Physical therapist contact data

Ben Argeband, Founder & CEO of Heartbeat.ai — Practical list building + templates.

Who this is for

If you’re a recruiter sourcing PTs, the friction is predictable: outpatient PTs are booked in patient blocks, facility PTs get routed through main lines or centralized HR, and home health PTs are in the field with narrow call windows. This page is a practical workflow for building physical therapist contact data you can actually use (phone + email + verification + suppression), with a heavy emphasis on facility vs outpatient targeting.

One rule before you start: don’t build “a PT list.” Build a setting-specific segment you can contact this week, then refresh it.

Quick Answer

Core Answer

Build physical therapist contact data by setting first, verify licensure, then run small outreach batches with suppression and opt-out handling to protect deliverability and connect rates.

Key Insight

Operationally, treat contact data as living: verify before sending, segment by setting, and scale only what performs using consistent rate definitions.

Best For

Recruiters sourcing PTs.

Compliance & Safety

This method is for legitimate recruiting outreach only. Always respect candidate privacy, opt-out requests, and local data laws. Heartbeat does not provide medical advice or legal counsel.

• Includes: phone + email channels, license context, setting segmentation, and suppression/opt-out handling.
• Excludes: any promise of response, and any guidance to bypass gatekeepers or opt-outs.

Framework: The “Setting + Schedule” Filter: outreach timing matters

PT outreach fails when you treat “physical therapist” as one audience. In reality, the setting determines (1) when they can respond, (2) which channel is realistic, and (3) whether you’re contacting an individual clinician or a decision-maker path (rehab director, therapy manager, clinic owner).

• Setting: outpatient clinic, hospital/inpatient, SNF/inpatient rehab, home health, school-based, private practice owner.
• Schedule reality: patient blocks, documentation windows, shift changes, and “between visits” gaps.
• Channel fit: mobile call (where appropriate and not opted out), personal email, work email, main line routing, or manager path.

The trade-off is… you’ll build smaller, more segmented lists—but you’ll stop wasting cycles on the wrong channel at the wrong time.

Step-by-step method

Step 1: Choose your setting target (facility vs outpatient) before you pull contacts

Make this decision first. It changes everything downstream.

• Facility-based (hospital, SNF, inpatient rehab): expect routing, gatekeepers, and centralized HR. Plan a dual path: clinician contacts and rehab leadership contacts.
• Outpatient clinics: expect front desk screening and low tolerance for long calls during patient blocks. Timing and brevity win.
• Home health: expect voicemail-heavy patterns and narrow windows between visits.

Write down: setting, geography, minimum license status, and whether you’re targeting clinicians or practice owners/decision-makers.

Step 2: Define the minimum viable fields (so your list is usable)

“Contact data” is only useful if it supports routing, verification, and suppression. Minimum viable record:

• Identity: full name, credential (PT), and (if available) an identifier such as NPI.
• License: state, status, and license number (or a linkable verification path).
• Setting proxy: employer/facility name, clinic type, or focus area (ortho, neuro, pediatrics, etc.).
• Contact channels: at least one email and one phone, plus notes on best channel/time.
• Compliance fields: outreach permission notes (if captured) and opt-out status, plus suppression flags.

Step 2a: Export schema (ATS/CRM-ready)

If your team can’t export the same fields every time, you can’t measure or suppress consistently. Use this schema as your default export for PT segments.

Step 3: Source contacts with a “refresh + verify” mindset

Buying static lists is risky because of decay. The modern standard is Access + Refresh + Verification + Suppression. Your goal is a working segment you can contact now, not a giant file you can’t maintain.

In practice, treat any PT email segment as refreshable, not a one-time file.

If you’re evaluating whether a segment is viable, start free search & preview data and confirm the records include the fields above (especially setting, license context, and suppression fields).

Step 4: Verify licensure via state boards

PT licensure is state-based. If you recruit across states, you need a repeatable verification step. This requires manual verification. Store the date checked and either the license number or a verification URL/evidence in your system of record.

To standardize the workflow, use: physical therapy license lookup by state.

Step 5: Run outreach in small batches by setting + schedule

Segment and batch so you can learn what works:

• Outpatient: test early morning, lunch window, and late afternoon; avoid peak patient blocks.
• Facility: test shift-change windows; expect routing through main lines; add rehab leadership path.
• Home health: test early planning and late wrap-up; keep messages short.

