We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kim Bell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kim below.
Kim, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.
For younger professionals considering starting their own private practice, my advice is to figure out what you are exceptionally good at doing or which specific patient population you feel motivated to help. It is ideal to be known for doing one specific thing really well and solving that problem in a very specific way. Then you can attract all the people who need help with that one specific issue and stand out from among your peers.
It was never my goal to start my own private practice, but I decided that would be the best way to focus my clinical career on helping one specific patient population. I started specializing in professional vertigo care in 2006, but my former employers also assigned me other types of patients at random.
After I was certain that I only wanted to work with patients with dizziness and vertigo, I launched my own private specialty practice for this specific population. Now I only accept new patients with dizziness or vertigo. People travel from across the USA and many foreign countries to seek my help with their vertigo.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As a Vertigo Detective™, I use my knowledge and skills in physical therapy to investigate the most complex, challenging, and difficult cases of dizziness and vertigo. Many people I meet have simply been diagnosed with “vertigo” and given medication to mask the symptoms, without ever knowing the root cause of their discomfort.
Although medications can be very helpful to survive from day to day, my clinical practice is focused on root cause analysis and resolution of dizziness and vertigo. My philosophy is to resolve the symptoms at the root cause level if possible, so that medication will hopefully no longer be needed.
Over the last twenty years since I began specializing in vestibular rehabilitation physical therapy, I have developed my own unique, detailed methodology to assess and analyze dizziness and vertigo, called The Bell Method®. I use a set of screening questions for all new potential patients before scheduling, to ensure that their case is appropriate for my care at that time. If I don’t think I am the right provider, I will refer people to someone else before accepting any payment.
The initial consultation with a new patient usually includes a history-taking phone call and an in-person hands-on exam with treatment. The total time for the initial consultation is up to five hours, which is much more comprehensive than patients can find elsewhere. It is certainly not for everyone, since my care is all private pay; but most patients are pleased to find a specialized health care provider who will dedicate so much time and energy to their care.
My patients have direct access to communicate with me by email, text, or phone throughout their care so there is no run around and no middle man. We work together like a pair of vertigo detectives to solve their case. I provide BPPV treatment maneuvers, instruct home exercises, teach self-care strategies, and provide extensive patient education including photo-enhanced educational handouts. I also frequently refer my patients to other specialists based on the exam findings, so many patients end up with a multidisciplinary team approach.
Kim Bell Physical Therapy Inc. is about clinical excellence and quality over quantity. My follow up appointments with patients are up to two hours long. I only accept a few new patients each month, so I can focus on working with those specific individuals. I want to help people with dizziness and vertigo get their life back!
For people who cannot work with me in person for whatever reason, I have published a book called “Navigating the Health Care System as a Dizzy Patient.” I also have a YouTube Channel with educational videos called “The Vertigo Detective,” social media, and a free newsletter.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
There’s a saying in customer service that the customer is always right. I was taught that concept at a very young age, when I worked at a video store, a book store, and coffee shops throughout high school and college. I think that saying is correct when it comes to retail and possibly even food service, but not necessarily in health care.
As a private physical therapy practice owner since 2014 specializing in vertigo care, I have experienced multiple situations now where the customer was clearly not right. I think more patients use “Dr. Google” to research on their own now. They watch YouTube videos made by random people, so patients sometimes believe wrong information.
Whenever a patient starts talking about an aspect of dizziness or vertigo that is simply incorrect, I always try to find out where they heard that myth. Occasionally they heard it from a health care provider, but most often they found it by researching online on their own. Sometimes they hear myths about vertigo care from online support groups as well.
To correct their thinking and help them understand correct information, I provide educational resources like blog articles, social media posts, educational videos, reels, and even published a book. The key is to listen first, then gently guide them in the right direction. If the patient remains teachable, it usually works out fine!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
My background is in home health care, so I started off making house calls when I launched my specialty vertigo practice in 2014. I had been making house calls for over ten years before that, so I was very comfortable providing care in the privacy of the patient’s home.
When COVID-19 hit in 2020, it started getting weird going to people’s homes, because some people became very anxious and paranoid. Some people actually created a plastic-lined room with clear plastic sheets when I visited their house.
Around the same time, I was having more patients travel to see me from around Southern California. They had to rent a hotel room in San Diego since I didn’t have an office. I would meet them at their hotel room to offer their care after they checked in, then they would drive home afterwards. That was significantly increasing their out of pocket cost for my care.
So with all that in mind, I decided to rent a medical office in Encinitas. Now I’ve had an office in downtown Encinitas for almost five years, and it is working out well. I am able to see more patients per day since I am not driving all around from house to house. Instead of working four days a week with patients, I have been able to reduce my office hours to three days per week working with patients. Now I have one administrative day per week and a free day for creative projects like writing, video production, and self-care. I still offer house calls as needed, for an extra fee.
Even though I never intended on having an office when I launched my private practice in 2014, the circumstances pointed me in that direction in 2020. Instead of resisting change, I went for it! Now I am so grateful to have an office, so I can consolidate my patient care hours and improve my quality of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.betterbalanceinlife.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimbelldpt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kim-Bell-PT-800904389979911/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-bell-dpt-6b3522ab
- Twitter: https://x.com/KimBellDPT
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/kimbelldpt
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kim-bell-dpt-encinitas
- Other: Dr. Bell’s Book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CtKkRt
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kimbelldpt
Google Business: https://www.google.com/search?ludocid=14835046984521279360&q=Kimberley%20A.%20Bell%2C%20DPT%20Encinitas&_ga=2.42531621.1235349545.1517080229-1598060787.1508864550
