This November, Fitzgerald PT’s owner and President, Dr. Holly Fitzgerald was interviewed and featured in the Life in the Flats Magazine. She talks about being a physical therapist, how she got her business started, becoming a patient herself and issues faced due to COVID. She also talks about the future of Fitzgerald PT and it’s looking bright! Check out the full interview below:

First of all, what is your personal background in relation to the area? Did you grow up here in the area or did life bring you to New England? Does your family have roots here or nearby?

In 1997 after completing graduate school at Ithaca College, I decided to move to Boston and was hired as a staff physical therapist at the physical therapy practice which I ended up purchasing. I’ve now lived here with my husband and two kids for the past 23 years. My husband was born and raised here and of course now we are all NE sports fans!

You have quite an extensive background, degrees from Ithaca College and Northeastern University, additional certifications and more than two decades of experience, and you are even an instructor at a number of colleges…Did you begin your studies with the eventual goal of building to your current situation, such as running your own business, or was it the during the course of your studies that you began to consider owning your own practice, the direction of your business and the services you provide?

This is an interesting story! The owners of the practice that I was managing decided to sell, and I found myself in the situation of either losing my job or taking over the business. The company sort of fell in my lap and I decided to take the leap. Essentially, my goal was to have a successful private orthopedic practice. However, I knew when buying the existing practice, it wasn’t doing so well and my work would be cut out for me. 

Currently, I am a Clinical instructor for Simmons, Northeastern and Ithaca College. Students come and do their clinical rotations with us and my clinicians – what one would think of as a medical residency while in medical school. We have about 1-2 students year-round.

If you had 10 seconds to describe your business-the ever-popular elevator pitch–what would it sound like?

Our mission is to create patients for life. New patients receive care, have an amazing experience, refer their friends and family and also come back to us whenever needed.

What if you had a whole minute to describe it?

The way we create patients for life is to create a better patient experience – one-on-one specialized individual care and listening to patients concerns. We want patients to feel they are an integral part of the healthcare team – all to maximize outcomes. We strive to get you feeling better and back to your usual lifestyle as soon as possible using a tailored, evidence-based approach. We are big enough to serve you, small enough to care. 

How do people normally come to you? Are they referred by other health professionals or do they do their own search for a PT provider? Is it almost exclusively in response to an injury?

One of the things we are most proud of, is that our biggest referral source is word of mouth. Past patients will send their friends and family members, and this is how we continue to grow our practice. Patients are also so pleased with the level of care we provide they relay that information to others on their healthcare team, like their PCP or Orthopedic surgeon. This helps to continue the referral chain. 

Typically, when someone develops an ache or pain, they go to Google and attempt to self-treat. Eventually if the problem doesn’t resolve they may be referred by a friend, family member or physician into our office. One of the key concepts we are working on is educating the community that physical therapy can be their first line of defense when combating a musculoskeletal condition. If something is nagging you, just pick up the phone and make an appointment. Upon examination if we feel additional intervention is needed, we can refer you to another care provider as deemed appropriate. 

Being in practice for a few decades within the amazing medical community around Boston, we also have a large network of referrals that come from both the local providers as well as the clinicians at the large hospital organizations. In addition, we receive referrals from ancillary care providers such as acupuncturists, personal trainers, massage therapists, and chiropractors.  

Your practice offers such a wide range of services, more than a dozen categories ranging from orthopedic physical therapy to dry needling to pelvic floor & women’s health…how does it all work? You have a large staff of about a dozen doctors, does each doctor have a specialty and they work primarily in that service? Or does each doctor have a range of skills and knowledge to cover several of the services offered? 

Often unknown to the community, each of our physical therapists is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy. Each is considered an orthopedist specialist and within that context, many also have key areas of focus. For example, most of our staff is certified in dry needling, as well as strength and conditioning. In addition, we have a female PT whose key specialization is women’s health and pelvic floor disorder. Our DPT’s also have a variety of sports specialization with most of us being college athletes ourselves – in everything from hockey to tennis. 

What about the clients? Is the typical patient fairly well versed in their own injuries and ailments, athletically oriented with a good idea of what their problem is? Or do you see more people who could more accurately be thought of as laymen, entirely dependent on your initial evaluation and diagnosis?

