Ascend 2024 Recap: A First-Class Conference in the Second City

Much like a parent talking about their children, we at WebPT emphatically believe that every Ascend is unique and special in its own right. Unlike parents, however, some of us can play favorites when it comes to locales for the event. 

I’ll speak strictly for myself when I say that Chicago is my favorite city to visit, and there’s not a close second. From the many car trips during my formative years growing up in northwest Ohio to cross-country flights from my home in Phoenix, Chicago always has an unparalleled energy and vibrancy that I’ve never felt anywhere else. If you’ve ever visited a city and thought, “I just vibe with this place,” then you know well the feeling I’m describing. 

I suspect many others feel the same way about the Windy City—which is why it’s the perfect place to gather with 400 or so of our closest friends for Ascend 2024. Of course, we pride ourselves on offering the best in educational content, networking, exhibitors, and more, no matter where we host Ascend, and this year’s edition was no different.

Kickoff 2024

Ascend 2024 kicked off with a few words from WebPT CEO Ashley Glover, welcoming attendees and highlighting how this conference remains a centerpiece in the company’s renewed investment in connecting with Members and rehab therapists and establishing personal relationships. 

We were fortunate enough to have Angela Ruggiero, a four-time Olympian in women’s ice hockey with multiple medals to her name and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, to deliver the keynote address. During her talk, Ruggiero shared her belief in the power of manifestation in achieving success. She also highlighted moments from her career illustrating how teamwork and trust (or a lack thereof) can make or break a team.  

Then it was down to business—quite literally, in this case. While the theme of this year’s event was “Mapping the Future,” discussion inevitably returns to the business of physical therapy, and how practice leaders can navigate the challenging business climate to reach that better future.  

Mapping the Talent Journey: Navigating Growth While Avoiding Roadblocks

In her workshop “Mapping the Talent Journey: Navigating Growth While Avoiding Roadblocks,” Cairn Consulting Solutions CEO Amy Lafko, PT, MBA, challenged attendees to reconsider their hiring and career pathing—to rethink the questions and practices they have in place. Much of the talk centered around the idea of intention and understanding your intent behind your interview questions, your culture building, and everything else you do to find and retain the best staff.    

Recalibrating Your Business Algorithm for Growth

Brandon Seigel, Chief Problem Solver at Wellness Works Management Partners, then took the stage to talk about “Recalibrating Your Business Algorithm for Growth.” Seigel discussed how rehab therapy practices need to revise the ingredients in their current business recipe, given the ongoing financial challenges facing the profession. Doing the same things that they’ve been doing isn’t going to work for practices today—so why not look at ways to reduce your fixed expenses while trying to create better revenue variables? Seigel left viewers with the remit to pair their strategies with the right metrics and forecasting to become less predictable in a consistently tough environment.    

Mastering the Revenue Cycle: Best Practices for Sustainable Growth

Speaking of financials, day one continued with “Mastering the Revenue Cycle: Best Practices for Sustainable Growth,” a panel discussion between WebPT’s very own John Wallace, Monte Sandler, and Adam Steinberg. The trio focused on how practices need to be proactive versus reactive in addressing RCM issues to prevent long delays and rework in getting paid. In particular, Sandler and Steinberg preached the importance of good processes for exception management.  They also highlighted how the right settings and information within your billing software for verification and electronic data interchange (EDI) can help you avoid some simple mistakes that delay the revenue cycle. Wallace also noted that billers should be staying abreast of the changes coming from payers by subscribing to email updates and regularly checking their websites. 

Navigating Change and Building Resilience: Strategies to Keep Your Business Ahead Without Being Left Behind

The last session of the day, “Navigating Change and Building Resilience: Strategies to Keep Your Business Ahead Without Being Left Behind,” saw WebPT Chief People Officer Felicia Taylor, MovementX CEO Josh D’Angelo, and MovementX Chief People Officer Fred Gilbert tackle change management. Both D’Angelo and Gilbert discussed MovementX’s recent change from an independent contractor model to a W-2 employment model and how the company was deliberate in its efforts to seek staff feedback and to be transparent and communicative about the changes that were coming—both good and bad. Taylor also spoke about some of the principles behind change management, and how practices need to consider all the ramifications of change and the impact on personnel before jumping headlong into a new initiative.   

