Infinity Rehab Blog

Infinity Rehab Celebrates Two New Geriatric Certified Specialists in Physical Therapy

The American Physical Therapy Association recently recognized two Infinity Rehab clinicians as newly board-certified clinical specialists in geriatric Physical Therapy.

Heather Hessler, PT, DPT, GCS, CSCS, received a doctorate in physical therapy in 2006 from Duke University. Heather is the lead physical therapist and Director of Rehab at Avamere Rehab of Newport in Newport, Oregon.

Derek Fenwick, PT, MBA, GCS, received his Master’s in Physical Therapy in 2003 from Saint Louis University.  Derek is currently an Area Rehab Director in Oregon, managing rehab operations and representing Infinity Rehab’s partners in independently-owned and managed facilities across the state.

Heather and Derek join an exclusive group. There are only 22 geriatric certified specialists in the state of Oregon.

This recognition occurred at the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting in Chicago, IL, in February 2012.

Congratulations Heather and Derek!  We are proud to have you in our Infinity family!

Pay it Forward

Today’s blog comes from the mind of an Infinity Rehab Director of Rehab – Cathi Lamoreux, CCC/SLP. Cathi oversees rehabilitation services for several therapy departments around Spokane, WA. The therapy teams she manages serve multidimensional senior populations, which requires her and her teams to adopt flexible thinking patterns and have resources assembled and ready to use at a moments notice. In this article, Cathi strikes a chord that might be familiar to many therapists who serve an aging population and have switched to a new facility setting.
How were we to know just how messy this rehab business really is?  You go to school, graduate, interview for the first job, get yourself into something you have absolutely no idea what is in store, either figure it out quickly or leave for other pastures.  Then, repeat.

Those of us who land in the world of skilled nursing find our niche with our little band of patients dealing with a multitude of fractures, neurological disorders, and aging issues.  We settle into a routine of ambulation, transfers, ADLs, equipment needs, cognition, swallowing, and strengthening.  We occasionally see people go home, or at least move onto a lesser level of care, but we often see people who arrive on our doorsteps with an acute diagnosis remain as long-term residents.

The pressure felt by the therapists is applied more frequently from afar – Medicare regulations, insurance company protocols, productivity expectations, etc.  We get into a “been there, done that” routine which serves us and our patients well.  We get good at what we do, attend continuing ed to enhance our knowledge-base and skills, learn the regulatory ropes, and put in a good day’s work.

Fast forward to a new contract.  You are asked to be a team member in a new facility for your company and you accept.  After all, skilled nursing is skilled nursing, right?  You arrive at the new facility full of hope, anticipation, and confidence.  But, very quickly you learn that not all skilled nursing facilities are created the same.

Your new facility is in a Continuing Care Retirement Campus.  This facility is really its own little village.  There are independent seniors living in their own homes who travel, play golf, hike, drive cars, go to the theater, volunteer.  Heck, some even are still working!  There are independent seniors living in lovely apartments and eat dinner prepared by a European-trained chef in an elegant dining room.  There are seniors who live in three different assisted living settings, requiring a range of just a little extra help to a locked dementia area with 24-hour supervision.  Then, there is the skilled nursing area.  Finally!  Something you recognize!

But, do you?

It isn’t business as usual because being its own little village means that the skilled nursing beds are for residents of THIS community, not the greater community.  What happens when there are empty beds?  Nothing.  You just wait until someone from your village needs that level of service.  It doesn’t really matter that they are Med B, private pay or Med A.  What’s a therapist to do?

Looking around you realize that there is a vast, untapped pool of people who just need little tune-ups, rehab for broken wrists from falling off their bicycles, people still living independently with progressive neurological disorders, rehab after elective surgery or recovering from an illness which wasn’t severe enough to require going to skilled nursing.

Before you know it, you are running a very robust, active outpatient practice.  But, wait a minute!  You haven’t used this body of knowledge and skills for a long time and this wasn’t really what you were expecting.  For some of the original team members, this wasn’t what they expected and they have moved on.  But, for the team members who have gelled into a little band of troopers, this is what it is all about.

