A little background: Cathy Renkiewicz is the Director of Virginian Rehabilitation and Wellness in Fairfax, VA. She has been a physical therapist for over 40 years, and in recent years operated under the umbrella of a larger facility. Last year, this facility was sold and it was decided not to keep on the Rehab component that Cathy was a part of; spurring them suddenly into the opportunity of becoming an independent private practice. From this point, she had to start from scratch with all of the necessary facilities (HR, Billing, Marketing, etc). After researching and listening to our podcast, Cathy came to trust Brian and his advice.
The following is her story based off a recent interview that we conducted:
Pain points
Cathy’s was not exactly a standard practice and she had been placed in a unique situation – needing to basically start from scratch. Although she had years of experience as a physical therapist, it was a struggle because she now had to essentially wear every single hat.
She was always part of the structure of a larger company, so having to create her own company structure posed a challenge. She had to continually get down to the purpose of what they were doing and where they were going with the staff – having many difficult discussions to try to get everybody on board.
“Amidst all this, we didn’t know how to track what we were doing.”
Another area where they needed help was in the Billing Dept, as Cathy stated that, “One of the scariest things for me was turning over the Billing… we really had to understand this process more.”
How MEG Academy helped
“The different divisions and their purposes were very helpful for getting the structure of the company together. We changed our structure and EMR, and learned what metrics were actually important to track and we could see how we were all doing.”
Cathy mentioned that she had always thought she had the ability to confront, but learning how to be more open and friendly really helped with the staff: “Being confident enough to be open about the challenges really made me feel like I had the foundation that I needed.”
Further in terms of transparent communication: “We started using Status Sheets forms and these really helped the employee know exactly what we were giving them. Also what we expected in return was put into concrete – this was super helpful for the staff, it sets up a really nice relationship.”
“The specific way that MEG lays out the hiring process just made so much sense and truly helped our hiring process. The whole organization is better because of this advice. That’s one of the biggest things I got from it.”
Cathy also realized that they weren’t having meetings enough along the way, and that having more open ones was much more effective. “We kept putting off these meetings and didn’t see the importance of them, but so much comes up in these meetings and it keeps them (the staff) on track and on the same page.”
Regarding MEG Billing Solutions: “The billing side of MEG is amazing! It is the biggest load off to have a great billing company to deal with.”
“Being a part of MEG has definitely made me feel a part of a great community of peers.”
Question: What gave you the confidence to expand into a second office now?
“Having a framework to work off of, knowing what to look for – when you have the metrics you can plan and that’s what’s really helpful.
We brought in Jason Waz’s Neubie E-Stim and adding that differentiator really gave us confidence and had us feeling like we know we’re going to make it.
I don’t know how we would’ve opened this second clinic without the guidance of MEG.”
Thank you Cathy!
Why MEG?
We understand that your practice will not have a “one size fits all” solution. Our expert coaches individually assess each individual client’s needs to develop a unique solution for their particular challenges. Our goal is to identify the underlying barriers to success and implement training to address your needs. Your practice has to be built on a solid foundation. What sets us apart is that we are always accessible – you can pick up the phone and call us at any time and really get a personalized experience.
In the absence of certainty, you will elect to do nothing. Receiving this training & guidance allows you to gain the certainty that you need. Because we have the “recipe” defined and laid out, you will be put more into control over your practice and your life as a practice owner!
For more on this, join us on September 24th for our “Roundtable Discussion About Workable Solutions to Real-Life Problems; Innovative Concepts From Industry Leaders” Zoom Cast!
