For physical therapy clinics
Websites and booking for physical therapy clinics.
PT patients arrive through commercial insurance, Medicare, workers' comp, auto claims, or cash pay, and each path needs different paperwork. Then the hard part starts: keeping them in their plan of care once it hurts a little less. We build websites and booking for all of it.
Knee pain · new patient
Evaluation
60 minutes · with a named PT
Benefits
Verified · copay shown before the visit
Authorized visits
8 of 12 used · warning before the last
Follow up
45 minutes · twice a week
Home exercise program
Sent to the patient's app
Cash and insured prices shown before booking.
Heard at the front desk
The same questions, all day.
Every one of these is a phone call, a DM, or a reception queue. A good website and booking system answers them before anyone has to pick up the phone.
- Do I need a referral?
- Are you in network with my insurance?
- What will my copay be?
- Do you offer dry needling?
- Can I come in before work?
The workflow
How a patient moves through your clinic.
Seven steps, from the first search to the next visit. At each one: what happens, where it usually goes wrong, and what we build to fix it.
01 / 07 Finding help
Found for the problem, not the profession
Patients search a problem, like knee pain after running, and often do not know they can see a PT directly.
Where it goes wrong: The site lists services, not problems, and never explains direct access in your state.
What we build
A page for every common problem, plus a plain answer on whether they need a referral.
google / searchknee pain from running physical therapy near meyourptclinic.com › conditions › runners-knee
Runner's knee · Your PT Clinic
Knee pain when you run? See a physical therapist, often without a referral. In network and cash options.
healthinfo.example › knee-pain
Knee pain: causes and care
General information on knee pain.
02 / 07 Booking
A booking path for every payer
Commercial insurance, Medicare, workers' comp, auto claims, or cash pay, each needing different details.
Where it goes wrong: Everyone books the same way, and the front desk untangles it afterwards.
What we build
Separate booking paths by payer, each asking only for what it needs.
booking / new patientHow are you paying?
Payer
Commercial insuranceInsurance card
Photo uploadedReferral
Not required in your stateInjury
Not work relatedVisit
EvaluationTherapist
Any, or choose oneChoose a time03 / 07 Authorization
Never treat past the authorization
Many plans limit visits or require prior authorization before care continues.
Where it goes wrong: Visits run past what was authorized, and the claim is denied.
What we build
Authorized visits counted as they happen, with a warning before the last one.
episodes / knee-0412Authorized: 12 visits
Evaluation
Done
Visits 2 to 8
Done
Visit 9
Booked Thursday · 3 left after this
Re-authorization
Reminder set for the PT
04 / 07 Evaluation
Outcomes you can show payers
Evaluation, outcome measures, goals, and a plan of care.
Where it goes wrong: Notes, scores, and goals live in different places.
What we build
One record for outcomes and the plan of care, ready for the payer or referring provider.
episodes / outcomesOutcome measures
Knee · evaluation vs week 4
- Pain score6 → 3In range
- Function score48 → 71In range
- Return to runningWeek 6 goalIn range
Pulled straight into the progress note.
05 / 07 Plan of care
Patients who finish the plan
Visits over several weeks, with a home exercise program in between.
Where it goes wrong: Patients drop off after a few visits, once it hurts a little less.
What we build
Home exercises and rebooking prompts in the patient's app.
app / my programThis week
Wall sits
3 sets · logged today
Step downs
3 sets · logged today
Calf raises
Due this evening
Next visit
Not booked yet · reminder sent
06 / 07 Discharge
Notes and claims that keep up
A discharge summary for the referring provider, and claims for the payer.
Where it goes wrong: Summaries typed from scratch, and claims chased for weeks.
What we build
Discharge summaries drafted from the notes, claims raised as visits happen.
episodes / dischargeEpisode of care
Commercial · self referred
EvaluationTreatmentSummaryBilledSummary drafted from the notes, checked and signed by the PT.
07 / 07 Coming back
From patient to member
Wellness programs, cash pay sessions, and the next injury.
Where it goes wrong: No contact after discharge, so the next injury goes elsewhere.
What we build
Cash pay programs and classes with online booking and check ins.
classes / strength programReturn to running · Thursdays
6:30a12:00p5:30p6:45pPaid online, with capacity limits and a waitlist.
Numbers we design around
- allows some direct access to PT
- Every state
- allows some direct access to PT
- Many add limits on time or visits, so tell patients what applies in yours.
- typical evaluation
- 60 min
- typical evaluation
- Evaluations run longer than follow ups, so they need their own booking type.
- plan of care certified
- Medicare
- plan of care certified
- Medicare patients need a plan of care certified by a physician or other qualified provider.
Laws & regulations
The rules, built in.
PT clinics answer to their state practice act, to Medicare if they see Medicare patients, and to every payer's contract, on top of federal privacy and advertising rules.
- State PT boards
State practice acts and direct access
Source (opens in a new tab): APTA, Direct access advocacyWhat it saysEvery state allows patients some direct access to physical therapy without a referral, but many add limits, such as a time or visit cap before a referral is needed.
