Hospitals can use physical therapy consultants to analyze their therapy programs and make strategic recommendations for more efficient operations and better patient experience. Many hospital leaders, especially in smaller and more remotely located facilities, face challenges managing physical therapy departments due to the specialized knowledge and needs required of them. With growing competition from outside therapy providers, many hospitals can start to question the degree they are able to provide these services on a cost-effective basis.
However, any clinician will tell you that the sooner physical therapy can be started after sustaining an injury or recovering from surgery, the better. Timely intervention can result in better patient outcomes and a lower rate of costly readmissions. For hospitals looking to achieve these results, physical therapy consultants can help leaders make the necessary improvements to their service offerings.
What are the most important qualities a physical therapy consultant should have?
It's important to choose a physical therapy consultant who not only has the right credentials, but who can also build a productive relationship with your facility. While some of these qualities are intangible, many more of them are objective, including:
- Experience ” A consultant with a long record of successful experience in the industry has seen a wider variety of situations and can be more likely to know how to solve your particular problems.
- Operational expertise ” Physical therapy consultants should work with an organization that focuses exclusively on therapy services to ensure they have the focused expertise that your department requires.
- Communication skills ” Experience and expertise can only take you so far. Your consultant needs to be able to effectively interact with your leadership and medical staff in order to truly help your facility.
- Reputation ” What do other hospitals that have worked with this consultant have to say? Do your research and try to find a good sampling of feedback regarding any prospective physical therapy consultants and their organization.
- Solutions ” It's critical for a consultant to identify any opportunities for improvement and development in your physical therapy program, but to capitalize on this information you also need to be able to make the needed changes. Is your physical therapy consultant able to offer turnkey solutions to help you reach your goals?
Alliance Physical Therapy Partners are the consultants you can trust
Our physical therapy consultants are backed by more than 50 years of experience in the therapy services industry. We also understand how important it is to build a strong relationship. This is why we work to develop a deep understanding of the individual needs of all of our hospital partners and offer effective solutions. Alliance can help you properly staff, streamline and grow your therapy department into a profitable unit that more importantly keeps patients and their well-being as the absolute focus of care.
To learn more, contact us today. Our consultants can provide a full assessment of your program to determine how we can help.