3 Ways to Charge Higher Prices as a Health Professional

There was a recent article that came out from the Australian Physiotherapy Association that talked about the standard physiotherapy rate across Australia. One of the key findings was that physiotherapy services should be billed at approximately $261/hour, and that most physiotherapy practices were undervaluing themselves.

You can read the full article here.

This is not a hit piece on the article - but I do have some points of criticism that I want to address first, before I get into the crux of this blog. 

1. Most physiotherapy practices know their rates should increase. Half the article talks about what most of them already know. They're underpaid. Overworked. This is not news.

2. Physiotherapists bring a lot of value to their patients - but this is not defined. It is simply lumped into 'quality of life.'

3. There are no practical steps to help physiotherapists or practices learn how to actually increase their rates. 

If you've read my book at all, you'll know that I absolutely hate fluff. A lot of words that are vague with zero practical utility is an absolute waste of time.

Now don't get me wrong, I do think there is good to come out of this article - and that is for physiotherapists to finally realise that raising prices is a non-negotiable to career and practise sustainability. 

But how?!?!?!? Welp, this is what I'm going to cover on this article and I'm going to use one of my clients, 99 Physio aka Jonathan Lau who since working with me in February 2025, has increased his prices from $99/30 minute consult to $149. If he has two back to back patients, he'll be billing $298 per hour which is above the recommended APA guideline of $261. 

It took us 8 months to get here - so let's dive in.

There are actually many things you can do to increase your prices, but for the purposes of this article, I'm only going to focus on one thing - because whether you're a first year or a seasoned decade veteran, understanding this concept will help you understand a fundamental element of pricing HIGHER.

Perceived value.

First off, what is perceived value? There are a few ways to define it - but to keep matters simple, perceived value is what the patient finds helpful/useful. Anything that is not useful to some extent is not valuable - and if it isn't valuable, even if it's priced far cheaper than what it's worth... no one will buy it.

For example, famous artworks mean nothing to me. If no one told me a Picasso painting was worth $2 million, you couldn't even PAY me to put it in my house. I'm not an art person. However, you can create perceived value right away for me, even though I'm not an art person. And this is how you do it.

You tell me the art is worth $2 million, and you sell it to me for $100,000. I still don't want it for the art. But, if I believe you, and I have done my due diligence, I now know I can sell this back out to make a $1.9 million profit. Now I see value. See how that works? Perceived value is what is useful to the patient. That is all. 

With Jonathan, there were three key milestones we needed to hit before he was ready to charge $149/consult.

They were:

1. Refining his treatment approach
2. Developing the PREMIUM feel
3. Establishing his insight

Refining his Treatment Approach
If I asked you - explain to me in 3 steps how you would rehabilitate chronic lower back pain, could you do it?

Most clinicians actually can't. They'll say something like 'oh well it's multifactorial and we'd start off with assessments before moving onto some functional...' As an ex-physio myself, I know what you're saying.

But if you were a patient, do you derive ANY value from that? Remember - value is what is useful for me. And that type of information is not very useful. 

Suppose you answered like this though: With chronic back pain - we take a three-step process. In step 1, we analyse how you walk to determine how your lower back is moving. In step 2, we work on the specific joint areas that are restricted. And in step 3, we use strength training to build muscle to support your lower back. 

If you had to choose between the two, which option would you rather be explained to your mum?

Yep, it's probably the second one. Let's break down what value can be derived from this. 

a) It's clear and concise - less room for confusion
b) There's a clear treatment approach - you are now more inherently valuable than other clinicians that say the same thing
c) There's a roadmap to success - patients are looking for CLARITY. Now they know a way to get to full recovery.

By focusing on his treatment approach, and articulating it clearly in his consults - patients bought in to HIM more, AND his prices.

Developing the PREMIUM Feel
When someone pays a higher price than market - it's part 'this makes sense' and part 'this feels right.' 

For example, when you walk into a 5-star hotel, besides the fact it's called a 5-star hotel, you feel that it's justified right? The interior design is flawless. The staff are polite and friendly. The concierge is ready to answer every call. Your room smells nice. There's barely a stain on the sheets. You get a nice city view. You get fresh towels with complimentary shampoo. They might even leave some wine for you on the bed. And if you're a newly wed, they leave flowers on the bed. 

None of this is requested. It is simply an extension of the premium feel they give off. Suppose you stayed at a 5 star hotel and it was damp, dirty and staff were rude. Would you pay? Hell nah. They'd be out of business very soon. 

But I bet you've wondered this: there are friendly 3-star hotel owners everywhere, some of them have even BETTER service than 5 star hotels. So why aren't they charging 5 star prices?

