Why hospitality matters at a physical therapy practice

At Sea Pines Physical Therapy, we have three core values: hospitality, innovation, and enthusiasm. Values are extremely important as they ground all that we do, and shape the experience we are able to provide to you, our clients. It is not a mistake that ‘hospitality’ is listed first.

To us, hospitality means that everyone should feel welcomed, comfortable in the space, and dignified when they interact with us. 

For our team to be hospitable, we need to be actively working to identify and dismantle our own biases based on our individual ethnic and racial identity, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, and life experiences to name a few. Side note: if the idea of implicit bias is new to you, have a look at this case study. Most specifically, we acknowledge that both historically and presently, physical therapy is disproportionately provided by people who are white (source). Thus hospitality needs to go beyond just making non-discrimination statements - although those are certainly foundational to our workplace; but to consistently confront any implicit biases and actively become anti-racist, anti-sexist, etc.

Additionally, we are also trying to remove any barrier to people receiving physical therapy. This includes accepting as many insurances as possible (even insurances with lower payment rates), providing low-cost direct payment options, and providing pro bono services in situations of financial hardship. All of these ideas seek to diversify our profession amongst all dimensions.

Hospitality goes beyond reaching more people, it means making connections with you, our clients on every interaction. We put your needs first because you should always be in the center of your rehabilitation experience. We answer emails, we follow up when we say we will, and we seek to understand your situation the best we can. We have designed our space to be relaxing, inviting, and simple so you enjoy being there. We aim to show you how much we care, not just what we know. 

This idea of building a relationship, rather than simply providing a service, is gaining traction in the physical therapy research world. Not only is being there for you the right thing to do, but it also helps you get better faster, and that is what we are all about.

We need your help to keep providing great hospitality, do you have any suggestions or ideas for us? Reach out to connect with us further on this important topic.