Most of our patients come within the local community via word of mouth, we see patients age 3 months – 99 years old. Everyone has their own background as to what is going on in their own bodies. Some have had lengthy experiences unsuccessfully at other facilities and have been trouble-shooting issues for awhile. In comparison, we have also student athletes and many patients that appreciate health and wellness and are in very tune with what’s going on with their bodies. 

Currently we’re seeing an influx of patients due to the inability to access services related to COVID. Some have had elective orthopedic surgery cancelled and others haven’t been able to seek help and treatment options. We are happy to be able to be a safe, conservative-care provider while we all get through this crisis together.  

As an athlete yourself, I would imagine that gives you a special insight into certain injuries and treatments and into the mindset of certain patients. Can you speak to how your own personal experiences in this area inform your treatment of sports-related issues?

In 2012, I tore my ACL while playing adult league soccer. Then in 2018, I tore the other one! Playing sports all my life, I’m used to athletic related injuries – but had never experienced ones of this caliber. I underwent reconstructive surgery both times and needed (a lot of) post-op physical therapy. I became a patient of Fitzgerald instead of the Physical Therapist. It was a long road to recovery, which included more than a year of PT each time.

Having been a PT patient and going through rehab myself, I’m now a subject matter expert. The sports psychology part of rehabilitation is huge. I’ve found that being able to talk to patients and coach them through their rehab is often more important than the exercises themselves. 

What insider tip would you give to getting the very most out of one’s time in physical therapy?

#1) Take the time to find a good therapist that you think will work well for you – including your schedule and timeline for your return to prior level of activity. A quick review of the company’s website as well as checking with the American Physical Therapy Association (www.APTA.org) should identify those that appear to meet your needs best. We’ve had patients come take a tour or speak with the PT prior to booking an examination. Every therapist is not the same, you’ll spend lots of time together, and you’ll want to feel like it’s a 2-way relationship. 

#2) Healing takes time! Be willing to buy-in and get onboard to what the therapist is advising, adhere to the recommended treatment plan and give the process respect. Each condition has different rates of healing capabilities and you want to allow your body time to make the process seamless and lasting. Your therapist will be able to give you a realistic expectation as to when you will be recovered at your first session. Maximizing results not only takes time, but a lot of work and effort on the patient’s part – which requires commitment and patience. 

#3) If you don’t feel like you are progressing, speak up. Have an honest conversation with your PT to let them know. Adjustments or modifications may be made to the treatment plan or a referral to a complementary provider for consultation/imaging may be recommended. 

Of course, so much has changed over the past several months. And in the middle of it, an expansion of your office! I imagine the expansion had been planned in advance of the COVID-related changes? Can you discuss the motivation and goals behind the expansion in Woburn?

This is an opportunity that was provided to us well before COVID. The plan was already set in place to expand and instead of backing out, we decided to double down and go for it. The company is growing and we’ve been growing year-over-year. We feel stable in our environment and we wanted to move forward to accommodate this growth. The great news about the expansion is that it couldn’t have come at a better time with respect to social distancing and providing patients a safe environment for care.

How, if at all, has the pandemic impacted your industry overall? Do you anticipate the changes (if any) to be temporary or permanent?

As an industry, the need for our services is not going away. People will always be in demand of physical rehabilitation. During COVID, it was a tough time because we decided to close for two months for the safety of our staff and patients. Of course, we were anxious to come back. We spent a lot of time and effort planning our reopening with new protocols and safety measures in place. In addition, we met weekly for our staff to participate in additional clinical training and compliance protocols as well.

With respect to the permanency of the current changes I think we are all waiting to see what the next 6-9 months brings with this pandemic. Currently, we have now returned to approximately 85% of our patient load, and we hope to be back to 100% within the next month. With staggered schedules, safety protocols and ongoing screening, we feel very comfortable operating during these times. 

How do you address concerns that clients or potential clients might have about coming to you during this time of concern about COVID?

