Josh Funk runs Rehab 2 Perform, which includes 17 locations, 120 staff, and a hiring pipeline that's rarely empty. 

He stopped treating recruiting as a reaction to open seats and started building a system that works the same way his patient acquisition funnel does. That’s why he’s one of the best when it comes to recruiting talent.

More than 60% of R2P's current staff came through the practice before they were ever hired.

Josh's four-step framework is how he got there.

Josh's argument is straightforward: your practice is already running three businesses at once — clinical care, marketing, and staffing. The first two usually have systems. The third almost never does.

His fix is a four-step process that builds a parallel pipeline to his patient acquisition funnel.

Draw Both Funnels Side by Side

Compare your patient acquisition funnel to your staff acquisition funnel. For most operators, the staff side goes blank somewhere below awareness.

Every empty stage becomes an opportunity to design something new and efficient.

Use Organic Content to Warm Future Hires

Paid job postings attract candidates in a hurry. Organic social content attracts candidates over months. By the time they reach out, they already know whether they fit.

Make Student Internships Your Top-of-Funnel Engine

R2P holds contracts with more than 160 DPT programs and hosts over 140 students a year. The internship functions as a long-form vetting process for both sides. Students who don't fit find out on their own during the 8-13 week placement. The ones who do have already cleared an informal screen.

Forecast Roles 3–6 Months Out

A rushed hire is a retention liability. R2P starts conversations with prospective staff well before a seat opens, giving both sides enough time to make a confident decision. 

Josh already knows who's starting two months from now. That's what a pipeline looks like when it's running.

A breakdown of what in the name of AI you should actually be paying attention to: AI-native healthcare and the human-agent workforce

“AI-native healthcare” may sound impressive, but the key takeaway is clear: AI works best with clean, connected, and usable data. Winning companies won’t just add agents to chaotic systems. They’ll redesign workflows so humans and AI can collaborate safely and effectively.

Verdict: ✅ Worth paying attention to

Most independent practices underestimate how much revenue slips through the cracks each week.

Missed calls during peak hours. Patients who hang up after being placed on hold. Referrals that never make it into the schedule.

These small breakdowns add up quickly.

We built a simple tool to help you understand what this might be costing your practice.

The Revenue Leakage Calculator takes your practice size, average patient value, and call volume, then estimates how much revenue may be lost due to front desk inefficiencies.

It takes about two minutes. No email required. Just practical data you can use to decide whether it's worth tightening up your front desk workflows.

Thanks for joining us for another edition of Practice Independence — we’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS: We bring together independent practice owners for off-the-record conversations about what's actually working. Small rooms. Real talk. Reply to this email if you’re interested in attending or hosting a dinner near you.

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