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Future-Proof PT

Future-Proof PT

Written by: Dana Strauss PT DPT and Alex Bendersky PT DPT
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Want to stay ahead of the curve in physical therapy? Future Proof PT brings you straight-talking, no-nonsense conversations about what really matters in healthcare today. From dissecting policy risks and opportunities to exploring innovative practice and payment models to practical ways to accelerate your career growth, we're your go-to source for understanding the forces reshaping our profession and the healthcare industry at large.


Through candid dialogue and real-world perspectives, we're building a community of forward-thinking professionals working both in and out of direct patient care. They aren't just adapting to change – they're shaping it.


Whether you're looking to understand market dynamics or seeking professional growth, each episode delivers actionable insights that will transform how you view the future of healthcare. Come join the conversation!

Copyright 2025 Dana Strauss, PT, DPT and Alex Bendersky, PT, DPT Economics Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Episode 31: Physical Therapy is the Swiss Army Knife Profession

    Episode 31: Physical Therapy is the Swiss Army Knife Profession
    May 25 2026
    Duke's Dr. Chad Cook on the 5 things MSK therapists obsess over, and what we should be doing insteadA VA physician once told a colleague of Dr. Chad Cook's that physical therapy isn't really the movement profession, it's the Swiss Army knife profession, because PTs do a little bit of everything. Whenever no one else knows what to do, the patient gets sent to PT to "get it sorted out."Chad isn't sure he disagrees. In this episode, Chad joins Alex and Dana to walk through five sacred cows in MSK physical therapy. These are the things clinicians treat as essential that, in his view, matter far less than the profession believes, and the skills we should be leaning into instead. Chad is a tenured professor at Duke University with appointments in Orthopaedics, Population Health Sciences, and the Duke Clinical Research Institute. He's been a PT for 36 years, a health services researcher for 27, and is one of the most cited voices in our field.What we cover:Why the "movement expert" identity has limited what PT can become, and the cost of letting ourselves be bucketed as specialists when so much of what we do is primary careWhere tissue-specific diagnosis still matters (red-flag screening) and where it really doesn't (the 56 SIJ tests, the rotator cuff special-test rabbit hole)Why treatment specificity often doesn't drive outcomes, and what therapeutic ritual, contextual packaging, and alliance actually doHow the top 10% of clinicians handle session-by-session symptom fluctuation without losing the long-term trajectoryWhy social media arguments about exercise intensity and volume miss the point, and what behavior change should look like insteadPlus three threads that emerged outside the five-things framework:The case for training prognosis communication with the same rigor as diagnosis, and why patients are really looking for someone who can tell them what to expectWhat top US psychologists told Chad about the power of physical touch: "You're lucky. You can put your hands on your patients. We don't have that." — and why it's a privilege PTs underuseThe phrase from one of Chad's fibromyalgia patients that frames what he thinks PT actually is: "negotiated behavior change"Dr. Cook shares some uncomfortable numbers that we need to face to address.-75% of PT referrals never initiate,-30% drop off after the first visit,-and MSK patient outcomes have actually gotten worse over the last two decadesPlus, where Chad sees AI, digital-first care, and lifestyle medicine fitting in.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Dr. Chad Cook02:56 The Identity Crisis in Physical Therapy05:47 The Role of Physical Therapists in Primary Care08:33 The Precision Paradox in Treatment10:51 The Emotional Aspect of Diagnosis13:29 The Transition to Self-Management15:41 The Impact of Digital Health Solutions18:20 The Future of Physical Therapy28:45 Navigating Uncertainty in Healthcare30:45 The Digital Transformation of Health Systems32:08 The Role of AI in Patient Care36:51 Understanding Patient Recovery Trajectories39:36 The Importance of Prognosis in Therapy46:04 Redefining Exercise and Patient Engagement50:48 The Power of Touch in Therapy55:22 Negotiating Behavioral Change in Healthcare59:09 The Future of Physical TherapyFind the full transcript here.Related: Episode 30 with Dr. Trevor LentzAbout our Guest:Dr. Chad Cook is a tenured professor at Duke University with appointments in the Department of Orthopaedics, the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and the Department of Population Health Sciences. He is a physical therapist with more than 36 years of clinical experience, an active health services researcher, and a clinical board member for multiple healthcare organizations. Dr. Cook has been involved in securing over $16 million in external funding and has authored more than 450 peer reviewed manuscripts, 46 book chapters, and four textbooks. He has delivered over 100 keynote lectures across 40 countries.Chad’s recent article in Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy: Many Paths to Recovery: The Case for Treatment Pluralism.About the show: Future Proof PT is a podcast for physical therapists who want to think beyond the clinic, about policy, payment, identity, and the future of the profession.Hosts: Alex Bendersky and Dana StraussWant information on PT and OT reimbursement and opportunities in policy and advocacy? Read Dana's guest post series for OT Potential here: "How OTs and PTs Get Paid."Follow Dana Strauss on Linked In.Follow Alex Bendersky on Linked In.Subscribe to the Future Proof PT Linked In page.Subscribe to the Future Proof PT YouTube Channel.Subscribe to our newsletter and email list.Subscribe to our sister newsletter, Timeless Autonomy, Dana covers health policy insights and career growth tips for healthcare professionals and sends a weekly newsletter (nearly) every Sunday evening.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Episode 30: One Bad Experience with PT Loses Patients Forever with Dr. Trevor Lentz, PT, PhD, MPH

