Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Hernandez.
Hi Kate, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I have been a physical therapist for 23 years and have worked in a multitude of different settings, mostly the outpatient and home care settings. I was working for a large home care agency during the pandemic with a very high-risk elderly population. It was a scary time! Due to the uncertainties of the pandemic and a rapidly changing healthcare system, certain benefits that I had as a full-time employee were no longer available. And then I got Covid, which gave me a good 2 weeks to evaluate my career and my goals as both a clinician and mom. After a lot of thought and maybe a few tears, I made the brave decision to start my own business! That’s when Therapy In Motion was born! As soon as I started Therapy In Motion, I knew the type of care I wanted to provide and the mission I was passionate about: providing high-quality care that empowers the elderly population, combats ageism and keeps them safe to age in place at their chosen home with minimal to no trips to the hospital.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning a business is really never a smooth road! Running a physical therapy practice certainly has its own challenges. And giving up a comfortable salary to pursue this goal was scary! Of course, my first challenge – filling up my schedule! Thankfully, due to numerous connections from my past job in an orthopedic practice, I was able to steadily build my schedule and even needed to hire additional therapists within the first 6 months to help me with all of the referrals. However, that leads me to my next challenge – steady income! Patients always seem to need physical therapy; however, the nature of this business is always up and down, busy schedule one week followed by 2 slow weeks. In addition, we accept Medicare, who can take between 2 and 6 weeks to pay for services. So, learning how to manage my finances in a way that I could still pay my contractors without having been paid by Medicare first was also a new skill to learn! Right now, I consider myself very lucky and blessed in that we have more referrals than we can staff, so I am again hiring! Until we bring on a new therapist, I am seeing patients daily and it’s challenging to work both in my business and on my business every day. But I also know what I signed up for when I started my business and I welcome the growth that always comes out of challenges!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Therapy In Motion, LLC is a mobile physical and occupational therapy practice, providing care in the comfort of patients’ homes in Central Maryland. Think of us as a mobile therapy clinic. We take outpatient therapy to the patient’s homes under Medicare part B insurance. Seeing patients in their homes allows the therapist to provide expert 1:1 care. We are attentive to all details of patient care, and we know the importance of coordination of care and communication between the patient and all clinicians and family members involved in the well-being of the patient. Our mission is to empower the elderly population, combat ageism, and treat patients in such a way that they know they can count on us.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was raised in Northeast Ohio in a suburb of Cleveland, so I am a die-hard Cleveland sports fan. I was a high school athlete playing basketball and softball, and then went on to play rugby at Ohio University! Sports, teams, family, and friends have always been a cornerstone of my life and I feel that my dedication to Cleveland sports is a testament to my commitment to those that I love 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: www.therapyinmotionllc.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therapyinmotion_dpt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therapyinmotiondpt
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kate-hernandez-dpt-b14b6373