First of all, we feel like we are leading by example.  We saw an opportunity and are making the best of it.  We have a good balance in our practices and it keeps us on our toes.  We have people who fit us into their busy schedules because they see the value in our services and tell us so.  We have developed new programs specifically targeted for our outpatient residents.  We have turned what appeared to be a negative – empty skilled nursing beds – into a positive by helping people stay active and healthy rather than letting them quickly deteriorate and eventually require a higher level of care.

We could conclude that we are our own worst enemy by perhaps contributing to the lower census in the skilled nursing section because we help people stay active and in place longer.  Like any small village, word travels fast.  Word of mouth keeps our robust outpatient practice hopping.  Word of mouth also helps when there is a need for skilled nursing.  For some, they saw us before they got there and are thrilled to see a familiar face come through the door.  Another benefit of working in this setting is that we get to follow people when they go home, unlike the traditional stand-alone skilled nursing facility that has to hand over the in-home treatment to another agency.

Is it easy in this reimbursement climate to run primarily a Med B practice with expectations driven by Med A standards?  No.  But, for those people who we have helped, we mean the world to them and that is all that truly matters.

Infinity Rehab Assembles Resources to Assist Client Facilities in Reducing Re-Hospitalizations

As health care reform changes the landscape for acute and post-acute care, one of the first priorities is to reduce re-hospitalizations of Medicare patients.  Up to 25% of patients discharged from Hospitals re-admit within 30 days.  It is estimated that 75% of those re-admissions are avoidable with more attention to care transitions.

Infinity Rehab is assembling powerful resources to assist their clients in reducing re-hospitalizations. The first step is this: providing training for our clients on the Interact™ System.

What is INTERACT?
INTERACT (Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers) is a quality improvement program that focuses on the management of acute change in resident condition. It includes clinical and educational tools and strategies for use in every day practice in long-term care facilities. For more information about the INTERACT tool, visit www.interact2.net.

Infinity Rehab will record a 2-part web training seminar on the INTERACT tool, available February 15th 2012.  In-person training for our client facilities will be offered at our Northwest Symposium, March 11th at the Red Lion Jantzen Beach in Portland Oregon, and again on April 14, 2012 at the Holiday Inn in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

For more information on either viewing the web training or attending the in person training, please contact us at 1-888-75-REHAB, or click here.

Therapy done right at Good Samaritan Society – Spokane Valley

An advertisement touting the therapy services at Good Samaritan Society – Spokane Valley in Spokane, Washington recently ran in an issue of Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living. And it’s pretty hard to disagree with the ad’s opening line:

“The Rehab Clinic at Good Samaritan Society-Spokane Valley is dedicated to helping rehabilitate you as a whole person – mind, body, and spirit.”

“The Rehab Clinic” it mentions is none other than our wonderful Infinity Rehab therapists who work there. We are fully aware that the intention of the advertisement is to market the therapy services to the local community, but it is always a good feeling to read about the “dedicated and caring” rehabilitation services we provide at every Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing facilities we contract with across ten states. The same goes for every Continuing Care Retirement Campus, Acute Rehabilitation Clinics, and our many Outpatient Clinics.

Below is the rest of the advertisement.

Good Samaritan partners with Infinity Rehab for inpatient and outpatient therapy needs; providing both clinic-based and in-home rehabilitation programs. Infinity Rehab was established with the intention of focusing on comprehensive therapy for older adults and takes pride in providing high quality, clinically intensive, comprehensive care to the older adult population.
Physical, occupational, speech therapists, and a licensed social worker are available to meet patient needs. “Our goal is to maximize your quality of life and to work together to attain your therapy goals,” says Deanna Hawley – Physical Therapist and Director of Rehab. The Rehab Clinic is open to residents of Good Samaritan Society-Spokane Valley as well as those in the local community through outpatient therapy services.
The Rehab Clinic has a variety of specially designed adaptive equipment used in rehabilitation and wellness activities, providing an opportunity for both aerobic exercise and strength training. Additionally, a transitional living apartment – complete with a full kitchen, washer and dryer, bedroom, and bathtub – is available for patients to safely practice independent living before returning to their home.
The Rehab Clinic at Good Samaritan Society – Spokane Valley is designed to take the stress out of the rehabilitation process. The dedicated, caring and experienced staff works closely to meet the unique needs of each patient and return them quickly to their maximum ability and independence.