Each patient undergoes a phone screen prior to an appointment being scheduled. Everyone on site is wearing a mask and maintaining social distance. We clean and sanitize every piece of equipment between each patient. PT’s wash their hands between every patient as well. Patients are asked to wash their hands when they enter the facility. There is always the option for a patient to stay within a private room if they choose. We can also accommodate scheduling requests so that patients are in the facility in lower traffic times if needed. At most one may encounter 10-12 individuals in the space across 3-4 therapists at one time utilizing 3,000 sq feet of clinical space. 

We also offer Telehealth so that patients can receive PT care from home. All that is needed is a laptop, mobile or tablet with a camera – it’s that easy. Some patients have enjoyed using the convenience of a combination of in-office and Telehealth visits. 

If anyone has any specific concerns, call and talk to us. We are happy to accommodate them however needed. And as mentioned we are more than happy to schedule a private visit if you would simply like to come check us out prior to booking an examination.

Any advice for those of us who have been less active than usual over the past half-year? From a physical therapy point of view and your general knowledge of the body, is there something we can or should be doing for ourselves at this time?

Keep it simple – people in general need to increase movement in any way, shape or form. Whether that be a walk, run, or live stream exercise class – the resources are endless. Pick a day and just get started. Shoot for 20 mins of physical exercise a day to start. In a perfect world the long-term program would pair exercise that challenges the cardiovascular system as well as strength training.

If you are looking for a proper physical exercise prescription, our physical therapists can also help provide this for you. We can perform a general movement screen, establish areas of concern and design a plan to get you started lessening the likelihood of getting injured. 

Beyond any impacts from the pandemic, what trends or changes do you see or predict taking place in your industry in the future? And what does the future look like for Fitzgerald PT? Are there any more changes or upgrades on the horizon, or was the office expansion the big project for the time being?

As previously mentioned, my industry is working towards educating the public on the utilization of direct access to Doctors of Physical Therapy when they encounter a musculoskeletal issue. This is not a new concept yet one often overlooked and underutilized. If a patient is suffering with a condition that will likely be corrected with physical therapy the best course of care is to get to the PT’s office sooner than later. Ultimately, the physical therapist is the best versed practitioner in determining whether or not you will be successful in physical therapy. We are trained in differential diagnosis, screening for medical red flags as well as reading/ordering imaging. If upon examination, we feel you are not in the right place we can direct you there quickly cutting overall healthcare costs and unnecessary time and diagnostics that may not aid your condition.

For additional information check out the link here: https://www.apta.org/advocacy/issues/direct-access-advocacy

Based on experience and research evidence, those that begin physical therapy sooner, recover quicker and have better outcomes in most conditions. 

The future for Fitzgerald is bright! We just had a ribbon cutting ceremony to “officially” open our new expansion in Woburn last week. We are always looking to expand our reach into new communities and welcome new patients. We strive to always be big enough to serve you, but small enough to maintain the feel of a local family-run business. 

As for the changes, we will remain true to our mission and what got us to this point. We will then see what the future holds!

And finally, the catch-all question— what do you think the readers should know about you and your business that hasn’t been addressed here yet? This can range from personal to professional and be as inclusive and detailed as you like. It’s also a chance to chat about spouse and children, if you would like that aspect of your life included in the article.

Health and wellness are an integral part of my entire life. I’m a fitness fanatic, love anything about movement, but am also a foodie. I like to eat, cook and enjoy time at local restaurants with friends and family. I live in Wilmington with my husband Sean who is a Lieutenant in the Watertown Fire Department, my ten-year-old son Hunter and three-year-old daughter Reagan. They definitely keep me on my toes! I love to run, coach and play soccer in my free time as well. I’m always looking for ways to give back to the community – whether it’s volunteering at local road races or supporting a youth baseball team. 

What most people don’t know about me, is that I not only own Fitzgerald PT, but I’m a full-time practitioner as well. When you come to our Woburn office, you may see me there working with a patient. Often at this point in their career private practice owners no longer treat. For me this is the aspect of the job that I love the most! Feel free to come into the office and speak with me anytime.

For more information about Fitzgerald Physical Therapy or how we can help you feel better, please visit us at Fitzgeraldpt.com or give us a call at: 781-305-4656.

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