Units per day, patients per day, and percentage productivity standards — broken down by setting so you know what to accept and what to negotiate.
Industry standard is 12 patients/day at 4–5 units each. Above 14 patients or 70 units/week is aggressive. CMS never set a specific outpatient standard — this is employer-driven.
SNF productivity is measured as percentage of scheduled time spent in direct billing. 90% means 7.2 billable hours out of 8 — barely any documentation time. Above 90% is a red flag.
Home health is episodic — each visit includes travel time. 5–6 is standard. Above 7 with significant drive time is unsustainable and affects quality of care.
Acute care productivity is harder to standardize because session lengths vary significantly. Watch for RVU-based metrics without clear benchmarks in your offer.
IRF patients are required to receive 3 hours of combined therapy per day. Productivity is somewhat protected by the IRF benefit rule.
Ask for the productivity requirement in writing before signing
Verbal promises mean nothing. Get the exact unit or patient-per-day expectation documented in your offer letter.
Clarify what counts toward productivity
Does documentation time count? Group therapy at 25%? Ask exactly what is included and excluded from your billable hour calculation.
Negotiate a ramp-up period
A common standard is 90 days at reduced productivity expectations while you onboard. If it is not offered, ask for it.
Ask about bonuses above the productivity standard
Some employers offer per-unit bonuses above a threshold. If productivity is high, this can make it worth it financially.
Have a specific offer with productivity requirements?
Run it through the free PT job offer evaluator — it flags productivity red flags automatically.
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