If your clinic is doing manual follow-up, tracking leads in spreadsheets, or relying on memory to move people forward, you are making this harder than it needs to be.
In this episode, Jeremy breaks down the four foundational automations every physical therapy clinic needs, whether you're seeing a few patients on the side or running a multi-location operation. These are not advanced funnels or flashy tools. These are the automations that consistently turn more leads into patients and make clinic life significantly easier.
Automation software is cheaper, easier, and more flexible than ever. There is no reason clinic owners should still be doing manual follow-up or letting leads sit untouched for hours or days.
The ROI on automation is massive because it:
Whether you're solo, part-time, or managing a large team, these four automations form the foundation of a scalable clinic.
This is the most important automation in your entire system.
Any time someone fills out a form, clicks an ad, or inquires about services, follow-up must happen immediately. Speed-to-lead is the single biggest factor in turning inquiries into patients.
This automation should include:
Waiting hours or days to respond makes scaling nearly impossible. Automation ensures every lead is contacted fast, even when you're busy.
An opportunity is any lead that has taken a real step forward, typically by booking a discovery call.
Between booking that call and deciding to move forward, patients have questions. This automation exists to answer them before they ever show up.
The opportunity drip typically runs for about 14 days and should:
This is especially critical for cash-based clinics where education is required before commitment.
Once someone becomes a patient, automation should continue.
This automation typically runs for 90 days and supports the entire initial plan of care. Its goals are to improve retention, generate referrals, and prepare patients for continuity.
This sequence often includes:
The key is to start talking about continuity before the last session, not during it.
Every clinic has lost leads and lost patients. Most clinics ignore them.
Any lead or patient who doesn't move forward should be enrolled in a lost patient automation. This can be as simple or advanced as your clinic allows.
At a minimum, this should include:
When done well, this alone can reactivate multiple patients per month without spending more on ads.
Jeremy explains why traditional "set it and forget it" SMS automation is losing effectiveness.
Text messaging is personal. Poor automation feels robotic and annoying.
The future is conversational AI that:
This approach improves engagement without burning your list.
The biggest mistake clinics make is using generic CRM templates.
Every automation in this system must be customized to:
A templated CRM is barely better than no CRM at all.
If you want help setting up these four automations or learning how they apply to your clinic, the Patch team walks through this on a free strategy call.
👉 Book a free strategy call with Patch
The goal isn't more software. It's a system that runs your follow-up so you don't have to.
If you want a clinic that scales without burning you out, automation is not optional.
Start with these four. Everything else builds on top.