If you’re specifically hunting for a physical therapist phone number, prioritize setting-based call windows and document routing outcomes (direct, main line, wrong person, voicemail) so you can refine the segment.

Keep the first touch simple: who you are, why you’re reaching out, and an easy opt-out. Don’t over-explain the role in the first message—your job is to earn a reply or a short call.

Step 6: Track the right metrics (with consistent definitions)

Use these canonical definitions so your team measures the same thing:

• Connect Rate = connected calls / total dials (e.g., per 100 dials).
• Answer Rate = human answers / connected calls (e.g., per 100 connected calls).
• Deliverability Rate = delivered emails / sent emails (e.g., per 100 sent emails).
• Bounce Rate = bounced emails / sent emails (e.g., per 100 sent emails).
• Reply Rate = replies / delivered emails (e.g., per 100 delivered emails).

Measure this by… running a controlled test: one setting segment, one channel, one time window, and a fixed batch size. Compare segments apples-to-apples before you scale.

Use cases (how recruiters actually use PT contact data)

Use case 1: Outpatient clinic pipeline (speed + timing)

Build an outpatient-only segment, test two time windows, and keep touches short. Your win condition is a reply or a scheduled call—not a long first conversation.

Use case 2: Facility fill (routing + manager path)

Build a dual-path segment: clinician contacts plus rehab director/therapy manager contacts. If the main line blocks you, you still have a legitimate routing path without spamming the same number.

Routing script: “Could you connect me with rehab leadership or the therapy manager for PT staffing?”

Use case 3: Multi-state sourcing (license-first workflow)

When you’re sourcing across states, treat license verification as a gating step before you represent eligibility. Standardize the proof you store (date checked + verification URL/evidence) so your team doesn’t redo work.

Diagnostic Table:

Weighted Checklist:

Score each item 0–2 (0 = missing, 1 = partial, 2 = solid). If you score under 10, fix the segment before you add volume.

• (2) Setting is explicit (facility vs outpatient vs home health) and matches the role you’re filling.
• (2) License field present (state + status) and you have a verification step documented.
• (2) Email verification is in place (you can measure Deliverability Rate and Bounce Rate per 100 sent emails).
• (2) Phone channel is appropriate (direct vs main line) and you can measure Connect Rate per 100 dials.
• (2) Suppression exists: opt-out list, bounced emails, and “do not contact” flags are enforced.
• (2) Outreach timing plan exists for the setting (at least two time windows tested).
• (2) Message is compliant: clear identity, purpose, and opt-out language.

Outreach Templates:

These are built for PT schedules and for keeping complaints low. Use one channel first, then follow with the second channel only if needed. Include opt-out language every time, and enforce suppression across all tools.

Template 1 — Outpatient PT (email)

Subject: Quick PT question — [City] schedule

Body: Hi [First Name] — I recruit physical therapists in [City/Region]. Are you open to a quick 5–7 minute call this week about a PT opening with predictable hours? If not you, who’s best to contact? If you’d rather not hear from me again, reply “opt out” and I’ll stop.

Template 2 — Facility PT (voicemail script)

Script: Hi [First Name], this is [Your Name]. I’m reaching out about a PT role in [Facility Type/City]. If you’re open to a quick chat, call me at [Number]—and if you prefer no outreach, tell me “opt out” and I’ll stop. Thanks.

Template 3 — Home health PT (text, only when you have a lawful basis)

Text: Hi [First Name] — [Your Name] here (PT recruiter). Quick question: open to a 5-min call today or tomorrow about a home health PT role in [Area]? Reply YES + best time, or OPT OUT to stop.

SMS note: Use SMS only where you have a lawful basis and the recipient has not opted out; when in doubt, use email or a call routed through the facility.

Stop rule (uniqueness hook)

Stop after 6 total touches per person across 10 business days (example: 3 calls + 2 emails + 1 text where appropriate). If there’s no engagement, suppress the record for 60 days and refresh the contact data before trying again. This prevents repeated outreach to stale records and protects your deliverability and complaint rates.