Infinity Rehab Advances Patient Care with Telehealth

Wikipedia defines Telehealth as “the delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunications technologies.”  Over the past decade, telehealth has been embraced by virtually all aspects of medicine – from dentistry to neurology.
About 4 years ago, Infinity Rehab encountered the following situation:  A lone therapy department, located in Washington State, was primarily staffed by a Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA). The issue with this is that in the state of Washington, every patient needs to be seen by a Physical Therapist (PT) every 5th visit for a formal assessment of the patient’s rehabilitation progress.
We were having a difficult time finding a PT to complete the 5th visit on a consistent basis.  One solution was to pay a Washington licensed PT from Oregon to drive up to the facility, complete the 5th visit and then drive home. This solution was expensive and wasted a lot of the PT’s time. The PT could have been administering care to a patient instead of spending hours on the road driving between therapy departments.
So, what to do? Tim Esau, PT and Director of Compliance, looked into the possibility of doing 5th visits via Telehealth. After researching various solutions, he contacted Global Media Group, Inc. regarding their webcam, speakers and software for conducting Telehealth visits. Infinity Rehab purchased the equipment and began testing how the remote visitation process would work.
Tim then approached the State Physical Therapist Licensing Board of Washington to get approval to conduct 5th visits via Telehealth. The State Board requested a demonstration and decided (after months of Tim working with them) that the Telehealth approach to care satisfied the State rulings on 5th visits.
The way it works is the PTA brings the patient to the gym and calls the PT via Telehealth. Once the connection is completed, the PTA gives a synopsis of what is happening with the patient, what the concerns are, and the PT can ask questions or observe part of the therapy session that day.  The PT then documents the visit and makes recommendations as needed.

Benefits:

• Compliance with state regulations for 5th visits.
• No drive time/expense for therapist
• Therapist can work on other jobs while waiting for the visits to occur
• Therapist can talk to the patient and visualize activities if questions arise (stand up, walk, observe a contracture, etc.).

 

Challenges:

• Therapist cannot have hands on with the patient
• Patients who are bedbound cannot be seen, as they need to come to the gym/office where the webcam is.
• Cannot bill for therapist’s time (we are working on this but the PTA’s time can be billed because the patient is there and are discussing the patient’s progress).

Infinity Rehab has been successfully conducting 5th visits via Telehealth for about 3 years now for multiple facilities throughout Washington. Two Physical Therapists are currently trained on the aspects of Telehealth: Tim Esau and Joan Brassfield. This is an exciting development in therapy and Infinity Rehab looks forward to expanding this program as the need/opportunity is found.

Infinity Rehab Therapists at Christian Health Care Center Receive Media Attention for Use of LiteGait

At the end of December, the Lynden Tribune ran a story on Infinity Rehab therapists from Christian Health Care Center in Lynden, WA that utilize the LiteGait, a partial weight-bearing gait therapy device for children and adults, during rehabilitation sessions with patients. Below is the article in full. Click here to visit the Lynden Tribune website.

LYNDEN, WA – Patrons at the Christian Health Care Center’s award-winning rehabilitation department may notice a new piece of equipment amid the treadmills and exercise hardware.

That’s the LiteGait, a partial-weight-bearing gait therapy device that arrived at the care center about a month ago. The therapists and assistants there have already seen the machine’s benefits after just a few weeks of use.

The LiteGait provides two primary tenets that enhance its benefit exponentially; versatility and, most importantly, safety. The device allows the physical therapist to harness patients in and help them in a wide variety of ways.

“We use it on patients with hundreds of different diagnoses,” said center physical therapist Andrea Blois.

These diagnoses can vary wildly, from strokes to hip replacements to orthopedic injuries. The LiteGait allows physical therapists to adjust the weight being put on each leg depending on a patient’s condition. From there, the possibilities are many.

Patients can use the machine to improve their gait patterns following an injury, with adjustments made depending on which part of the body is injured. The machine encourages an upright posture, and therefore helps with posture alterations that might be necessary following an injury. The LiteGait can even be taken on a treadmill.

The LiteGait machine at the health care center allows the physical therapist to rotate the patient around, allowing practice walking side to side and backwards. This helps facilitate balance and stability.

“It also keeps patients safe and your hands free,” Blois said.

The primary benefit, of course, are the fall-free conditions the LiteGait allows. Instead of requiring two or more physical therapists and assistants to help a patient move around a room, the LiteGait provides a secure way to hold a patient in place, only requiring one physical therapist at a time. the machine keeps the patient upright instead of the physical therapist, and this frees up the therapist’s hands to make adjustments and generally work with the patient.

