Speaker: Sara Ruhlman, Clinic Director/Partner
Sara Ruhlman: Hello, my name is Sarah Roman. I am a clinic director and partner at Ivy Rehab. I joined the team back in May of 2024 as we were making final preparations for our de novo opening. Our grand opening was in August of 2024, so we have now been open about 5 months.
Why did you decide to partner with Ivy to open your own clinic?
Sara Ruhlman: I've been a physical therapist for 30 years, and it has always been a dream of mine to have my own practice. What drew me to Ivy rehab was the opportunity to be a partner in a clinic and still have the benefit of being part of a larger company, having the support and expertise and all of those different avenues to make it a success was really something that drew me. In addition, I could tell from the very beginning that Ivy rehab was very focused on the employee and the employee experience and developing us and having the resources available to do that.
What did the support and resources look like for an Ivy de novo partner?
Sara Ruhlman: The support and resources available to me as a new clinic director partner really began pre-hire, I would say. During the interview process, I had the opportunity to talk with both my area director and regional director on numerous occasions about the partnership from a financial and legal aspect. Was able to have interaction with the legal members as well to just ensure that I was making the best decision for myself and my family. Most importantly, these meetings included my husband, so he was able to hear the information firsthand and ask any questions that he had, um, because it is a, a large financial obligation. So that was really helpful for us in making the decision initially.
What advice would you give to someone interested in opening your own clinic?
Sara Ruhlman: As I mentioned, it was a long-term dream of mine to be able to open my own clinic. Ever since I graduated 30 years ago. And as I entered the workforce and got married, began a life together and started having children, it was very clear that it was not going to be an easy thing to do from a financial standpoint, from a work-life balance standpoint. So, when this opportunity came around to have a partnership with Ivy Rehab and be able to realize that dream of opening my own clinic with the stability of a larger company and all of the departments that, that support that operation, to me, it was a perfect match to be able to have that opportunity with that support behind it. So I guess the advice I would give someone who is interested in opening their own clinic is really, really consider the amount of labor and time and money that is going to be needed for you to do that successfully on your own. Um, in this healthcare setting, I feel that it would be extremely difficult with the insurance and Medicare and credentialing. And billing, etc. and all of that is, is taken out of the equation, really. Ivy Rehab takes, takes ownership and runs all of that very well. I've always felt that I've had a voice and my opinion matters, and so it really, I haven't looked back as soon as I joined the team.
