Physical Therapy

Why One Man Travels the World to Find the Best Protocols, Treatments, and Equipment for the Best in Patient Care


 It was early 2014, and physical therapist Dr. Rick Douglass received an invitation in the mail to attend an event for private practice owners in Orlando, FL. 

 As he sat in the crowd that Saturday morning, he listened to speaker Jim Abrams discuss the plan FYZICAL has laid out for the future of healthcare. As Rick listened to ‘The Plan,’ he heard Abrams discuss the future of FYZICAL. A future where an individual would be dedicated to researching the best equipment, best protocols, and best evidence-based treatments offered around the globe. An individual traveling the world to ensure FYZICAL franchisees are performing the best treatments, consistently at each and every location. Rick stopped Jim’s presentation, raised his hand, and said ‘I want to do that.’

rick douglass

The crowd laughed, but Douglass wasn’t joking. After the meeting, he pulled Abrams aside and let him know he was the man for the job.

Introduction to PT

Rick recalls the day he suffered an injury to his wrist playing high school baseball. After surgery, he spent weeks rehabbing at a physical therapy clinic and was astonished at the science behind his recovery. Since his first day of therapy, Rick knew this was the path he wanted to follow. After he was discharged, Douglass immediately began volunteering at a local clinic, and eventually moved into a technician role at a local hospital. He even stayed in this role while completing PT school.

This Man is Serious about Patient Care

Rick completed his undergraduate work at the University of Florida and graduated Suma Cum Laude from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy in 1991.  In 1998, he joined the Ola Grimsby Institute and began a clinical residency program specializing in Orthopedic Manual Therapy of the spine and extremities. He became a Certified Manual Physical Therapist in 2001 and earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2002. In 2005, Dr. Douglass received his board certification as an orthopedic specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists. He returned to the Ola Grimsby in 2006 and earned fellowship status with the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists. Prior to taking his current position as the National Director of Education for FYZICAL he served as the Vice President of the Florida Institute of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy (FIOMPT) and taught post professional education programs for them throughout the state. He also has owned and operated two Physical Therapy clinics, with offices in Bonita Springs and Naples, Florida, since 2001. Dr. Douglass is well respected amongst his colleagues, and his patients appreciate his skill and dedication.

Get FYZICAL

In 2015, Dr. Douglass aligned his two practices with FYZICAL. “I was in private practice for 12 years before becoming a franchisee. Like so many other practice owners, I was becoming too involved with the challenges we face each day within our profession. We are all educated in science of physical therapy, but we don’t necessarily have the business training or acumen to run a successful private practice. I had daily fears of making payroll. I was responsible for 25 individuals and their families, and I was alone in making sure my business was successful, until I joined FYZICAL. Ever since I aligned with FYZICAL, I’ve put management systems in place and focus on what I love most, helping patients. As the franchise continued expansion, my dream job was soon becoming a reality. I saw a major opportunity to reach a far greater number of people, both patients and clinicians,” stated Douglass.

“If you are serious about patient care, I invite you to explore how our group is changing healthcare and how you can be a part of it.”

Taking the Next Step

Fast forward to September 2016. Dr. Rick Douglass, PT is appointed National Director of Education for FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers. His mission is to bring the most effective treatments and equipment to the FYZICAL family, helping FYZICAL centers across the country become known for the highest quality of patient care not only in balance, but also for orthopedic rehabilitation.

Prior to taking on his new role with FYZICAL, Dr. Douglass has always been committed to keeping abreast of current research to assure his patients are provided the latest in scientific & evidence based physical therapy innovations. Today, he wakes up each and every day focused on how to assure patients around the world are provided with the highest quality, evidence-based treatments.

The mission is clear. The best patient care across the globe.

