Start a Mobile Rehab Therapy Practice (PT, OT, Speech)

People search: “mobile physical therapy business” (1K+ per month)

For licensed PTs, OTs, and SLPs: leave the clinic grind and treat clients in their homes with a cash-based mobile practice you fully own.

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Difficulty

Advanced

Startup cost

$1,000 to $5,000

Time to first $

30 to 90 days

Revenue potential

High

Profit margin

70 to 90 percent

Viability

7.5 / 10

Search demand

Low (1K+ per month)

Where it runs

Local

Best for: Licensed PTs, OTs, and SLPs who already hold the credential and want ownership

The opening

Why this idea is overlooked

Clinic therapists burn out seeing double-booked patients for someone else's margin while their license, the hard part, already belongs to them; the license is the moat, mobile means near-zero overhead, and cash-based home visits at $120 to $200 serve patients the clinic model fails, from homebound seniors to athletes who want the therapist to themselves.

The roadmap

How to start, step by step

1
Start from the license, because it is the business
This model is only for licensed PTs, OTs, and SLPs in good standing; the years of schooling and the state license are the barrier that protects your rates from competition. Verify your state's rules on direct access (many states let patients see a PT without a physician referral, with limits), telehealth, and practice ownership before anything else.
2
Choose the cash-based lane deliberately
Cash practice skips insurance credentialing and its paperwork, but you must give patients honest cost information up front and understand the federal program rules for your discipline cold, because treating those beneficiaries for cash has strict conditions that vary by discipline and situation. This is settled homework, not a vibe; get it right with your professional association's guidance.
3
Set up the practice spine
An entity, professional liability insurance ($100 to $300 per year for most disciplines), a compliant documentation and scheduling system built for therapy practices, intake and consent forms, and privacy compliance for patient records. Mobile equipment for your discipline usually runs under $2,000.
4
Price the concierge value honestly
Home visits commonly run $120 to $200-plus per session depending on market and discipline: no waiting room, a full hour with the actual therapist, and care in the environment where function actually happens. Packages of 6 to 12 sessions match real plans of care.
5
Fill the first caseload from your world
Physicians who know your work, former patients (where solicitation rules allow), senior communities, gyms and sports clubs for performance clients, and case managers. Ten steady weekly visits alongside a part-time job is the safe bridge; twenty-five is a full practice.
6
Grow by focus, not headcount
A niche (post-op knees, pediatric speech at home, aging-in-place OT assessments) sharpens referrals and rates. Adding contractor therapists later multiplies revenue but adds supervision and compliance weight; many owners stay solo, full, and free on purpose.

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Your first move

Verify your state practice rules for home-based cash practice, set up the legal and documentation basics, and fill a part-time caseload from your professional network before leaving the clinic job.

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