Fit Pros and the Healthcare Continuum
Using a data-driven approach supports outcomes and may increase referrals.
Many fitness professionals are evaluating how to update their revenue models in light of the pandemic’s disruptive influence. Of equal importance, many people want fitness facilities to be designated as “essential” businesses. Experts agree that a good pathway for this is to emphasize the role of training in promoting health.
One business pioneer, Dennis Mathias, has long advocated for fitness professionals playing a role in the healthcare continuum. He adopted an approach that not only drew the attention of local healthcare providers but also resulted in his business becoming part of a referral modality for a network of 102 primary care physicians in his community. Mathias notes that a key to his success was a 6-year effort he spent developing an activity coaching system that uses fitness technology to collect exercise data. A patient’s data is then sent to a coach’s dashboard, allowing the coach to manage the patient’s activity on a personalized level.
“Since [our program] is data-driven, the program is designed to [promote] outcomes, which is what got the attention of our PCP network,” Mathias explains. To see a video about his methodology, go to bit.ly/3gWgPaq.
Learn more about this model at remotetrainingsystems.com.
See also: Health and Wellness Coaching Approved as Healthcare Service
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
