“Dear Mark,
Thank you for including me in an email about what might be a perfect physical therapy opportunity for me.  The benefit package is exquisite – a compensation package worth a potential $93,467 being paid $55 per hour plus mileage and time reimbursement as well as a full benefits package, sign-on bonus, relocation assistance, and matching 401k (currently 7%).  Practicing in a new facility with state-of-the-art equipment and having flexibility in my clinical hours sounds great for a working mom like myself.

This opportunity isn’t the “one” for me though.  You do know I am a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.  (I’m almost positive you bought my email address from the organization that represents my profession).  This opportunity you are sharing with me – and the rest of the members of the association – really isn’t the “one” for any of us.  I understand the amount of responsibility you have to assist your client in finding staff physical therapists, but you have targeted the wrong population.
What you think might be the “one” for me (or anyone within that mass email), sadly isn’t the “one” for any of us.  In making professional decisions, matters far more important than benefit packages, equipment and flexibility are first and foremost.  Our role in the health care system isn’t a commodity or even an ancillary service.  Being employed by physicians is riddled with issues.  The biggest issue is conflict of interest.  Data has been collected and analyzed and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission published a report on this very topic.  The headliner sentence in this article states the real reason for physicians to own a physical therapy practice, “Physician owned physical therapy services have provided an alternate source of income to many physicians who have been forced to cope with declining reimbursement.”

Physical therapists can most definitely be a cost-effective solution in the musculoskeletal world – but physical therapist aren’t the solution for physicians looking for ways to pad their pockets and diversify services within their offices.  It’s not right to knowingly take advantage of patients.  In physician owned physical therapy practice situations, sadly the recommendations of the physicians can be questioned.  Did the physician recommend physical therapy services due to a real patient need or did the physician refer the patient for physical therapy services to increase practice income?

I’m sorry, Mark, although you’d like to think you’ve introduced me to a great opportunity, you really haven’t.  Although I know you have a client in Georgia in need of a physical therapist, I truly hope you fail in meeting your client’s need.  Please realize, if you do fail with this particular endeavor, don’t take it personally.  Failing with this endeavor is just a result of physical therapists taking a stance and not getting involved in situations that have the potential to exploit patients.

~Selena”