Meet JM Skinner | Physical Therapist, Trainer, & Wellness Coach

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

Hi JM, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
A lot of it was wanting to provide a better physical therapy product to my patients. I thought if I started my own clinic and cut insurance out of my model, then I wouldn’t have to see 15 people/day. I could spend more time with each patient, and avoid diluting the product of physical therapy. My hope was that people would get better in less visits, they would get more personalized plans of care, and the connection between practitioner and patient would be stronger.

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 have a cash basedphysical therapy clinic. That simply means I’m not in network with insurance companies. I chose this because declining insurance reimbursement rates have caused most PT clinics to have to co-treat multiple patients at the same time and/or treat excessive amounts of people daily, which ultimately dilutes the product that physical therapy provides. So not having to appeal to insurance companies allows me to treat exactly how I feel will best benefit the patient. Addtionally insurance companies frequently deny the more performance based therapies that I, and other fitness forward PT’s, offer.

This wasn’t easy to do, as a lot of people aren’t used to paying out of pocket for physical therapy. But as I began treating people, they saw the value of what I offer, they referred their friends, and their friends referred friends, etc. and it just kind of grew organically from there. There were definitely some (and still are some) lean months, but it has grown steadily over the past year, and I love the freedom to treat how I want.

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?
Horestooth for the views then JJ’s Pizza for Pizza and a frozen marg!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Practically speaking, I read a book by Danny Matta, another cash pay physical therapist, that really pushed me over the edge to jump in and start my own practice. It was motivating and informative on how to do so, but also knowing myself, I would always look back and regret if I didnt at least try to start my own thing made me want to take the risk. But my biggest influence was my dad, who started his own business around 20 years ago after he was laid off from a different job. I saw how much he enjoyed working for himself, how he was able to make a difference in the local community, and how it provided for my family; it just made me proud and really stoked my entrepreneurial spirit.

Website: www.renovophysicaltherapy.com

Instagram: @renovopt