Sometimes in business, it’s best to focus on what you’re best at. For Rehab Medical, that means two things: providing complex rehab technology (CRT) and developing a strong team of committed employees. According to the company’s president, the two are intertwined—and also why Rehab is now one of the largest CRT providers in the country.
This year, Rehab is celebrating its 20th year in business—and a consistent history of growth. From a single durable medical equipment (DME) location, it has grown to 30 offices in 18 states and has its sights set on more expansion.
“The reality is, if we’ve got great people and they want to be here and we’re supporting them, they’re going to take care of our patients and we’re going to have a better company,” said Rehab Medical President Kevin Gearheart. “It all builds on itself.”
Early Beginnings
Rehab’s focus wasn’t quite as clear in the early days. In 2005, the company launched as Orbit Medical, a Utah-based DME provider with a full roster of products, from mobility to oxygen.
The company grew across the Midwest, but with competitive bidding changing the landscape, CEO Patrick McGinley decided to split it into two. Rehab Medical was created in 2012 to focus on complex rehab with headquarters in Indianapolis; Orbit eventually was sold to Reliable Medical and continues to operate. While Rehab focuses on CRT, it does carry a full line of mobility products, including standard power wheelchairs and scooters to assist patients or referrers who may need them.
Meanwhile, Rehab took off through a combination of organic growth and, in some cases, buying up existing home medical equipment businesses. By 2015, its 10th year, it had operations in 10 states. In 2017, it bought wound care provider Crow Creek Medical and created a new division; two years later, it absorbed Cork Medical, a wound care company that manufactures a negative pressure wound care device. Cork Medical now operates as a separate organization under the Rehab Industries umbrella (which also owns a commercial real estate company
called Forza).
In just the last two years, the company has opened in eight new markets through organic growth; it now has locations across most of the Midwest and South.
Rehab’s expansion may look fast, but it’s designed to be intentional and sustainable, Gearheart said. It’s also based not just on geographic reach but on creating new pathways for existing employees.
“We’re taking care of more patients, but also we’re creating opportunities, creating jobs,” he said. “And then the people that we hire and develop, if they want to grow and we’re growing, now they’ve got an opportunity to step into a new position and not have to leave the organization to have a growth path.”
That in turn, sets the company up for an even stronger future, he added. Because if you’re retaining good people and developing them, you have a strong team to lean on and can move fast when opportunities present themselves.
“The more we grow, the more opportunities we create. The more people we’re developing, the more opportunities we’re ready for,” he said.
Nurturing Talent
Rehab is also intentional about staff development, Gearheart said. A central part of that is a push to both hire and internally develop new assistive technology professionals (ATPs)—not an easy task given a long-running shortage of ATPs.
So, Rehab developed its ATP Prep Program, a training curriculum that allows team members to build clinical knowledge that helps them pass the Rehabilitation and Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North ATP certification exam, then provides additional support as they transition into their work post-certification.
The company started the program in Kentucky with a focus on developing more CRT providers in rural areas and has expanded from there. It includes virtual live training sessions twice a week, requiring candidates to notch continuing education credits and real-world experience before they sit for the exam, and offers tuition reimbursement.
Reliable now claims 128 ATPs on staff—and 10 people have achieved the certification just this year. But the support doesn’t end when a team member passes the test.
“We’ve launched this development program that says, ‘Hey, great, you’ve got your certification. Now let’s take you down an 18 to 24 month path to make sure that you’re really, really qualified to do this job,’” Gearheart said. That includes working closely with an experienced mentor and conducting ride-alongs. “Let’s make sure you’re getting a lot of guidance and support to make sure that you are qualified so that you can absolutely be the best,” he continued.
That also means finding the right roles for newly minted ATPs.
“Some people say, ‘Hey, I just want to see patients.’ And so, we’ve created a model for that. Some people are like, ‘Hey, I don’t want to see patients, but I want to deliver equipment,’” Gearheart said. “Great! We’ve developed a number of positions where people can be an ATP and play to their strengths within the organization.”
That said, Gearheart added, there’s a dual path where Rehab recruits ATPs from outside as well and seeks to offer them their best match for a role. And there’s also a separate leadership development program for anyone entering management.
“We’re really just trying to figure out: How do we play to people’s strengths and how do we support them with engagement and development?” Gearheart said.
Building Teams
Rehab also focuses energy into employee engagement beyond professional development. At the heart lie its four “core values,” defined as: energetic to achieve, hard work with balance and compassion. Gearheart said the goal in creating the values was to define who makes a good employee and unite them.
“This is our culture, if this is exciting to you, you’re going to love it here,” Gearheart said. “If they don’t resonate with you, it’s probably not the right fit.”
Team members are rewarded by supervisors and peers for exhibiting a core value; they get a personalized card that lists their example and can win other perks, like a special parking spot. Each year, those honored with an Annual Excellence Award go on a core value trip. Those awards are given at the company’s annual conference, which draws all team members from around the country to its Indianapolis headquarters each January.
“That’s been a big part of our success, too,” Gearheart said. “We focus on education; we have a bunch of different trainings and stuff that we’re doing. We focus on celebration—we just finished the year and that’s kind of why we do it in January; the year’s over, let’s celebrate it, let’s make sure we acknowledge people … And then the next step is alignment: This is where we’re going, this is what we’re doing.”
“And then the last piece is really just about connection,” he continued—that is, seeing people who have worked together for years get to see each other again, or new people to learn about a person beyond a name and initial in the computer system.
Other Challenges
For all the emphasis Rehab Medical puts on internal development, it can’t control all external factors, some of which threaten the industry and make doing business difficult. “We have to remain a sustainable business, and if we do, we’re going to take care of more patients,” Gearheart said. “I don’t shy away from the fact that we’re a for-profit business.”
To that end, Rehab works closely with industry advocates—Gearheart himself is vice president of the board of the National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology, or NCART—to ensure access to CRT. While he says tariffs and supply chain issues are always top of mind, the biggest challenge may be working with payers and states on issues like streamlining pre-authorization for service.
Long-term, he says, the goal for Rehab is to stay focused and intentional about growth.
“For us, it’s just to continue to stay consistent on our mission of improving lives and growth,” he said. “We’re in 18 states; there’s more space out there, there are more patients that need our services, so we’re going to continue to grow into more states as we see opportunities … and we’re going to stay intentional about our growth plan.”
As for the broader mobility business, Gearheart said that he’s curious to see how artificial intelligence affects efficiency and accuracy, especially in terms of documentation. Manufacturing may change in the coming decade as well, he said.
“I think more than anything what I’m hopeful of is that as an industry we continue to work together to make sure that we’re taking care of patients,” Gearheart said. “I think as long as we do that, that’s really what I want to see happen.”