Going Direct to Employer: The Clinical (doing) Side: Part 3 – Interview with Zach Walston, DPT Clinical Lead of Second Door Health

In this episode, the third in our 3 part series with Second Door Health, we continue our exploration of innovative approaches in physical therapy with Zach, the head of clinical strategy.

Having previously discussed the foundations and business aspects with co-founders Scott and Ryan, this conversation with Zach goes deeper into the clinical implications and transformative potential of direct-to-employer healthcare services. Zach shares his extensive background and the pivotal transitions from hands-on clinical work to developing broad-scale health strategies that aim to redefine patient care.

We discuss the critical role of personalized care plans, the importance of understanding patient needs beyond the clinical environment, and how physical therapists can leverage their expertise to deliver holistic, impactful health outcomes. The discussion also covers the necessity of integrating educational outreach and behavioral health into physical therapy practice, challenging traditional treatment models.

Tune in to gain insights into how physical therapy can evolve from a service-based to a value-based profession, enhancing both patient well-being and professional satisfaction.

Episode Highlight: “”We have to sell, but as you had mentioned there, a lot of times physical therapists make the sell. If the patient doesn’t accept it, we blame them rather than thinking I may have sucked on the sale. I didn’t find out all the barriers. I didn’t deliver the right solution for them. And we need to be better about taking a step back and figuring out where did we mess up with our prescription, with our solution. That didn’t fit that individual.”


What’s Best For The Patient Is Best For Business, is a Strata Studios show that helps healthcare and physio practice owners grow & scale the financial performance of their businesses.

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