As I sit down to begin writing, I can only stop and reflect on where this all began. Moreover, why this all began. After having spent several years in the healthcare industry, I began to see a trend that I was not fond of- decreased time spent with patients, decreased quality of care and limitations on services that can be provided. This trend seems to be fairly consistent across the board, not just for physical therapy, but all healthcare. With declining reimbursement rates, skyrocketing deductibles and out of pocket expenses, healthcare providers have been handcuffed regarding the amount of time and type of services we can provide. As a direct result of these trends, quality of care has plummeted, in my opinion. People deserve better service and better care, but in today’s health industry that is very hard to produce due to declining reimbursement from insurance companies, which forces providers to see an excessive number of patients in order to cover expenses and overhead. I am as guilty as anyone for being part of the herd mentality of seeing more patients than I can truly serve because that is what we have to do- or in my case, once had to do.I write this not to shed a negative light on our current healthcare model entirely, but in hopes that it will help my patients develop a better understanding of my story and why I believe it is important to take control of your own health and wellness. It became very difficult for me to show up for work because I was not satisfied with how things were going. I wanted so much more for all of my patients and strongly believed that each and every one of them deserved more than they were getting. After a lot of thinking, prayer and a large mentality shift on my part, I finally had the courage to start my own practice, Cultivate Physical Therapy & Motion Lab. My mission, and my company’s mission is to provide the absolute highest quality of care to every individual that walks through our doors. We will provide extended, one-on-one time with every patient, which will ultimately lead to faster results and better outcomes. This will be possible because we will no longer be working for insurance companies, but instead we will be working for you with no restrictions or limitations. I am once again filled with passion for what I do and I cannot wait to take the next step with you in your journey to personal health and wellness. You can find more information at www.cultivatept.com or our Facebook page, Cultivate Physical Therapy & Motion Lab.