Archives : 2011 : October

Infinity Rehab Congratulates Therapy Solutions for Receiving the Gold Seal of Approval!

Infinity Rehab would like to congratulate its sister company, Therapy Solutions, for recently being awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission for Health Care Staffing Services.

“This is truly a flag in our tower,” says Warren Johnson, President of Therapy Solutions. “We are very excited to have this accreditation. It’s a great tribute to the services we provide and the excellent work of our therapists.”

Therapy Solutions underwent an on-site review of its compliance with national standards that assess how staffing firms determine the qualifications and competency of their staff, how they place their staff, and how they monitor staffs’ performance.

There were numerous quality standards that needed to be met during the review process, according to Johnson. “The evaluation demanded over 100 hours of work from Therapy Solutions. We worked with The Joint Commission on auditing our records, ensuring policies and standards are in place and logging all of our data into a website that is monitored by the Commission,” recalls Johnson.

“Health care organizations that contract with Therapy Solutions can look to Joint Commission certification as an assurance that Therapy Solutions demonstrates a commitment to providing and continuously improving quality services,” says Michele Sacco, M.S., executive director, Health Care Staffing Services Certification of The Joint Commission.

Therapy Solutions received a two-year Gold Seal of Approval and will undergo an annual review process to ensure the organization has maintained and improved upon the standards and policies that have been enacted.

“This accreditation really sets us apart from other health care staffing organizations and recognizes the value of our hard work and our commitment to offer better quality services,” says Johnson.

Therapy Solutions provides therapy staff across a wide variety of settings, serving both pediatric and adult populations since 1988.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.

 

 

Infinity Rehab Welcomes Three Therapists to Key Employee Roles

 

We would like to announce the addition and promotion of three individuals in key roles to the Infinity Rehab team.

 

Lisa O’Regan joined us in June as the Area Rehab Director for Arizona. With nearly 20 years of experience as a Physical Therapist, Lisa brings a wealth of clinical and managerial knowledge to ensure smooth transitions as our expansion of therapy services into Arizona continues. Lisa has attended a wide-range of continuing education courses over her career and is also a certified weight trainer.

 

Valerie Heim has been promoted to the role of Senior Rehab Director for Pinecrest Community in Mount Morris, IL. Valerie has been a practicing Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant for the better part of a decade. She is also certified in Kinesio Taping I and II and advanced orthopedic Kinesio Taping applications.

 

Jeri Konecki will serve as the Director of Rehab for Concord Extended care in Oak Lawn, IL. Jeri has been with Infinity Rehab since 2008 as a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant. She has worked as a COTA for almost a decade since she graduated from South Suburban College located in South Holland, IL. Jeri has demonstrated her commitment and promotion of the Infinity Rehab Mission and Values over the past three years.

 

Please join us in welcoming and congratulating these three individuals to their new roles with Infinity Rehab!

 

Infinity Rehab Named OHCA Outstanding Business Partner of the Year

Infinity Rehab was named “Business Partner of the Year” by the 2011 Oregon Health Care Association, the state’s largest association of providers of skilled nursing, assisted living, and senior housing services. “This is a great honor to have and a testament of our dedication to upholding our integrity, continual innovation, and exemplary service for our business partners,” said Mike Billings, President of Infinity Rehab. Below is an excerpt from the OHCA awards ceremony:

“Infinity Rehab continuously demonstrates dedication and commitment to the facilities and communities that they serve. The exceptionally qualified staff makes the difference by combining skill, practical expertise and a motivating attitude that results in positive outcomes and newfound hope for residents & families. Infinity Rehab’s superior caring services far exceed expectations and repeatedly contribute to the success of their patients. This in turn, facilitates hope and ultimately the transition to a better quality of life.

They are consistently scoring high marks on satisfaction surveys, receiving positive feedback and recommendations from residents and their families. There is almost weekly feedback from residents & families who rate the quality of services as “phenomenal” and “unsurpassed”. Infinity Rehab works above and beyond their duties as a contracted service provider. Each member of their team has a positive attitude and a strong work ethic.”

Infinity was nominated for this award by several letters from customer facilities, most specifically West Hills rehab, who named Sarah Shearer Smith, Senior Director of Rehab and her team of professional therapists.

We want to thank Sarah, the therapists at West Hills, and all of our therapists who work each day to improve the lives of our patients, our customers and our co-workers. You are all winners!

 

Infinity Rehab Keeps the Spirit of Giving Strong

Therapists by trade give back to the community they serve everyday when working with patients. We assist patients with regaining the ability to walk, to speak and to do tasks we sometimes take for granted; such as cook dinner or use the restroom. As a company founded and operated by therapists, Infinity Rehab has adopted the practice of giving back to each individual we serve by making it a company-wide practice to donate our resources whenever the opportunity arises.

Over the 12 years that Infinity Rehab has been in operation, we have donated to a multitude of causes and organizations ranging from local food banks to woman’s shelters. Mike Billings, President of Infinity Rehab, says it typically boils down to the employees own charitable motivations when it comes to giving. “We’ve donated over $10,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association over the past 4-5 years … often on behalf of our employees or clients.”

According to Donna Mueller, Vice President of Business Development, “We are a consistent sponsor for our State Associations’ educational offerings, as well as on behalf of our clients who raise funds for special projects, capital improvements and charity care.”

Laura Cantrell, Director of Outpatient Services, says, “We always try to take advantage of the times when we bring all of our employees together, like at regional meetings or the annual continuing education symposium.” There is almost always an opportunity for someone to donate to a charity at an Infinity Rehab event, says Cantrell. “This one time, at a regional meeting in Illinois, there was so much dog and cat food donated to a local shelter that they filled up a van!” Cantrell says the animal shelter was a little overwhelmed when they showed up with the food, but were nonetheless grateful for the donation.

The Lions Club International Sight Program and Tillamook County Animal Shelter were both recipients of donations collected at the 2011 Infinity Rehab NW Symposium. Even when employees of Infinity Rehab are not in a position to gather en mass, we still embrace the principle of giving. Billings draws the connection of the continuous spirit of giving to the care for patients that our therapists give everyday:

“None of us would be in this industry if we didn’t deeply care about those we serve. As an organization we contribute to the industry on a daily basis through the actions of our professional associates. However, our organization is made up of individuals with the desire to volunteer and contribute philanthropically.”