“The end result is, they can walk with more balance and less falls,” Blois said.”Patients can get to a higher level faster.”

One of the primary goals at the center is to help rehab patients to progress to the “least restrictive device,” whether that’s a cane or a walker or some other option.

“(LiteGait) allows them to take that step sooner to a less restrictive device if that’s a possibility,” Blois said.

The LiteGait expedites each session as well, as it takes just two minutes to harness a patient into the machine. It also eliminates the time that would be taken helping patients out of seats and across rooms.

“It just encourages those behaviors that we as physical therapists are trying to encourage,” Blois said. “Our goal is, of course, to get them home or independent faster, if that’s a possibility. It just covers a whole realm of patients and conditions.”

The christian Health Care Center ha the only LiteGait north of Mount Vernon, WA.

 

 

Stacey Turner, SLP, Regional Director of Operations, Becomes the Vice President of Operations for Infinity Rehab

 

We are very pleased to announce that longtime Infinity Rehab employee, Stacey Turner, SLP, Regional Director of Operations, will move into the position of Vice President of Operations effective January 1, 2012.

 

Stacey has immense experience with the overall operations of Infinity Rehab through her experience serving as Regional Director of Operations for nearly every state in which we are located. Her hard work and diligence was integral to our expansion into the Midwest region. Stacey has played a key role in setting and obtaining company-wide goals over her tenure.

 

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Stacey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Disorders and Psychology at Southwest Missouri State University followed by a Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology at Fontbonne College in St. Louis. Stacey has worked as a Speech Language Pathologist and Rehabilitation Leader in a variety of clinical settings including skilled nursing, home health, outpatient, TBI sub-acute, acute care and inpatient rehab.

 

The overall responsibilities of the Vice President of Operations include:

 

• Carry out the strategic vision and mission of the company.

• Ensure company quality and financial objectives are met.

• Oversee and direct continuous improvement in company culture, employee and customer satisfaction.

 

Registration for 2012 Infinity Rehab Symposium is Now Open!

At Infinity Rehab, we are passionate about education. We believe in providing therapists with innovative and evidence-based knowledge that is immediately relevant to practice. Infinity Rehab University has been formally established as a vehicle to enhance educational opportunities for our employees and our community.

One of our highlights each year is our annual symposium. Over 600 therapists attended our weekend events in Portland and Chicago in the early part of 2011. Our 2012 symposium schedule looks fantastic and will be held in Portland, OR at the Janzten Beach Red Lion and Rolling Meadows, IL at the Holiday Inn.

Northwest Symposium
March 10-11, 2012
Red Lion, Jantzen Beach, Oregon

Midwest Symposium
April 14, 2012
Holiday Inn, Rolling Meadows, Illinois

Northwest Symposium registration is open now, click here to register.

Contact Tim Esau at 888.757.3422 x2162.

Some Words on Challenges and Changes from Leah Wilsey, PTA

 

It sure has been a busy past couple of months in the health care world – especially in the area of senior care. We weathered numerous changes in the Medicare systems after the October 1^st legislation took effect. On top of that, the entire therapy staff at Infinity Rehab had the pleasure of learning a new company-wide e-doc system to help facilitate contract changes to new the Medicare rules. Did I mention it’s been busy around here with all the changes?

Some people look toward change as a potential morale breaker; or that the situation around the workplace could take a nosedive due to the changes. However, in reality change is normal and to be expected. More often than not, the changes come and go without so much as a blink of the eye. Although these past few months have been ones of learning and adapting, I feel we did an outstanding job of always staying focused on what matters most – patient care.

 

We, as therapists, sometimes need to remind ourselves of the great service that we provide on a daily basis to the patients and residents of the facilities we serve across the country. The services we provide as Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech-Language Pathologists are essential to the rehabilitation process. Even though there are times when we might feel that the landscape of our jobs is changing around us, it is humbling to see my co-therapists stay so focused on improving the quality of life of each individual they serve.

 

As we move into the New Year, let us continue to overcome change, embrace both the negative and positive that come with it, and continue to deliver the patient-focused care Infinity Rehab is known for!

