Equipment manufacturers and suppliers can offer practices more than just the products and services they sell.

Think a relationship with manufacturers and suppliers is all about receiving sales pitches for their products and services? Think again. A growing number of physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) are discovering that vendors can be valuable partners in expanding their practices, increasing their profitability, improving patient compliance, and even achieving better patient outcomes.

Jeff Leatherman, PT, gives this example: "When I buy equipment, I love it when the vendor helps us effectively implement the new product or service. I purchase many products and supplies from 1 vendor who knows how evidence-based our practice has become. She will search the literature for support and so that I can best better convey the information to the patient."