Professional Rehab zones in on mobility

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Professional Rehab & Mobility went all in with its wheelchair business recently, when it sold off its respiratory and DME segment, and rebranded.

“It's just the direction we were headed—some of the talent that we picked up was heading that way,” said Theresa Crump, president and co-owner.

Professional Rehab now focuses on complex rehab, and standard power and manual mobility.

The provider, formerly Professional Rehab & Respiratory, was launched in 2003 by respiratory therapists Crump and Vickie Jarrell, and offered respiratory therapy and DME, including beds, lifts, TENS units and negative pressure wound therapy devices.

In 2013, it added complex rehab to the mix, eventually growing it to about 78% of its business.

“When I first started it really paid to do everything,” said Crump. “The market today is totally different and it drives you to be really good at one thing. We want to be the mobility company that everyone goes to.”

The complex rehab space has undergone a lot of consolidation in the past few years, with both National Seating & Mobility and Numotion rolling up smaller providers. But the much-smaller Professional Rehab, which has locations in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tenn., and six ATPs on staff, isn't worried about competing with the big guys, says Crump. Professional Rehab's nimble environment allows its ATPs to really work with patients.

“I think we offer a little bit more flexibility than the corporate environment,” she said. “I am not saying they are not good companies, but I think sometimes they are driven by a protocol-structured environment.”

Although reimbursement in the rehab space, as with most DME, isn't where she would like to see it, Crump says she sees tremendous opportunity in the market.

“We are just excited to be going in one direction,” she said.