Because if service remains equal - what's left is the environment. The physical environment creates the 'feeling' of a premium establishment. The colours, the furniture, the decor, the scent, the temperature on your skin... all of these play a HUGE part in how a person FEELS the moment they walk into the establishment.

But how is that useful you ask?

Unlike the previous example, where it's obvious a clear treatment plan is useful...

What's useful here is how it makes the patient feel. They feel relaxed. Comfortable. Like they're in a good place. It is an experiential preference that they can only articulate by being in there. If you've ever walked into your local GP - it feels like a medical room. It feels sick. But if you walk into well-made yoga studio, it feels relaxed, safe and comforting.

Jonathan took this concept and invested in a completely new clinic space that included a wide view of the Sydney harbour bridge, nicely designed chairs and furniture (with some tidbits that are secret), open spaces to create an 'expansive' feeling and colours that focused on downregulation of the nervous system. You can see his clinic space on his website here.

Here's the trade-off; Jonathan inherently takes more risk because his investment is now MUCH higher. To rent a new space, and to invest in interior design is a high investment strategy that doesn't guarantee results. However, he's consistently booked up to 45+ patients a week now because bit the bullet. 

In the same way, 5-star hotels have a HUGE initial investment compared to a 3-star hotel. If you want to charge higher prices, you need to invest more. To take on more risk. If you can't do that - then you probably can't charge higher.

Establishing his Insight
The last point of this article (and by no means the least important), was to establish his insight. This doesn't mean he talks down to patients and says 'he knows it all.' Rather, establishing insight comes from backing what you say, your treatment approaches, your unique views on rehab, and what makes you an expert in your space.

For Jonathan, his unique expertise comes from his days as a competitive bodybuilder, as well as the blend of exercise physiology AND physiotherapy. This gives him a unique view that provides insight to rehab and training that other physios just aren't able to, or willing to provide. 

One example I can give you is his ability to treat sciatica in patients. He uses a glute dominant approach, but not just from something generic like bodyweight glute bridges. He regularly posts content about elevated reverse split squats (which I rarely see in the rehab population) and heavy stiff legged deadlifts (which I also rarely see). This is only possible because he trains hard himself and his bodybuilding expertise gives him particular insight as to how best to load the glutes for a specific problem.

Furthermore, he consistently talks to his patients about factors far removed from traditional rehab school. As someone who engages regularly with life coaches and mindset courses, he brings another unique perspective into his consults. He's not 'just' a physio, but he's also the physio who talks to you about scarcity vs abundance mindset. The concept of energy as opposed to hours. Why it's important to surrender control in order to improve your rehabilitation. 

But make no mistake - he's not having a 'conversation.' Everything he shares he truly believes is part of holistic health, and his patients derive value from him. Or else, why would he have 200+ 5 Google Reviews? 

Using my own career as an example - I used to charge $300+ for a performance consultation for weightlifters, and there were people who paid it. My highest sale was a $500, 90 minute call for a performance consultation. What exactly was so valuable that they couldn't get from a performance psychologist?

Well - here's what is valuable. I know exactly how it feels to step out onto the platform when your name is called. You get 60 seconds to lift, but it feels like you've only got 20 seconds. Most lifters will rush this component and forget all their training. I also know, your body doesn't feel the same with heightened adrenaline. You feel like you need to warm up more. You don't feel the same like you did in training. And you second guess yourself - doing things you normally shouldn't.

I also know that the first snatch is the most easily botched because it's the most technical movement in the whole competition. And it's also when adrenaline is highest. That's why you need to figure out your perfect arousal state in training before you ever step into competition.

I know all this because I've lived it. Not only have I lived it, I've coached it in all my athletes too. AND I know what practical body-mind strategies you can use to perform under these conditions.

That is my insight - and that is why it is far more valuable than a performance psychologist whose never lifted on a platform in their life. 

So, if you are interested in taking the steps to charge more - here's three practical things you can take away from this blog.

1. Define what makes your treatment unique. It needs to be YOU. If it's just something you've copied - it's not going to be worth very much. 

2. Make your clinic and/or room feel premium. Invest in nice scents. Nice furniture. Some nice colours. You need people to feel that the price is justified.

3. Develop your unique insight. This is derived from your experience in health, from your training, to your health-related hobbies, to even your competitive sporting career. And then tailor your marketing to the people who would find this insight useful. 

Alternatively, if you'd like to explore how we could work together - you can book in free 30-minute strategic call here.

And P.S, I know I was a bit critical of the APA piece - but if you were involved in that piece, I'm sure there was plenty of work. It's not personal, I just didn't find the content that helpful for the community at large. 

Mucho gracio for reading!
Phil