 

Leah Wilsey, PTA, Director of Rehab

Oak Creek Rehabilitation Center

Kimberly, Idaho

 

Infinity Rehab/ North Lake PT Endurance Team 2011 Recap

With the exciting news that two of our therapists – Alison Scheiderer, OT, and Morris Canda, PTA, from Cristwood Rehab and Nursing in Shoreline, WA – completed the Seattle Marathon together in 4 hours and 3 minutes, we decided it would be a good time to revisit with some members of the Infinity Rehab/ North Lake PT Endurance team to see how they fared over the previous months of races and challenges.

For context, see this article posted back in June 2011: http://www.infinityrehab.com/blog/2011/06/15/infinity-rehab-north-lake-pt-endurance-team-a-model-of-wellness/

Thomas Bonn, PT: “After training for several months, Infinity Rehab President Michael Billings, PT, and I hopped on our road bikes along with Ron Odermott of Avamere Health Services and his wife, Hillary. We pedaled for 12 hours from the University of Washington in Seattle to downtown Portland, OR for a total of 204 miles. A few weeks later Mike and I took on another adventure, this time a little more wild. We joined a few other guys including Michael Choate of North Lake PT to spend four days on our mountain bikes to circumnavigate Mt. Hood on a variety of single-track trails, dirt roads and a few public roads. The route took us approximately 200 miles climbing 20,000 feet to numerous breathtaking views of the mountain and several huts along the way that were well-stocked with food and cold drinks.

These adventures were very challenging and required a fair amount of training, but also gave us some great time to build friendships with planning, training together, overcoming a few mechanical issues and having a lot of laughs. I was able to accomplish distances and challenges I never thought I could do and had fun doing it. I’m considering trying adventure racing next year.”

Bill Lane, OT: “Being a part of the Endurance Team was a great experience. It helped me stay on track and gain a better sense of team work. My two favorite events of the year were the 24 hours of Moab in Utah and the High Cascades 24 in Oregon. Both were 24 hour, 4-man team mountain bike relays. 

The experience of these races will stay with me forever.  The challenges, hardships and perseverance have created lasting friends and memories. I am planning to attempt a 24 hour solo mountain bike race next year. Keeping my fingers crossed to live through the training!”

Vickie Schweizer, Director of Payroll/Benefits: “My biggest accomplishments were the Wild Canyon Games, Warrior Dash and the Run Like Hell 10K event.  I ended up participating in about six events over the course of the year with the latest event being a Turkey Trot trail run with my daughter in Kalamazoo, MI.  Wild Canyon Games was the most challenging trying to bike through 15 miles of back country, doing an adventure course on ropes, and a single track race over the course of a weekend.  Warrior Dash was the fun but dirty one.  The last part of the event takes you over three fire pits (!) then through mud up to your neck as you find your way under barbed wire.  It was a great time.”

Leah Wilsey, PTA: “This was a challenging race/run year for me, but very fun!

Marathons for this past year: Wasatch Back Marathon in Utah (June), Park City in Utah with Jennifer Lo, OT, (August), and the Philadelphia Marathon in November. Myself, Bill Lane and Jennifer Lo also did the team relay through the Tetons in September. I’m not sure I achieved my goals of improving my times for my marathons, but I definitely have improved my overall endurance levels!

For next year I plan to do a 50K in Boise with Heather Ramsdell, PT, (January), Big Sur Marathon in California (April) also with Heather and then a 50 miler in June in Boise again with Heather! It will be a packed year again for running, but hope to continue to focus on cross training and hopefully improve my times!? If not, it is just as exciting to be a part of a fun race community.”

Angus Brown, Regional Sales Director: “I competed in several events this year while sporting my Infinity Rehab/ North Lake PT Endurance Team gear. Most notably were the Shamrock 15k in March, Hood To Coast, Warrior Dash and Run Like Hell Half Marathon. I placed in the top 100 for the Run Like Hell out of almost 1,100 runners. I’m very pleased with the results of that race. 

Next year I will add the Cascade Lakes Relay as well as an additional half marathon. I intend to train even harder and become lighter for these races and beat my own Personal Records.”

It sounds like all the members of the Infinity Rehab/ North Lake PT Endurance Team had a lot of fun participating in some challenging events this year. We’re excited to watch them push the limits of their endurance and continue to achieve the goals they’ve made for themselves into next year and beyond!