    Episode 30: One Bad Experience with PT Loses Patients Forever with Dr. Trevor Lentz, PT, PhD, MPH
    May 2 2026
    And the active ingredients in PT often aren't even physical"We have the capacity to provide a level of care that nobody else in the healthcare system does. But we're being hamstrung by the payment models." — Dr. Trevor LentzDr. Trevor Lentz of Duke University on why patients write off physical therapy after one failed attempt, what the profession is actually selling, and the payment models keeping PT from delivering its real value.In this episode, Alex Bendersky and Dana Strauss sit down with Dr. Trevor Lentz, physical therapist, researcher, and faculty at Duke University, to unpack the structural and identity challenges facing the profession.The conversation moves across patient defection, language and labeling, payment reform, phenotyping, and what it would take to build longitudinal care models that finally pay therapists for outcomes rather than volume.What you'll hear:Why a single bad round of PT loses patients for life, and why the same isn't true for dentistry or primary care.The challenge of fostering critical thinking and comfort with uncertainty in clinical education.Trevor's research on removing copays, what it actually did to costs, and what payers misunderstand about long-term value.The case that PT's active ingredients aren't physical, and why the language we use, from "assistant" to "exercise" to "blown disc," is quietly damaging the profession.How Duke's Joint Health Program built a longitudinal care model before the payment model existed.Phenotyping, tiered care, and what it means for therapists to be the quarterback of a patient's care journey.The AIM-Back trial and the Pain Navigator program, recently published in JAMA Network Open, and what it teaches about scaling non-pharmacologic care.Find the complete transcript and outline here.Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:23 Trevor's background and path to research03:00 Day-to-day at Duke03:54 Inductive vs. deductive reasoning in clinical practice05:39 The No-Copay Revolution study09:30 Horizontal vs. vertical value and the time-horizon problem12:44 Rethinking incentives and longitudinal care17:28 Why one bad PT experience ends the relationship forever20:53 The identity crisis and language problem26:57 Phenotyping and tiered, personalized care39:32 The Pain Navigator program and AIMBAC trial46:23 Navigators in the commercial space48:14 Closing: the whole-person argumentAbout the guest:Trevor Lentz, PT, PhD, MPH is an Associate Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke University and a licensed physical therapist. His work focuses on improving outcomes in musculoskeletal care by integrating behavioral and psychological factors, patient-reported outcomes, and real-world data into clinical decision-making. He leads and collaborates on pragmatic and hybrid effectiveness-implementation studies aimed at translating evidence into routine surgical and non-surgical musculoskeletal care.About the show: Future Proof PT is a podcast for physical therapists who want to think beyond the clinic, about policy, payment, identity, and the future of the profession.Hosts: Alex Bendersky and Dana StraussWant information on PT and OT reimbursement and opportunities in policy and advocacy? Read Dana's guest post series for OT Potential here: "How OTs and PTs Get Paid."Follow Dana Strauss on Linked In.Follow Alex Bendersky on Linked In.Subscribe to the Future Proof PT Linked In page.Subscribe to the Future Proof PT YouTube Channel.Subscribe to our newsletter and email list.Subscribe to our sister newsletter, Timeless Autonomy, Dana covers health policy insights and career growth tips for healthcare professionals and sends a weekly newsletter (nearly) every Sunday evening.
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    51 mins
  • Episode 29: Build a PT and OT Clinic Where Therapists Want to Work

    Episode 29: Build a PT and OT Clinic Where Therapists Want to Work
    Apr 18 2026
    Why content follows culture, and practical actions clinic owners can implement within the next 3 months.


    Find the full episode transcript here.


    Posting more isn’t a growth strategy. Kylie Williams joins us to break down why “marketing to patients” on social media is getting harder, and why the clinics that win are the ones building culture that therapists actually want to be part of. We talk retention, autonomy, flexibility, benefits that matter, and a simple “side quest” approach to content that does not derail clinical excellence.


    Kylie is a healthcare professional with 8+ years of experience in physical therapy as a PTA. Now in a non-clinical role, she focuses on industry market analysis and storytelling to help private practices grow, adapt, and stay strong in a change healthcare landscape.


    Key Topics:


    -Social media's impact on private practice growth

    -Creating a strong clinic culture to reduce turnover

    -Innovative marketing strategies for healthcare providers


    Chapters:


    00:00 Introduction to Kylie Williams

    01:36 The Importance of Culture in Physical Therapy

    05:05 Defining and Building a Positive Work Culture

    09:29 Targeting the Right Audience for Recruitment

    18:15 First Principles for Engaging New Clinicians

    23:07 The Impact of Social Media on Attention Spans

    23:40 Balancing Attention and Depth in Learning

    25:20 Navigating the Attention Economy

    26:10 Attracting Talent in a Digital Age

    27:04 Creating Value in Social Media Content

    28:27 The Challenge of Teaching Value in Social Media

    30:18 Connecting Social Media to Business Success

    32:12 Investing in Marketing Education for Therapists

    34:03 Finding Balance in Clinical and Promotional Roles

    37:15 The Role of Influencers in Modern Careers

    39:07 Empowering Clinicians to Pursue Side Projects

    40:47 The Importance of Agency in Clinical Roles

    42:36 Shifting Paradigms in Therapy Business Models

    44:40 Embracing Creativity and Optimism in Therapy


    Want information on PT and OT reimbursement and opportunities in policy and advocacy?

    Read Dana's guest post series for OT Potential here: "How OTs and PTs Get Paid."


    Follow Dana Strauss on Linked In.

    Follow Alex Bendersky on Linked In.


    Subscribe to the Future Proof PT Linked In page.

    Subscribe to the Future Proof PT YouTube Channel.

    Subscribe to our newsletter and email list for exclusive content.


    Subscribe to our sister newsletter, Timeless Autonomy, Dana covers health policy insights and career growth tips for healthcare professionals and sends a weekly newsletter every Sunday evening.
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    47 mins
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