isn't optional anymore—it’s survival.

4 Easy Ways to Attract New Patients w/o Doctor Referrals