What we build inBooking that tracks visits or days against your state's direct access limits.
- CMS
Medicare plan of care certification
Source (opens in a new tab): 42 CFR 424.24: requirements for medical and other health servicesWhat it saysFor Medicare patients, outpatient therapy needs a plan of care certified by a physician or other qualified practitioner.
What we build inCertification status tracked per Medicare patient, with reminders before it lapses.
- Health plans
Payer authorization and visit limits
What it saysMany plans require prior authorization or limit the number of visits, and care beyond the authorization may not be paid.
What we build inAuthorized visits counted as they happen, with a warning before the last one.
- FTC
Health claims
Source (opens in a new tab): 15 U.S. Code § 45: unfair or deceptive acts or practicesWhat it saysClaims that a treatment helps a condition need competent and reliable scientific evidence.
What we build inCondition pages written in measured terms, without promised recovery times.
- HHS · OCR
HIPAA for booking and home exercise apps
Source (opens in a new tab): 45 CFR Part 164: HIPAA Security, Breach Notification, and Privacy RulesWhat it saysBooking details, notes, and home exercise data tied to a patient are protected health information.
What we build inPatient apps and portals on HIPAA eligible hosting, with no third party trackers.
A plain English summary, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the source and take advice from your regulator, indemnity provider, or clinical lead.
Every rule for physical therapy clinics, and what it means for your websiteThe software you may be using
Good software, wrong fit?
Most PT clinics run on an EMR built for rehab therapy, with a separate home exercise tool. The question is not whether they work, but whether they work the way your clinic does.
Rehab therapy EMRs
- WebPT
- Prompt Health
- Raintree
Good at
Documentation, scheduling, billing, and claims, built for therapy.
May not fit if
You want booking that works differently by payer, or a website and patient experience that looks like your clinic.
A custom website, booking front end, and patient app connected to your EMR, which stays the clinical record.
Home exercise programs
- MedBridge
- Physitrack
Good at
Large exercise libraries with videos, and adherence tracking.
May not fit if
You would rather patients had one app with your name on it, for booking, payments, and exercises together.
Exercises built into your own patient app alongside booking and rebooking.
Cash programs the manual way
- Spreadsheets
- Group texts
Good at
Free and quick to start.
May not fit if
Classes fill up, payments get missed, and nobody knows who is on the waitlist.
Online booking for cash programs, with payments, capacity limits, and a waitlist.
Product names belong to their owners, and we are not affiliated with any of them. Every clinic is different, so we only recommend replacing software when it is genuinely holding you back.
Before and after
The same day, done differently.
Insurance details
Today: Taken over the phone on the day
With a system built for you: Collected at booking, card photo and all
Visit limits
Today: Found out when the claim is denied
With a system built for you: Tracked live, with a warning before they run out
Home exercises
Today: Printed sheets that get lost
With a system built for you: Videos and reminders in the patient's app
Discharge summaries
Today: Typed from scratch
With a system built for you: Drafted from the notes, checked by the PT
Cash programs
Today: A spreadsheet and a group text
With a system built for you: Booked and paid online, with capacity limits
What we build
Built around how you work.
Hizmedia built AiwasLabs around how we actually work: the shop, the bookings, patient accounts, and a report parser our doctors use every day. Reports that used to be retyped by hand now go out in minutes, and more of our visitors book since launch. It feels like our own system, not software we rent.
AiwasLabsHome and clinic blood testing, UK- Booking conversions, after UX and journey mapping
- +35%
- Lighthouse performance score
- 90+
- Admin for products, bookings, reports, and fulfilment
- 1
Further reading
Guides for physical therapy.
- 01Custom clinic software: when is a system worth it?Guides · 7 min read
- 02Does your clinic need an app, or just a better website?Guides · 4 min read
- 03Custom clinic system vs WordPress: which should your clinic build on?Comparisons · 5 min read
- 04How patients find clinics in AI search, not just GoogleSEO & AI · 5 min read
The next step
Ready for a fuller diary?
Tell us how your clinic runs today and where it hurts. We will map your workflow and tell you plainly what we would build, what we would connect, and what we would leave alone.
Common questions.
Yes. Commercial, Medicare, workers' comp, auto, and cash pay patients each get their own booking path, asking only for what that payer needs.
Yes. Enter the number authorized and the system counts visits as they happen, warns you before the last one, and reminds you to request more if the patient needs them.
Yes. When our work involves storing or handling protected health information, we sign a business associate agreement with you, and we build on hosting and vendors that will sign one with us too.
No. Often the best answer is to keep your current system as the record and build the website, booking, or patient portal around it, connected where it offers an API. We only suggest replacing something when it is genuinely holding you back, and we will tell you plainly which is which.
Practice websites start from $4,000. Booking systems, patient portals, and online stores start from $8,000. You get the exact figure before any work begins, with no surprises at the end.