Innovation Happy Hour!

The opening day of Ascend was capped off with a party at the iconic Soldier Field, sponsored by the fine folks at Intel®. There was live music, local food and drink, and, best of all, an appearance from Staley Da Bear. 

We were also able to close out the night with the news we’ve been dying to share about our collaboration with Intel® to bring the Intel® RealSense™ PT Metrics to the market.  

Bye-Bye Burnout: Using Real-Time AI For Easy And Efficient Documentation

The only drawback to Ascend is that you can’t be in three places at once to attend every session—and that’s especially true when you’re working as a room lead! Fortunately, every room has had a stellar speaker lineup, so I was able to enjoy a thoroughly entertaining slate of sessions.

First up in Great Lakes B was “Bye-Bye Burnout: Using Real-Time AI For Easy And Efficient Documentation” from PredictionHealth CEO Pedro Teixeira. During the presentation, Teixiera laid out what AI currently is—and isn’t—and how large language models (LLMs) are using pattern recognition and probability to figure out what you’re most likely to write in your notes. There was a fascinating data-based breakdown of the different types of “documenters”, from the people powering through their notes during the workday to those who put it off til evenings or weekends. Teixeira closed out the talk by highlighting how AI can not only improve documentation efficiency but also optimize CPT coding and compliance. 

Establishing Your Budget and Metrics for 2025

We were back on the business beat with Rick Gawenda, as he talked about “Establishing Your Budget and Metrics for 2025.” With many practice owners lacking a comprehensive business background, Gawenda walked through some of the need-to-know basics, like how different types of accounting (i.e. cash basis versus accrual basis) and how that can impact their view of practice profitability.  He also discussed various factors impacting your practice budget, like payer mix and payer contracts, the Rule of 8’s versus the 8-Minute rule, the codes you’re billing (or should be billing), and your no-show rate. Practice owners also need to be aware of coming changes when looking at their future budgets—not only the changes they’re making to staffing, payer mix, and more but also the payment cuts and regulation changes coming from insurance providers. 

Taking Your Team from Good to Great: Navigating from Command and Control to Mission Control

In the first of two Trailblazer Talks, M3 Performance and Physical Therapy Principal and Owner Kendell Jno-Finn talked about moving to a less direct leadership model in “Taking Your Team from Good to Great: Navigating from Command and Control to Mission Control.”  Drawing from the military model of command and control, Jno-Finn discussed how practices can look to move beyond needing to have a single decision-maker and instead shift towards mission-driven leadership. Under this alternative, staff understand the practice’s goals and values and are empowered to make decisions, and authority is delegated so that decisions can be made more efficiently.

From Vetting to Victory: Building the Ultimate Team

The second Trailblazer Talk came from Wright PT CEO and Founder Bryan Wright. In “From Vetting to Victory: Building the Ultimate Team,” Wright shared some of his own experiences in building his practice and discussed how the right people can strengthen the foundation of your business and culture, while the wrong ones can start to place cracks in the foundation. The key to finding the right people and keeping them around is that strong foundation—one that values smart people who are eager to contribute, along with a culture that allows them to develop and achieve their goals.   

Thriving Together: Best Practices for Creating and Sustaining Profitable Partnerships in PT Clinics

The last session of the event was, fittingly, discussing partnerships. During their presentation of “Thriving Together: Best Practices for Creating and Sustaining Profitable Partnerships in PT Clinics,” Karen Litzy, Owner and Lead Physical Therapist at Karen Litzy Physical Therapy, and Stephanie Weyrauch, Doctor of Physical Therapy at MovementX. The pair shared some partnership opportunities rehab therapists might not be considering, including working with local and state governments and even prisons in your area. They also provided a framework for how to find the right partner and how to consummate that partnership—which, as it turns out, is not all that dissimilar from dating. Finally, they offered a way to examine these partnerships to determine if they’re working for your interests.   

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Of course, words alone can hardly do justice to the experience of being at Ascend: the buzz of electricity and excitement in the air, the sea of familiar faces and soon-to-be-friends, and the passion for rehab therapy that radiates off of every person in attendance. But if you’d like the next closest thing, be sure to check out our Ascend recap page.