FYZICAL centers across the country see a wide range of orthopedic patients, back pain, pre-and-post-surgical, neck pain, TMJ, etc. In addition to constant training and networking across the brand, FYZICAL centers have access to FYZICAL College, a continuously evolving program dedicated to providing the highest quality patient care and step by step processes on how to manage your practice. FYZICAL is already becoming known to patients and referring doctors as the clear experts in balance and vestibular training in America and Dr. Douglass is on a mission to assure FYZICAL earns that same reputation in the field of Orthopedic and Spine Rehabilitation. To that end, the FYZICAL Orthopedic Residency was recently recognized as a developing program by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education and is on track for the next step towards candidacy. Dr. Douglass will also be rolling out a full menu of evidence based Orthopedic and Spine educational programming to begin in 2017.

As the program matures, variability between franchisees will reduce, PTs will begin speaking the same language, and evaluation and treatment of patients will be to the absolute best evidence available.

In addition to developing educational programs for physical therapists and physical therapy assistants within FYZICAL, Dr. Douglass has further plans. “One of the neat things we are developing is for the PT tech as well. We’re expanding outreach into wellness, prevention and medically-based fitness. So many people, especially those in the Physical Therapy world, have had a wide variety of experience with personal trainers. Now, being focused on ‘training the trainer’ will allow PTs to feel confident that FYZICAL Therapy Technicians and trainers will be safe and effective when carrying out medically based fitness plans in coordination with the Physical Therapist.

Becoming the Orthopedic Experts

There are approximately 209,000 physical therapists across the United States today. In 2016, only 11,730 of these PTs were designated as Orthopedic Clinical Specialists by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists, less than 6% of all therapists. Currently, there are only 1,245 Fellows in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists, less than 0.6%.

“FYZICAL will soon be accepting applications for a residency program to ensure, moving forward, all PTs within the FYZICAL system have the opportunity to be trained as orthopedic clinical specialists. The FYZICAL Orthopedic Residency work will: reduce variability within physical therapy practice, enhance FYZICAL’s reputation as clinical experts across the globe, and serve as a platform to help all our franchise owners with PT recruitment and retention. Under the FYZICAL Education umbrella, I envision an organization with multiple clinical specialties and residencies offered, says Douglass.

“As this ladder is built, retention becomes easy for FYZICAL franchisees. Also, PTs are provided the opportunity to enhance their professional careers. They can start branching out to teaching and mentoring if they so choose. The next step will be an Orthopedic Fellowship Program under the umbrella. It’s almost unbelievable what we’re able to do as a unit. As an individual, this type of expertise can appear unattainable. Doctors and patients are going to realize this, and FYZICAL’s brand reputation will be unstoppable.

The FYZICAL business model was founded by one of the best business minds in the world, Jim Abrams. Franchisees are implementing the business strategies developed by Abrams, the balance protocols from National Balance Director Brian Werner, BodyQ, and so much more. Now, with Dr. Douglass at the helm as the expert in Orthopedic Manual Therapy and the group continuously seeking the best and the brightest minds in healthcare, there is nowhere to go but up.

Douglass says, “I am excited to bring all FYZICAL family members to the highest level of clinical expertise and beyond. If you remember, I was just like you. When FYZICAL was marketing early on, I was very skeptical, thinking to myself, ‘what does a guy with no background in physical therapy know about healthcare and PT in particular?’ He doesn’t have to. He understands business, and he identifies and places the experts in a position to help the entire group succeed. I’ve been most impressed with the care he has for the people he works with. He truly wants each and every one of us to succeed.”

“We’ll continue building a reputation of clinical excellence, and in short order, I believe we will be responsible for publications, peer reviewed journals, and treatment strategies. Our group is changing the way healthcare is delivered. We are moving people away from relying on whatever their insurance covers and recognize the value of taking care of themselves", says Dr. Douglass.

The fastest growing healthcare franchise in America continues its rapid growth, and the team of experts dedicated to help the FYZICAL franchisees grows stronger each and every day. See how FYZICAL is leading the charge to transform healthcare from one of “sick care” to “well care” by providing services focused on quality outcomes, total well-being, and prevention by attending PT Revolution.

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