Ep885 | One More Reason For You To Focus On Longevity

Longevity, Cash PT, and Skating Where the Puck Is Going

In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Doc Danny talks about why he keeps coming back to one big theme: longevity. He looks at how the market around proactive health, functional medicine, and long-term performance is exploding and why cash-based clinics are perfectly positioned to play a major role. If you want to move beyond “fix the injury and discharge” and build an ongoing longevity offer, this episode lays out the opportunity and the mindset behind it.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why patient experience is a competitive edge in cash-based practices
• How Claire gives you an operational advantage your patients can actually feel
• Why Danny has always tried to “skate where the puck is going” in healthcare
• How cash-based PT went from rare to common in a decade
• Why functional medicine and longevity clinics are booming
• The role PTs can play as movement-focused, accountability-driven “quarterbacks”
• How one training partner’s transformation turned into a walking case study
• Why generational health change makes this work bigger than a single patient
• Ways to start building or partnering into a longevity offer inside your clinic

Claire: The Patient-Experience Edge in a Cash Practice

Danny opens by talking about what really matters in a cash-based clinic: patient experience. When people are paying out of pocket, they notice everything.

He makes a simple comparison:

• While your competitors step out mid-session to catch up on notes, you stay fully engaged.
• While they stay late at the clinic finishing documentation, you are following up with patients and planning their next visits.

That is the competitive edge Claire gives you. Claire is PT Biz’s AI scribe, trained specifically for physical therapists. It handles your documentation instantly in the background, so your time and attention stay on your patient, not on your EMR.

The result:

• Better in-room experience
• Better retention and follow-up
• Smoother, more efficient operations

Try Claire free for 7 days: https://meetclaire.ai

Skating Where the Puck Is Going

Danny has always tried to pay attention to where health and wellness are headed, not just where they are today.

Back in 2014, when he and his wife opened Athlete’s Potential in Atlanta, cash-based PT clinics were rare. He only knew of one other in the city, but he saw more and more of them popping up on the West Coast, especially in California. That was his signal that a trend was forming.

Fast forward more than a decade and there are now dozens of cash-based clinics in Atlanta alone. Many of them are true businesses with teams, multiple locations, and the kind of systems that support seven-figure revenue and even sales to private equity or hospital groups.

That bet — skating to where the puck was going — paid off.

The Next Wave: Longevity and Proactive Health

Now, Danny sees a similar wave building around longevity and proactive healthcare.

He shares the story of a training partner he has worked out with for the past couple of years. Together they have tracked:

• Blood panels year over year
• Body composition with tools like InBody
• Sleep and recovery data using wearables like Whoop

The changes in that friend’s biomarkers, physical capacity, and day-to-day energy have been dramatic. Friends who have known him for years almost do not recognize how much healthier and more capable he is.

That kind of transformation is exactly what more people are starting to want. And the broader market is responding.

Functional Medicine and Longevity Are Booming

Danny points to the rapid growth of functional medicine, lifestyle medicine, and longevity-focused services as a sign this is not a fad.

He has seen:

• Naturopathic and functional medicine clinics expanding quickly
• Providers leaving hospital systems to start proactive, integrative practices
• High-end gyms and programs charging tens of thousands per year for bundled health, testing, training, and recovery

When he first looked for a functional medicine provider in Atlanta, there was one very expensive option. Today there are multiple. Even family members of his who were deeply rooted in traditional medical systems have shifted into functional and lifestyle medicine because they want to help people earlier, not just when they show up critically ill.

The PT’s Role in the Longevity Ecosystem

Danny is clear: he is not saying physical therapists should try to become functional medicine doctors.

Instead, he sees a natural lane where PTs can win:

• Movement and musculoskeletal health experts
• Accountability partners who help people actually implement changes
• Educators who can translate research and trends into safe, practical steps

He has already tested this in small ways at Athlete’s Potential — reviewing blood panels, talking through sleep data, adjusting training, and updating exercise programs over months and years as patients move from “out of pain” to “performing and staying healthy.”

For some people, that relationship has lasted for years, shifting from acute rehab to long-term physical and lifestyle coaching.

Blue Ocean: Ongoing Longevity Coaching for the Right People

Danny describes this longevity space as a “blue ocean” for the right clinics:

• There are more and more people who want proactive help with their health.
• There are relatively few trustworthy, movement-focused providers offering it in a structured way.

He draws a line between evidence-based functional and lifestyle medicine providers and more fringe offerings that are heavy on hype and light on science. A clinical background, understanding of research, and experience with musculoskeletal care give PTs a strong foundation to cut through the noise for their patients.

And you do not have to do it alone. You can:

• Build your own longevity-style continuity offer inside your clinic, or
• Partner with functional medicine or lifestyle medicine providers and stay focused on movement, strength, and physical capacity.

Generational Health Change

One of the most powerful parts of Danny’s story is the ripple effect he has seen in his training partner’s life.

By changing his own habits — training, sleep, stress management, nutrition — that friend has also influenced his entire family and friend group. Kids see what their parents do and assume it is normal. Friends see what someone has done for their health and start asking questions.

Danny calls this “generational health change.” You are not just helping one person feel better. You are changing what feels normal for the people around them, including their kids.

From “Your Knee Feels Better” to “What Do You Want Life to Look Like at 80?”

So what does this look like in a practical way inside your clinic?

Danny suggests starting with a simple shift in conversation once an injury is under control:

• Talk about how long they want to be functional and independent.
• Ask what they want life to look like in their 70s and 80s.
• Use the older adults you have seen on both ends of the spectrum as examples.

From there, you can start to build ongoing support — programming, check-ins, movement testing, and education — that helps them move toward that long-term vision instead of just away from short-term pain.

Is Longevity a Fit for Your Clinic?

Danny is not saying every clinic has to add a longevity offer. If you like what you are doing now and your business is healthy, that is okay.

But he does believe this is where a big part of the market is heading. People are more aware, more curious, and more willing to invest in staying capable longer. For clinics that want to play in that space, now is the time to start paying attention and experimenting.

Resources Mentioned

• Try Claire free for 7 days: https://meetclaire.ai
• Talk with a PT Biz advisor about your clinic and offers: https://vip.physicaltherapybiz.com/discovery-call
• Join the free PT Biz Part Time to Full Time 5-Day Challenge: https://physicaltherapybiz.com/challenge