SERC Physical Therapy

Within the Upstream family of clinical care, we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to quality physical therapy. Here’s what equity in healthcare means for our patients: ▶️ Accessible Care: We break down barriers so you can easily get the needed treatment. ▶️ Inclusive Policies: We honor the inherent value of every individual’s unique story, experience, contributions, and perspective. ▶️ Compassion: We act with kindness, empathy, and care for all we serve. We respect diverse values and practices, providing care that fits our patients' unique needs.

Advocacy can help address barriers to accessing physical therapy services. By advocating for policies that improve patient access to physical therapy, practitioners can ensure that individuals receive timely and appropriate care to maximize their recovery and functional outcomes. We are proud of all of our associates who are deeply passionate about patient access and patient care and who are involved in advocating for improved access for all. "We go every year to Lobby Day in Jefferson City, MO. Typically we are lobbying for PT direct access, however that actually passed last year! We focused on thanking representatives for helping get this passed and reminded them of Missouri’s POPTS laws. PT advocacy is so important and often underrepresented in our profession. Attending Lobby Day each year is something I’ve grown to appreciate and enjoy. It’s fun to get a closer look at the legislation process and also meet PTs, PTAs and future clinicians from across our state!" - Trisha Krska, PT, DPT, OCS Regional Director

As National Athletic Training Month comes to a close, we wanted to take the time to shine a spotlight on some of our ATs within the Upstream Family of Clinical Care! Meet MacKenzie McInturff MS, LAT, ATC from SERC Physical Therapy! 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀? "My senior year of high school, I actually wanted to go into physical therapy but had no idea where to start. I talked with my athletic trainer about what colleges to look into and she had suggested getting my undergraduate degree in athletic training, then go off into PT school. After visiting Culver-Stockton College, they had a great athletic training program, and I was able to continue playing softball while being in the athletic training program. Fast forward to my freshman year at C-SC, a few weeks into my first athletic training course, that is when it clicked that I was meant to be an AT. I believe that being a former athlete myself, I feel that I can truly relate to my athletes firsthand and put myself in their shoes in order to support them the best that I can!" 𝗜𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲? "Although my career as an AT has only been a short six years, I feel like the world is starting to finally recognize the importance of athletic trainers. The world was watching the Bengals vs Bills football game in January 2023 when Damar Hamlin had his cardiac incident. The athletic training staff responded in the ways they know best - quickly and efficiently. The world got a short glimpse into what athletic trainers can do that day and helped save Hamlin's life. Patrick Mahomes and Jason Kelce have both spoke highly of their athletic trainers publicly and how they have helped them get through their some of their toughest challenges as professional athletes. Not only are we our biggest advocates, but our athletes, coaches, administration, PTs, and those we create relationships with also become our biggest advocates. If we continue to show our communities who we are and what we do, ATs as a profession will continue to evolve, and hopefully, in the future, everyone will have access to an athletic trainer." Thank you for all you do to support your local community, MacKenzie! 

Careers with the Upstream Rehabilitation family of clinical care have never been more rewarding. Explore our open positions today.

March is National Athletic Training Month! We're giving a huge shoutout to all the incredible athletic trainers within the Upstream Family of Clinical Care! Your dedication to keeping our communities healthy doesn't go unnoticed. From the field to the workplace to life, you cover it all - injury prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and so much more. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to excellence in healthcare and for keeping our communities moving!

Here's to a day of togetherness, appreciation, and the simple joys that make life special. Happy Thanksgiving to all of our associates, patients and friends.

Now is the time to reach out to lawmakers to reverse the cuts. "The final rule, issued last week, includes a cut of at least -3.4 percent to therapy providers in CY2024, and the highly technical formula CMS uses to determine reimbursement suggests the cuts could be even higher – as high as over 4 percent – in certain geographic locations. With physical therapists facing years of successive Medicare cuts, the cumulative effect is destabilizing to the sector and increases pressure on providers who are already dealing with record high inflation, rising costs, and workforce challenges. Without Congressional help to block the cuts from coming into effect, the likelihood of practice closures and restricted access for Medicare beneficiaries will increase."

We’re #hiring a new Physical Therapist in Topeka, Kansas. Apply today or share this post with your network.