Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed.
If it’s on a list of ailments associated with the moving body, there is a good chance that H2 Health, a physical therapy (PT) powerhouse with locations in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia, can handle it. H2 Health, which prides itself on 50 years of community service, goes far beyond a typical PT facility.
Integrating Movement and Anatomy
H2 Health has a dizzying array of services that reach far beyond the traditional physical therapy realm. “From occupational therapy to dry needling, pediatric services and massage therapy, we strive to meet all of patients’ needs,” says John Kovacs, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at H2 Health. “We look beyond a diagnosis and perform an assessment of what kinds of treatment each person may benefit from.”
Whatever, wherever
“We have crafted outpatient PT programs that enable us to treat individuals wherever they are. Yes, we have brick and mortar clinics, but we also have ‘H2 Health at Home.’ With this program, PT and occupational therapy can be undertaken in the comfort of someone’s home. We see patients in their homes after surgery and make assessments as to their mobility and independence. As they improve, we work with their physician to transfer their care to one of our outpatient clinics.”
PT in a park?
Home is where the patient is, says H2 Health. Kovacs: “That might be a senior care facility of some form (assisted living, for example), so we go there. Technically, we could meet someone in a park if that is best for them!”
And just to have another set of eyes focused on safety, says Kovacs, H2 Health also conducts home safety assessments. “We want to ensure that the furniture is laid out correctly, that there is nothing that someone can trip over, no clutter in the stairwells, etc.”
Whereas traditional home health providers might see a patient 1-2x per week, H2 Health can see patients 5 days per week. “One of the most common refrains these days is the need to decrease rehospitalization…H2 Health can fill that gap after hospital discharge or even after home health discharge.”
And for those contending with chronic pain, H2 Health can help with that as well. “With chronic pain, the body’s alarm system has been activated. Unfortunately, when someone is constantly in pain people tend to brush them off. Our physical therapists understand that the body’s alarm system is activated by an external stimulus so that is where we begin. We take a six-pillar holistic approach: electrical stimulation, heat, ultrasound/Augmented Soft Tissue Manipulation (ASTYM), meditation/relaxation, stretching, and sleep hygiene. We put a lot of effort into educating patients on the neuromuscular system and how pain comes to be—and research has shown that this education pays off.”
And in the Covid climate?
“Our bottom line,” says Kovacs, “is to work from the CDC guidance. PT is viewed as an essential service because it is importance to keep people moving. It can be difficult to convince frightened people to leave the house and be around others, however, so we do offer televisits as an option.”
But Covid won’t slow the company’s growth and acquisitions, says Kovacs. “We have plans for significant growth and are aiming for 500 clinics in 5 years. Our pace thus far has been to add new clinics every month. In 2021 we will focus on the southeastern corridor of U.S. In the event that we are acquiring another facility, we follow the philosophy that we are not changing the way they treat their patients…we are learning from the groups we acquire.”
For additional information on H2 Health, please visit: https://h2health.com/