Common pitfalls

• Mixing settings in one blast. You’ll conclude “PTs don’t respond” when the real issue is timing and routing differences by setting.
• Skipping license checks. You don’t want to pitch a role that requires an active license without verifying status via the state board process.
• No suppression discipline. If you can’t enforce opt-out and bounce suppression, your deliverability degrades and you create compliance risk.
• Over-contacting the same record. Without a stop rule, teams keep hammering the same stale contact and blame the market.
• Confusing “delivered” with “read.” Deliverability is table stakes; you still need a setting-specific message and timing test.

How to improve results

1. Segment tighter. Split lists by setting (facility vs outpatient) and run separate outreach windows.
2. Refresh before scale. If Bounce Rate rises (bounced emails / sent emails per 100 sent emails), refresh the segment and tighten verification.
3. Fix routing for facilities. Add rehab director/therapy manager contacts when individual PT routing is blocked.
4. Use measurement instructions.
   • Calls: log total dials and connected calls to compute Connect Rate (connected calls / total dials) per 100 dials.
   • Calls: log connected calls and human answers to compute Answer Rate (human answers / connected calls) per 100 connected calls.
   • Email: log sent and delivered to compute Deliverability Rate (delivered emails / sent emails) per 100 sent emails.
   • Email: log sent and bounced to compute Bounce Rate (bounced emails / sent emails) per 100 sent emails.
   • Email: log delivered and replies to compute Reply Rate (replies / delivered emails) per 100 delivered emails.
5. Standardize your data-quality workflow. If you need a checklist for verification and suppression, use: data quality verification for recruiting contact data.

Legal and ethical use

Use PT contact data for legitimate recruiting outreach with clear identity, purpose, and an easy opt-out. Maintain suppression lists, honor opt-out requests quickly, and follow applicable local data laws. If you’re unsure about requirements in a specific jurisdiction, get counsel—Heartbeat.ai does not provide legal advice.

• Do not contact someone after they opt out; suppress immediately across all tools.
• Do not re-email addresses that bounced; fix or replace the record before retrying.
• Do not misrepresent license status; verify via the state board workflow before making eligibility statements.

Be respectful of patient-facing schedules. If someone says “not during clinic hours,” treat that as a preference and update your notes.

Evidence and trust notes

Licensure verification starts with the state boards. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy maintains licensing authority contact information here: FSBPT licensing authority contacts.

For how Heartbeat approaches sourcing, verification, and suppression standards, see: trust methodology for contact data.

If you’re building multiple allied segments, the broader hub is here: provider contact data hub.

FAQs

What fields should I require in physical therapist contact data?

At minimum: name, PT credential, state license context (state + status or verification path), setting (facility vs outpatient), at least one email and one phone, plus opt-out/suppression fields so you can enforce compliance and protect deliverability.

How do I verify a PT license quickly?

Use the relevant state board lookup and store the date checked plus the verification URL or evidence. If you recruit across states, standardize the process via: physical therapy license lookup by state.

Should I target facility-based PTs differently than outpatient PTs?

Yes. Facility-based outreach often requires routing through departments and managers; outpatient outreach is more timing-sensitive and frequently screened by front desks. Segment your list and run different outreach windows.

How do I protect email deliverability when emailing PTs?

Send in small batches, verify emails before sending, and suppress bounces and opt-outs permanently. Track Deliverability Rate (delivered emails / sent emails) per 100 sent emails and Bounce Rate (bounced emails / sent emails) per 100 sent emails.

What’s a simple way to avoid over-contacting PTs?

Use a stop rule and enforce suppression. If there’s no engagement after your defined touch plan, pause outreach and refresh the record later rather than repeatedly contacting stale data.

Next steps

• Pick one setting (facility or outpatient) and build a single segment first.
• Verify licensure via the state lookup workflow before you scale outreach.
• Run a controlled batch test and track Connect Rate and Deliverability Rate using the definitions above.
• Start free search & preview data in Heartbeat.ai and build a PT segment you can contact this week.

About the Author

Ben Argeband is the Founder and CEO of Swordfish.ai and Heartbeat.ai. With deep expertise in data and SaaS, he has built two successful platforms trusted by over 50,000 sales and recruitment professionals. Ben’s mission is to help teams find direct contact information for hard-to-reach professionals and decision-makers, providing the shortest route to their next win. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn.