Stop The Leaks: How To Increase Cash Flow Without Seeing More Patients

If you’ve ever looked at your schedule and thought, “We’re slammed…so why is my bank account not moving?” — this episode is going to feel like oxygen. In this PPS 2025 recap conversation, Jerry Durham sits down with Nathan Shields, founder of the Private Practice Owners Club, to break down the real reasons clinics bleed profit — and why the solution isn’t more new patients.

 

Across this episode, Nathan pulls back the curtain on the cash-flow killers hiding inside most clinics: weak collections, underperforming billing systems, inconsistent documentation, and a front desk that’s unsupported (not unskilled). He also explains why AI won’t fix broken processes — and why owners who skip the fundamentals end up scaling their problems, not their profit.

 

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The four internal “leaks” that cost clinics $100K–$300K per year — and how to close them fast.
• Why chasing more new patients is the wrong move when your systems are broken.
• The exact numbers every owner must know (and what they actually mean).
• How to tighten front-desk operations so patients arrive, pay, and stay.
• Why underbilling — not overbilling — is silently draining your margins.
• How AI can support your systems… but can’t save you from bad processes.
• What PPS 2025 revealed about the future of private practice — and what owners need to fix BEFORE adding tech, growth, or new services.

 

What you’ll walk away with:

• A Cash-Flow Leak Audit you can run in 30 minutes.
• A simple 4-phase roadmap to increase revenue without increasing visits.
• Clarity on the 3–5 KPIs that actually drive your business (and which ones don’t matter).
• Scripts for improving front-desk collections and reducing cancellations.
• A new lens for evaluating tech, platforms, and AI — so you stop wasting money and start moving the needle.

 

💡 Quick takeaway: Revenue grows when systems grow — not when schedules get fuller. Patch the leaks first. Then scale with confidence.

 

🎯 Want to learn the systems Nathan teaches owners one-on-one? Join the Strategic Planning Workshop on January 9–10, 2026 in New Orleans — or book a private planning session here: https://calendly.com/ptoclub/discoverycall

 

💬 Explore upcoming events and resources: https://ptoclub.com

 

❤️ Love the conversation? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!

Blog Post URL:.css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}