Things are starting to get "exciting" on the business side of physical therapy.

That's the report from Rob Worth, PT, DPT, LAT, president and CEO at Advanced Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine in Wisconsin. Over the past year, Worth says, his practice has seen a significant uptick in interest from employers who want to learn how physical therapy can help them better control health care costs. They don't necessarily call what they seek "value-based care," he notes, but when they decide to sign a contract with his business, that's exactly what they get.

"We provide these services potentially in one of two ways," Worth says. "Either on-site, direct-to-employer care, or in-clinic, direct-to-employer care." In both cases, employees get direct access to care provided by the company's physical therapists. "If someone has a shoulder injury, rather than going to a physician or urgent care, we go on-site or they come right to us. There's no copay, no coinsurance; they're evaluated and diagnosed, and we initiate a plan of care."