A Message from PTPN President & CEO Michael Weinper, MPH, PT

The challenge of balancing rising health care costs with providing quality health care services has never been greater. Choosing the best providers for outpatient rehabilitation will have a significant impact on the care of aging Americans and the ability of their health plans to meet this challenge.

As a long-time physical therapist in private practice, I know from firsthand experience of the dedication, skill and personal commitment of the independent rehabilitation practitioner. I formed PTPN in 1985 to bring together these capable professionals around the country so they would be accessible to patients and a wide range of insurers, including managed care organizations, workers' compensation companies and medical groups.

Since we began, we’ve demonstrated that this approach produces superior and more cost-effective patient care. We've grown from 118 rehabilitation offices in California to more than 1,200 member clinics across the United States. We now contract with thousands of payers, including most of the managed care organizations in the country.

Along the way, we have established a reputation as a different kind of network. We have the highest quality standards in the rehabilitation industry, holding our providers to credentialing standards that exceed those of other networks, state licensing requirements and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

Only therapists in private practice who meet these exacting standards can be members of PTPN. With these criteria, we avoid such conflicts of interest as corporate or physician ownership that can drive up costs and utilization and reduce the quality of patient care. We are the only network with a system that monitors the delivery of care and appropriate utilization, ensuring that care is not only superior, but cost-effective.

As part of our mission to set the standards for the rehabilitation industry, we recently launched three primary initiatives to meet the needs of payers, consumers and members:

The PTPN Outcomes Program. This initiative represents the next evolution of the PTPN Quality Assurance Program and allows PTPN, our providers and our payers to track and quantify the success of treatment offered by PTPN therapists. The PTPN Outcomes Program helps ensure that patients get the highest quality of care and treatment that is appropriate for each patient’s condition.

Health and wellness programs for consumers. Under our new Physiquality brand name, PTPN therapists will be providing a variety of services and products designed to help Americans of all ages lead healthier and more active lives. That way, consumers can choose PT-supervised programs to improve their health and fitness status safely and without injury.

Advocacy for rehab practitioners and patients. PTPN is active in legislative and regulatory issues and engages a major lobbying firm, Connolly Strategies and Initiatives, to give PTPN member practitioners and their patients a stronger voice in Washington. Now, at a time when health care resources are constrained, and aging Americans need to stay healthy and productive, what PTPN brings to the table is more important than ever before — experience, quality and maximum value for all outpatient rehabilitation services.

I invite you to learn more about the PTPN difference.

Michael Weinper, MPH, PT
PTPN President & Chief Executive Officer
Recipient of the Robert G. Dicus Award from the Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association, 2000