Facility Spotlight: Blue Wave Physical Therapy

This month we are excited to shine our facility spotlight on Catherine Courtney, PT, MPT, and her facility Blue Wave Physical Therapy and Wellness Center (Metairie, LA). Catherine partnered with her sister, a massage therapist, and opened Blue Wave PT one year ago. They both grew up loving to swim, and getting into the water at the beach. Their love of water is what gave them the idea for the business. Instead of investing in a static pool that comes with a very big price tag, Catherine and her sister decided to take the business plan they had and purchase a freestanding  HydroWorx 350 to test the waters and see if they could make their dream a reality.

Blue Wave PT is mostly a cash-pay business and has a patient mix that includes Medicare patients, weekend warriors, and high school athletes. Their typical patient is:

• A female who is 55-65 years old
• Looking to stay active while also starting to slow down
• Suffering from normal aches and pains and the water helps them workout without pain
• Suffering from chronic back pain and post-surgical back pain

Healing the Community

Catherine saw a need for a cash-based practice in her community because:

• The community has larger health systems rather than smaller practices.
• There was a lack of independent treatment programs and options for clients in the local area.
• The larger health systems have long waiting lists to get into the aquatics programs.

Many of the large healthcare systems in Catherine’s area have long waiting lists to get into the aquatics program. Several of her patients found her online and took her information to their doctors, asking if they could be referred to Blue Wave PT. When patients complete their therapy, Catherine sends them back to their doctor for a final check-up. This has allowed her to develop some relationships with local doctors who have continued to refer patients to her practice. This is crucial for Blue Wave PT because they rely on word-of-mouth marketing in conjunction with marketing on their website and hosting seminars.

Catherine attributes her success to having the aquatic therapy niche which allows her to differentiate from the other physical therapy clinics. Having the pool at her facility has:

• Helped generate a lot more interest, specifically in their aquatic program
• Piqued the interest of the doctors who receive feedback from their patients
• Helped bring people in the door and expanded the wellness program that keeps people coming back even when their physical therapy has officially ended.

During this first year of business, Blue Wave PT has utilized aquatic therapy and a HydroWorx 350 to help shape and grow the business. The facility has been even able to continue using the aquatic therapy system during the current pandemic because the patients feel safe in the sanitized water and they are in an isolated and relaxing environment during their workout sessions.