Meet Lauren Huffman | Doctor of Physical Therapy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Huffman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Aside from my personal experience with corporate healthcare, the system has many flaws. When seeking physical therapy through an insurance-based model, the clinic’s revenue is based on how much insurance will reimburse for certain treatments. This makes the insurance policy at the forefront of patient care instead of personal goals. Employers need their therapists to count the maximum number of “units” that can be billed per session, how many patients can be treated simultaneously and still be billed, deny treatments to patients that their insurance does not cover, reduce treatments to one “diagnosis” at a time for fear of denial, and discharge after a certain number of sessions due to policy visit caps. For example, Jack may be seeking physical therapy due to back pain preventing him from golf and playing with his grandchildren. Insurance may not cover physical therapy for pain outside of functional activities (like walking, sitting, and standing) and deny visits for recreational activities even though they are a huge contributor of quality of life. Jack may be cut off after 5 visits because he had therapy earlier in the year for his knee. Jack may be scheduled at the same time as 1-2 other patients, and many of his exercises are unsupervised. Jack may also still have knee pain, but he can only be treated for his back pain. This interferes with the physical therapist’s ability to provide the highest quality of care necessary for patients to reach their goals. That is not acceptable.

The idea for my business was forged from these common issues. When a client entrusts me with their care, their goals are at the forefront. They will have my undivided attention and expertise, communication lines will be open at all times, and there will be a clear path to the return to activities they enjoy by way of the treatments that myself and the client deem useful and necessary. Hello, autonomy!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I was working in outpatient physical therapy for almost 10 years. I worked as a travel contractor, a full-time physical therapist, and a PRN employee in a few different states, so I have learned the workflow of many different clinic environments. These common themes began to arise: “see more patients”, “utilize only treatments covered by insurance”, and “no single booking”. I had my first child, and I had to return to work when she was 12 weeks old. I was lost. I was struggling to balance keeping myself healthy, pumping for my breastfed baby at work, juggling multiple patients per hour, and rushing home to spend a short time with my baby before bedtime – only to wake up and do it all over again. I felt like I was treated like a robot, and my patients were being treated like numbers So, when I became pregnant with my second child two years later, I knew something had to change. I wanted to pave my own way to allow my clients to have one-on-one, personalized care, unrestricted communication with me, convenient locations, and unlimited treatment options to reach their goals. So, PhysioFix and Perform Mobile Concierge Physical Therapy was born. I look back, and I am so proud of myself for taking the leap of faith to leave my current job, while being a mom to a toddler, pregnant with my second child, and starting up a new business. Knowing that I would be present with my children more kept me motivated to keep going. Also, knowing that I would have the ability to provide my clients with almost a decade of clinical experience and the uninterrupted time to provide it kept my vision alive.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This question is funny because I have been in the thick of motherhood for the past 3 years. So, my radius has been relatively small, and life looks really different these days. My brunch dates in Bishop Arts and nights out on Greenville have simmered. Now, I frequent family friendly restaurants with good cocktails with friends and their children. Nico’s Cocina has a patio with a play area with excellent margaritas. What better than occupied kids and tasty Mexican food? I am also into trying new coffee shops. I spent my early business planning days at Native Coffee Co, and more recently have fallen in love with George Coffee and Provisions due to their picturesque outdoor seating and proximity to a great playground. Obviously, you have to check out the aquarium, The Perot Museum, and a Dallas Stars or Mavs game in the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to make a quick shoutout to my former coworker, friend, and partner in new business ownership, Dr. Melody Coates with PhysioFix and Restore. We worked together at a previous job for over 6 years. We had the same frustrations with our job and work-life balance as new moms. Our frustrations, lead to lunch chats, our lunch chats turned into business meetings, and meetings turned into marketing events. I could not have made it through this process without her. Having someone with me through the entire process and our (almost) daily chats have been invaluable. If you are in the Lantana/Flower Mound area, I highly recommend using Melody for your physical therapy.

Website: https://www.physiofixrx.com

Instagram: @physiofixrx

Linkedin: Lauren Huffman

Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-huffman-a47512a2/

Image Credits
Baily Boone Photography