Mid-Year: What PTs Need to Get Right in 2026

About this episode

Dr. Heidi Jannenga and Dr. Larry Benz discuss the future of physical therapy amidst various challenges and innovations.

As physical therapy faces growing demand, workforce challenges, reimbursement pressures, and rapid advances in technology, many practice leaders are asking the same question: What comes next? In this episode, Dr. Heidi Jannenga sits down with Dr. Larry Benz, founder of Confluent Health, to discuss the forces reshaping the profession and why he believes physical therapy is approaching a critical inflection point. Together, they explore the rise of AI, remote therapeutic monitoring, evolving care models, and the financial realities facing practices today. Larry also shares his perspective on what it will take for physical therapy to fully embrace its role as a doctoring profession and why the decisions made over the next few years could have a lasting impact on the future of patient care. Listen in for an insightful discussion on the opportunities, challenges, and innovations shaping the next era of physical therapy. Learn more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lbenz/ https://www.webpt.com/podcast

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Heidi Jannenga

Guest: Dr. Larry Benz

Topics covered

• physical therapy
• AI in healthcare
• workforce challenges
• reimbursement pressures
• remote therapeutic monitoring
• care models
• patient care

Keywords

• physical therapy
• AI
• workforce
• reimbursement
• technology
• patient care
• healthcare

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Confluent Health, WebPT

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