One Bad Experience with PT Loses Patients Forever with Dr. Trevor Lentz, PT, PhD, MPH

Find the full transcript and complete outline here: https://zd.lc/vKmGN Dr. 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. For therapists thinking about where the profession is headed. "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 Lentz 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: 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. *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. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Trevor Lentz 02:40 The Journey from Practice to Research 04:50 Creating Critical Thinkers in Physical Therapy 07:22 The No Copay Revolution: Changing Access to Therapy 09:55 Understanding Economic Utilization in Therapy 12:44 Longitudinal Care Models in Physical Therapy 14:50 Changing Perceptions of Physical Therapy 17:02 The Language of Physical Therapy and Its Impact 19:49 Outcomes Over Interventions in Therapy 25:50 Reimagining Therapy: A Patient-Centric Approach 29:39 Phenotyping: Understanding Patient Needs 35:15 The Role of Pain Navigators in Care 39:56 Navigating Non-Pharmacologic Treatments 45:20 The Future of Navigator Programs in Healthcare 50:24 findingaway.mp3 About 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 (and occupational) therapists who want to think beyond the clinic, about policy, payment, identity, and the future of the profession. Podcast version here: https://zd.lc/UGNYJ Follow Trevor Lentz on LinkedIn:   / trevor-lentz-20647757   Follow Dana Strauss on LinkedIn:   / danastraussdpt   Follow Alex Bendersky on LinkedIn:   / alexbenderskydpt   #patientexperience #healthcarepolicy #physicaltherapy #physiotherapy #healthtech