As many of you know, I don’t talk about anything on our blog unless I’ve actually experienced it.  This topic is no different, and by no means is meant to degrade either RehabCare or RehabChoice.  We have working agreements for PRN therapist staffing with both companies, so I feel confident I can comment on both.  And this is not limited to these two companies – there’s also Select Rehabilitation, Rehab America, Incite, Restore, and a multitude of others, especially if you include all of the travel rehab companies.

 

But back to RehabCare or RehabChoice…

 

Quite simply, the names can be very confusing.  After all, they both start with Rehab.  Does this confuse therapists that are seeking a new job?  Do therapists apply for one company, thinking it is the other?  Or worse yet, do therapists interview with one company, only to find out it is not who they thought it was?  And do LTC facilities get equally confused?

 

So if the names are confusing, let’s look at some other things that will hopefully differentiate the two companies…

 

The company logos.  Here they are:

 

 

Definite color differences, among others.  My thoughts?  The RehabChoice logo conveys many people centered around one mission or goal – the red dot center.  The old RehabCare logo, which is not pictured, was warming with the heart in the hand.  The new RehabCare logo contains their slogan, but no strong visual.  Is one better than the other? I don’t think so.

 

Enough of the fluff – let’s get down to the definite differences.  No therapist is going to pick one company over another because of their logo.

 

What you are about to read, you can easily find on each company’s respective website:  www.rehabchoice.com and www.rehabcare.com.

 

First things first:  Social media.  Go to RehabCare’s website, and you’ll see links to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.  You won’t find these at RehabChoice.  What does this imply?  If you’re a social therapist, or perhaps one that embraces technology and media, RehabCare may be the choice for you.  But if you are BIG into social media, you’ll be equally disappointed in RehabCare’s attempt at Social Media.  At the time of this post, their YouTube videos, Facebook posts and Twitter tweets are intermittent at best, and there are numerous employees on LinkedIn without a profile picture.  I’m no Social Media guru by any means, but this could use an improvement..

 

Size.  On the home page of RehabCare you’ll find the following:

“RehabCare is the leading provider of rehabilitation services, including physical, occupational and speech-language therapies, to over 2,000 hospitals and long-term care facilities in 46 states. We are the premier provider of rehab throughout the full continuum of care, including long-term acute care hospitals, nursing and rehabilitation centers, inpatient acute rehab units, independent rehabilitation facilities and hospice and home care locations.”

Impressive?  Sure, especially for those new graduates hungry for a position.  Attractive?  Likely not for the more experienced therapists that have already worked for corporate America.

 

Cruise on over to www.RehabChoice.com and you will not find any boasting of its size.  However, you will find the following:

“Rehab Choice Incorporated (RCI) is proud to be one of the few privately-held, therapist-owned providers of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology in the United States. Founded in 1980, RCI provides services to patients in skilled nursing facilities, retirement communities, school districts, hospitals, outpatient clinics, and home health agencies.”

 

So which company is bigger?  RehabCare, without a doubt.  So if you are making a decision based upon size alone, there’s your answer.  But is size synonymous with stability?  No.  If anything, dynamics are more common in these rehabilitation settings than stability.

 

What about pay and benefits?  These are often critical and determining factors in employee hiring and retainment.  In many cases, it’s the therapist who provides benefits for their family.

RehabCare offers the following comprehensive benefit package to its employees:

“As a large and financially viable company, we can offer competitive compensation and a full range of benefits, including health and life insurance, short- and long-term disability, 401(k), flexible spending accounts, tuition assistance and much more.”

 

So how does RehabChoice stack up?  They offer the following benefits package:

• Paid time off
• Bereavement leave
• Jury duty
• Health, Dental and Prescription drug insurance
• Life insurance
• Short-term disability
• Long-term disability
• Professional liability insurance
• 401(k) plan
• Many clinical benefits
• Paid Continuing Education

Surprisingly, or perhaps not, you won’t find mention of a pay scale on either website.  If these two companies are commonly confused, and so comparable in their offerings, I’d want to make every effort possible to differentiate myself.  So why not talk about your salary offering, even if it is a range based upon X, Y, and Z?  We offer our pay ranges on our website, and if you are in the know with what people are looking for when they visit your website, you would too.  Just ask The Sales Lion, he’ll tell you why. J

Experience matters.  After all, if I’m gonna take my car to a mechanic – it’s gonna go to the experienced one.  Not the new guy on the block that just got out of lugnut school.  Same goes with rehabilitation and your first job.  You want to go with someone that knows what the heck they are doing.  RehabCare goes back to 1982.  RehabChoice was founded in 1980.  Pretty darn close.  A significant difference?  Doubtful.

 

Litigation.  Yep, that ugly elephant in the room that no-one wants to talk about.  Lawsuits and the implied ethical (or lack thereof) conduct of business that goes along with those.  The following is found on a Google search of “RehabCare Lawsuits”.  The entire first page of my Google search for this term has stories about lawsuits involving RehabCare.  And I didn’t care to explore the second page.  Now, don’t get me wrong, a larger company does expose itself to more opportunities for litigation.  It’s like me working in my wood shop after hours…the more I run that table saw, the more opportunities I have to nick my finger on that blade, especially if I’m not using the correct safety equipment.

 

Do a Google search for “Rehab Choice Lawsuits” and you’ll not find even a single result or story of Rehab Choice involved in a lawsuit.  What’s to learn here?  Perhaps PTs, OTs, SLPs and beyond should do their homework on their prospective new employer.  I often hear that therapists don’t want to expose themselves to litigation, so researching a bit in a manner such as this in just a few short minutes on Google would make sense.  Easy, huh?

 

I think that’s enough for comparison sake, don’t you?  Is one company better than the other?  Your call, not mine…after all, I’m not a physical therapist, occupational therapist, or speech therapist.  So that’s a decision I don’t have to make, but you may.  So please, do your home work so that you can make the best decision possible. Feel free to contact me if you have an interview coming up with one or the other.  I’ll be happy to help you figure out the best way to do your “pre-interview” homework.  This is something everyone should be doing in this economy.

 

What are your thoughts?  Is one of these companies better than the other?  The comparisons, as least from their websites, certainly have very few differences.  Perhaps advanced searching in social media and Google would reveal more.  I’d love to hear from you, especially if you’ve worked for one or both of these companies.