ATG: ‘We’ll Bring the Teachers to You’

ROCKY HILL, Conn. — Education and information served up
however you want it — that’s ATG Rehab’s vision for its new
comprehensive rehab education program, one aspect of which launched
on Thursday.

“We want to bring education in different forms and formats, in
person and online, both free and for a charge, in a Webinar form,
in an online form, tailored or specialized,” said Jerry Knight,
president of northwestern regional operations for ATG Rehab, a top
nationwide complex rehab provider.

The company, which has 26 locations in 21 states and is still
growing, is partnering with the University of Pittsburgh, the
International Association for Continuing Education and Training,
manufacturers and clinical experts to offer everything from online
modules and Webinars to in-person and in-facility training.

The first Webinar March 11 focused on helping clinicians
evaluate, select and tailor setup for seating and mobility
equipment. In-person seminars begin March 22 in Philadelphia with a
session on clinical considerations for individuals with progressive
neurological disorders. Stops at sites ranging from Concord,
Calif., to Denver; Boston; Atlanta; Dayton, Ohio; and Portland,
Ore., will follow through May 18. Topics vary, depending on the
need of clinicians in the area.

“Our goal is to help therapists and clinicians easily access the
latest information to help clients while enhancing their
professional skills through CEU credits,” said Paul Bergantino, ATG
CEO.

Knight said the provider has for years offered educational
programs to its clinicians and referral sources, usually partnering
with manufacturers to do so. Generally, though, clinicians, who are
required to earn an annual number of CEUs, were gaining the bulk of
their education through professional conferences and seminars.

“What we discovered over time is that it was becoming
progressively more difficult for clinicians to make those events,”
Knight said. Budgetary constraints, shortage of time, family
obligations and other issues were preventing clinicians from
getting the information they needed and the education they
required.

“Our thinking was these are people who are stakeholders in our
success. We owe it to them to make it easy or at least easier,”
Knight said. “We’ll bring the speakers to you.”

ATG tapped into the expertise of Mark Schmeler, Ph.D, OTR/LATP,
at UP to help put together an education program to do just that.
Schmeler is enthusiastic about the resulting program.
“No one in the industry has put together such a comprehensive
educational program that is accessible through one Web site
location,” he said. “ATG Rehab’s series offers today’s
time-stressed professionals a way to keep up with innovations and
best practices without compromising their schedules.”

It’s apparently answering a need.

“It really has gotten quite a bit of attention … We’re
enrolling people every day and the series coming up looks promising
from an attendance standpoint,” said Knight. “It’s just a
beginning,” he added. “There’s much more to come over time.”

Knight said the overall goal is “to really become the go-to
source for information for complex rehab — and that would not
only include education for clinicians but also information for
parents and caregivers.”

ATG wants to connect family members, caregivers, professionals
and key complex rehab stakeholders to information via the Web “to
use the power of information and the power of collaboration and the
power of sharing” that would result in improved lives, Knight said.
In addition, the Web site will, in time, provide “drill-down
education components that would help whomever, whether it be
researching a challenge or problem or understanding [a
beneficiary’s] future needs with links to other resources,” he
said.

There is no timeline for the buildout, Knight said. However, he
noted, “We’re already working on the next phase and we’ve got
blueprints for the caregiver phase.

“We’re not looking at these as revenue or profit centers,” he
added. “They’re intended to operate on a break-even basis. We are
absolutely committed to this process. We want to live up to our
commitment to our stakeholders and provide something of value.”

For information, see the ATG Web site.