I was referred to this location for rehab following an injury and I was seen 2-3x weekly for six months.
One of the most glaring problems with this location is the constant carousel of physical therapists. I rarely saw the same therapist more than once, as it seemed they were constantly quitting or being transferred to other locations. Each time I would go, there would be a new therapist with no knowledge of my injury or my history, no knowledge of what sort of PT plan I was supposed to be on, starting me over from scratch.
The location itself offers absolutely no privacy, with the entire thing being one large, open room full of exercise equipment. There is a tiny open waiting area crammed into one corner where PT patients have to literally stand directly on top of people sitting in the waiting chairs while they do foot exercises. It is very awkward, cramped, and uncomfortable. Large windows on every side of the building give the street a clear view into the facility. Everyone in the facility will know your business, what injury you have, how your treatment is going. Everyone will watch you do every single exercise.. And indeed, this is the majority of what you will be doing. There is very little in the way of hands-on physical therapy; instead, you will present and be instructed to begin doing exercise drills while the therapist sits in the corner on their computer and occasionally glances up to make sure you are still doing them.
In addition to this, hygiene is not practiced. Equipment and cots are not sterilized between patients. In the six months I spent going to this facility, I got sick with the flu/cold four separate times, which is vastly more than I expect to get sick in one year, given I obsessively practice hand washing, but when you are in close proximity to lots of people working out, breathing heavily, on equipment that is not being cleaned, germs spread very fast.
Not sure where to categorize this, but I also had TWO separate physical therapists at this location laugh at me and mock me in front of other patients for getting sweaty when asked to do intense exercises.
ATI does not seem particularly invested in the outcomes of their patients. I often went at the same time as another gentleman who was being seen for an injury, and one day, I saw him finally reach his limit with his lack of progress. He said loudly to his therapist (and to the entire room), that he had been coming for eight months, he had not experienced any sort of relief from his injury, the therapists did not seem to know what his treatment plan was as they did not communicate with each other, and he felt like he was getting the run-around. I completely agree with his complaints, as I felt very similarly. I was indeed gaining muscle from the constant exercise, but my injury itself was not being addressed, and when I told the therapists that certain exercises were making the pain worse or causing my joint to buckle and collapse, they seemed uninterested and did not attempt to address or remedy this.
Certain patients who came in (and it's worth noting that most of them seemed to be young high school-aged female athletes) were showered in special attention, given thorough post-workout exams, leg and foot massages, acupressure work, ice packs, hands-on therapy where the therapist would lift and bend their legs to assess range of motion. This was NEVER offered to me at any point, from any therapist. I was never given massage therapy, acupressure, or any sort of post-workout examination.
After six months of therapy, I had a family emergency where I had to leave town for four weeks. I advised ATI of my impending absence, and they encouraged me to call once I got back home to make my next appointment. When I returned home a month later and called them, they said that I was no longer a patient since I had not been seen in four weeks, and that if I wanted to come back, I would have to see a doctor and get referred to them again.
Most egregiously of all, at every single visit, multiple times a week, I would check with the front desk about any open balance, and I was often told I owned $10-$30, which I would always pay. Near the end of treatment, I was told I had no pending balance. Then, suddenly, two months after being discharged from their care, I received a bill in the mail from ATI for over $4,000. They said this was what my insurance had not covered, and that I should have expected this since I was coming in 2-3x a week (which they forced me to do). I spoke with ATI billing, who said they had absolutely no way to offer me any sort of financial assistance or payment plan to work to pay this balance off. I had to escalate for days, calling all over their corporate phone book, until I was able to speak to someone high enough up the ladder to assure me that, yes, of COURSE they could do a payment plan for me to pay off my $4,000 debt. I am still paying it off to this day, a year later. Scumbags. read more
