In a recent news release, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) and Probility Physical Therapy announced the signing of a new letter of intent that will blend the organizations’ strengths in an effort to offer optimized outpatient physical therapy to members of the community.
The agreement would reportedly combine operations of Probility’s six therapy clinics in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, and the village of Clinton, with SJMHS’ seven clinics that are part of St Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and Livingston. Additionally, Probility will become a wholly owned division of SJMHS, with the same leadership in place in the new entity.
Patrick Hoban, CEO of the Ann Arbor-based Probility Physical Therapy, states that the company is happy to have found “an organization with the same commitment to high quality, safety, and service. It was clear from initial meetings that this would be a great fit for both of us, enabling the strengths of our treatment approach to physical therapy to reach a broader market.”
According to the release, 78% of all physical therapy is performed outside of the hospital setting. The partnership will allow SJMHS to extend its services to the retail setting, where 60% of physical therapy currently takes place, the release says.
Rob Cassalou, regional president and CEO, SJMHS, echoes Hoban’s sentiment and calls the partnership a “great opportunity” to expand the organization’s outpatient physical therapy capabilities to a larger marketplace.
“Probility is well-regarded in the local community for its treatment approach and the high-quality service it consistently provides its patients. With our complementary approach to service, this strategy supports our mutual goals to provide the best possible outpatient physical therapy to those in the community,” Cassalou adds.
The release states that Probility will manage the outpatient physical therapy services at St Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and Livingston hospitals and its outpatient health centers in addition to its current operations. All physicians will also continue to refer patients to any clinic in the SJMHS-Probility system, and daily operations will remain much the same.
Probility, which opened in 2005, has grown to six locations and specializes in manual therapy, along with customized exercise programs, instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization, posture/biomechanics retraining, and traction.
The release reports that the new organization is anticipated to become effective in January 2015.
[Source: Saint Joseph Mercy Health System]
