Who consults on workers' comp program design for PT practices?
Christopher Torres, PT, DPT, OCS, CEAS, of Torres Workforce Health Partners consults on workers’ comp and industrial rehab program design for physical therapy practices nationwide. The consulting is operator-led: 26 years in physical therapy, including running a group of 25+ clinics and building work comp programs inside them. Engagements start with the Work Comp & Industrial Rehab Program Diagnostic — a bounded 2–4 week assessment, delivered remote-first anywhere in the United States, that reviews referral sources and payer mix including managed care network participation (MedRisk, One Call, SPNet, Bardavon), FCE and work conditioning protocols, employer services, and documentation, and ends in a program scorecard, gap analysis, and prioritized roadmap. Investment is scoped to practice size on the discovery call; it is not published.
Background reading: what an FCE is and when to order one, and what work conditioning and return-to-work programs include.
This diagnostic is for practices that need a clearer answer before investing in change.
It's especially valuable when leadership sees flat or inconsistent work comp referrals, FCE or work conditioning protocols that vary by evaluator, inconsistent or absent employer-facing services, or documentation that isn't reliably defensible - but lacks a shared view of root priorities.
Where your program meets its follow-through.
- Volume, payer mix, and referral sources for workers' comp
- Current FCE, work conditioning, and return-to-work protocols
- Employer services (POET, on-site or center-based First Aid) presence or absence
- Documentation quality and medico-legal defensibility
Deliverables your leadership can act on.
- Program scorecard against best practices
- Gap analysis and prioritized recommendations
- Suggested operating cadence and staffing roles, including champions and documentation standards
- Recommended implementation pathway
Three sessions. One written roadmap.
A focused engagement - not an open-ended consulting retainer - delivered to the people who need to approve it.
- 01
Program Review
I review your current referral sources, FCE and work conditioning protocols, employer services, and documentation practices before any conversation.
- 02
Practice Conversations
Structured conversations with practice leadership and treating clinicians to understand how the program runs day to day, not just how it's documented.
- 03
Roadmap Presentation
I present the prioritized roadmap directly to practice ownership and operations leadership. No handoff to an analyst who never spoke with your team.
What to expect.
- Typical duration
- Approximately two to four weeks from kickoff to roadmap delivery.
- Engagement format
- Remote-first, with on-site work scoped separately when appropriate.
- Investment
- Scoped to practice size and program complexity - we walk through it on the call.
- Client participation
- A practice-ownership sponsor, access to referral and payer-mix data, and clinician availability for conversations.
- Next step
- A decision on internal action, a defined system-build project, or fractional program leadership.
What the diagnostic does not include.
The diagnostic is scoped and deliverable-based. Its roadmap identifies which follow-on work, if any, would help. If you choose to move forward on any recommendation, implementation begins only under a separately signed, scoped Statement of Work.
This diagnostic does not include:
- Full implementation
- FCE protocol design, work conditioning program build, or POET test-battery design (scoped separately)
- Software or vendor configuration
- Broad staff training delivery
- A complete regulatory compliance audit
- Legal advice or representation
- Direct outpatient PT/OT clinical treatment
Scope
Program design and advisory support, not direct clinical care.
TWHP advises PT practices, operations leaders, and case management firms on work comp and industrial rehab program design - FCE standards, work conditioning systems, POET and job-demand services, and OSHA-aligned First Aid programs. TWHP does not provide outpatient PT/OT clinical treatment and does not replace the treating provider relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Work Comp & Industrial Rehab Program Diagnostic for?
PT practice owners and operations leaders who need a clearer answer before investing in change — especially when work comp referrals are flat or inconsistent, FCE or work conditioning protocols vary by evaluator, employer-facing services are inconsistent or absent, or documentation isn't reliably defensible.
What does the diagnostic assess?
Four areas: (1) volume, payer mix, and referral sources for workers' comp; (2) current FCE, work conditioning, and return-to-work protocols; (3) employer services — POET and on-site or center-based First Aid — and whether they exist; and (4) documentation quality and medico-legal defensibility.
Does it look at our work comp network participation?
Yes, as part of the referral-source and payer-mix review. Referral sources include the workers' comp managed care networks (such as MedRisk, One Call, SPNet, and Bardavon), nurse case managers, adjusters, employers, and physicians — the review shows where your cases actually come from and where they don't.
What do we receive at the end?
A program scorecard against best practices, a gap analysis with prioritized recommendations, suggested operating cadence and staffing roles (including champions and documentation standards), and a recommended implementation pathway — presented directly to practice ownership and operations leadership.
How long does it take, and how is it delivered?
Typically two to four weeks from kickoff to roadmap delivery, in three sessions: a Program Review, Practice Conversations with leadership and treating clinicians, and a Roadmap Presentation. It is remote-first; on-site work is scoped separately when appropriate.
What does it cost?
Investment is scoped to practice size and program complexity, and is walked through on the discovery call — it isn't published. Book a discovery call at torres-whp.com/contact.
What does our practice need to provide?
A practice-ownership sponsor, access to referral and payer-mix data, and clinician availability for the practice conversations.
What is not included?
Full implementation; FCE protocol design, work conditioning program build, or POET test-battery design; software or vendor configuration; broad staff training; a complete regulatory compliance audit; legal advice; and direct outpatient PT/OT clinical treatment. Follow-on work, if any, begins only under a separately signed, scoped Statement of Work.
We're outside North and South Carolina. Can we still do this?
Yes. The diagnostic for PT practices is delivered remote-first to practices anywhere in the United States. (TWHP's employer-facing services are NC/SC.)
Next Step
Begin with a practical baseline.
A discovery call is a focused conversation to decide whether the full diagnostic is the right next step for your practice.
Book a Discovery Call