Agile&Me: A physical therapy leadership podcast series
Agile&Me: A physical therapy leadership podcast series
The State of Outpatient PT: 2025 into 2026
Let's wrap the year with a look back on the challenges, developments, and momentum that the physical therapy profession encountered in 2025. Alliance Physical Therapy Partners CEO Richard Leaver talks with Team Rehab CEO Nick Weber, in this final episode of the year.
In this episode, you'll join the conversation about:
- Outpatient PT industry health and developments
- Optimization and technology adoption
- Outlook and priorities for 2026
To learn more about us, visit our website at https://www.allianceptp.com/
You're listening to the PT Leadership Podcast, where outpatient physical therapy leaders come to share their insights with your host, Richard Lever.
SPEAKER_02:Welcome back to the PT Leadership Podcast series. I am excited to welcome Nick Weber to today's podcast, which is looking back at 25 and looking forward to 26. Welcome, Nick. Great to have you on the show.
SPEAKER_01:Richard, thanks for having me. I'm uh very excited to be here. This is this is my first podcast, so you know, go gentle.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. Well, Nick, the reason I I wanted to invite you to really look at the year in review and looking forward is because you're uh an industry leader. You you're the CEO of of Team Rehab. And you know, I've always been very impressed with regards to your perspective to to outpatient therapy and really the culture that you've built with your team. So thank you so much for agreeing to be here today.
SPEAKER_01:Uh no, thank you, Richard. I I I really appreciate that. We're we're I'm very I'm very proud team rehab member and you know, part of that earlier wave. And I I can't thank you enough as being a a a young executive running into you at the Ascend conference who you you followed one of those awful hinge or sword perk people and got up there and I wasn't sure what to expect in the room because it's my first time there, and you got up there, and I was like, wow, I I don't really like what that last person had to say. And then you got up there and you know basically slapped us all to wake up and you know the rest is history. Here we are.
SPEAKER_02:Well, it's funny you say that because I've never actually got feedback from that session, and I didn't get many people come up to me and thank me. So I I the fact that it was perceived as a slap probably is the reason enough why perhaps people didn't rush up to me. But anyway. Moving on. So 2025, outpatient PT just seems to be a crazy, crazy world. And 25, I think, is really no different. But I'd love to perhaps talk about what you saw in 25 as perhaps the main challenges, and then some positives as well, because it's easy to focus on the negatives, isn't it? I think as outpatient therapists, we're continually and leaders at that, we're continually focusing on what isn't working well. But but you know, along with the main themes and challenges, certainly want to focus on some positives. So love your thoughts.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I I I think 2025 was from my lens, you know, first of all, my lens is always a little bit glass half full. I'm always looking at the the brighter side of things when as much as I can. And for me in 2025, I actually kind of wind the clock back to the end of 24 because I went from being the chief operating officer in September to the CEO. And so my first 12 months was, you know, quite a whirlwind. I I kept the CEO position and and leaned on my team really, really heavily because I've got some great people and I had some help on the back end as we kind of worked our way through. And I think the way I look at 2025 is for the industry and for our company, it was a real great year. And I'm I'm I'm super high on outpatient PT. I mean, I love it. I love it. It's it's I'm very biased to say that it's the best part of PT. But I think for 2025, we we faced a lot of our challenges head on. And that they're no stranger, this is no no secret as to what I'm gonna say. The challenges were, you know, it's it's margin compression from whatever side you want to look at it and definitely keeping up with hiring and training the best people at a clip that meets the demand. And I'm really happy with the way our team came together and the recruiting seems to be coming in a much smoother direction, you know, for our metrics. You know, we we wound the year so far, you know, net positive in hiring. We have more hours than we had in 24 and 23. So we're kind of getting over that. It's still competitive, it's still really, really hard to find good people and enough people. So that's still our our number one challenge is meeting that demand. But I really think the industry is starting to iron itself out and we're seeing it go in in in a much, much more sustainable direction in terms of how hiring's going. But that that to me is kind of the the best thing we've we've really started to overcome in 2025.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I I feel I could be eating my own words in 12 months' time with this statement. I I could I could certainly uh put myself in jeopardy, but I feel as if the tide has turned a little for 25. You know, if I had to sum it up is the fact that you know we've been battling, I think, really for a few years, certainly since COVID, if not before COVID, it was certainly since COVID. And and I feel as if we just got a little bit of relief in 25. I don't know whether things are necessarily improved. I'm not sure if they've improved or whether they just hadn't, if they didn't continue to get worse. I suppose a glass half full, glass half empty perspective there. But but I feel as if in some respects we've got a little bit of a reprieve. I won't say that that the the the tide has you know either started to go out or come back in, but but I get feel we're on the cusp really. And my thoughts on that is from an advocacy perspective, I feel as if we've strengthened our voice in 25 significantly from a reimbursement perspective. Whilst we've been you know knocked sideways with a couple of payers, overall I feel as if payers have are realizing that that they're going to have to acquiesce to at least some sort of increase for us overall because they've squeezed us for so long. And then really the the other thing which you touched on was the the kind of the the recruitment and I feel the great resignation is over. So whilst recruitment is still extremely tough and will continue to be tough, I feel at least the retention component, which is half of it, has perhaps settled somewhat. What are your thoughts on those components?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it if we start with where you ended, I the the recruitment and the retention it is certainly gotten a lot more attention from our perspective in terms of really trying to make sure we're much more intentional about how we recruit, onboard, train, advance, and maintain the talent that that we're able to get. We we've definitely invested uh a lot of time and energy in trying to really make that onboarding full of touch points, you know, to make people feel like they're part of something early on, whether it's, you know, skills classes, post-operative classes, internal classes, where we're bringing people who are brand new to the company together, whether they're five, 10 years out or two, three months out to try to give them their community, their kind of sense of belonging, and kind of get to know somebody. And we've we've really tried to make sure that there's structure and and touch points throughout those first 90 days, 12 months, where they have opportunities to speak, you know, and know what to expect, but also have the opportunity to speak up and out about how that process is going versus what it was perceived. And then we can listen to that and make that feedback. That's been something that's been very intentional. And I think it's it's been a part, a part of our help. You know, the the the other part that goes into retention is, you know, compensation, which comes from, you know, we only get paid from one way. We get paid by patients, whether it's the the patient insurance, it's the patient providing us with cash or some other payer that's tied to the insurance. So making sure that we're driving our value and and and not devaluing our services at every opportunity through advocacy, through public relations, through education with our patients, I think that's been a really strong point for us to not give away so many services and definitely discuss the value of what we're able to do with our patients, which we've always done, but now more externally on an advocacy at a local, state and national level. By doing that, I feel like that's helped stabilize that margin compression a little bit. So instead of getting all of our money from insurance, we are getting and providing services that are valuable and are paid with cash in addition to that model, not just being a cash-based PT program, because that's completely different, but in that insurance model, kind of providing value that's not paid by insurance, I really think has made a big difference in in the perception of our value, which again helps lead to that retention.
SPEAKER_02:Yes. What I think is for certain external stakeholders, legislators and and payers, whilst we haven't necessarily been particularly successful with regards to moving the needle significantly as it pertains to reimbursement rates or or you know offsetting Medicare cuts. But what I think the conversation has done is at least made them aware of value and made them aware that we're no longer as a profession going to lie down and continue to take cuts. We're going, we've we've we cannot sustain the status quo. And you know, we have, as you say, margin compression to the point where a lot of smaller entities are having to fundamentally change how they're operating or literally shut the doors. So I I think they they are hearing us, which to me is half the battle, whereas perhaps in prior years and up until this point, I don't know that even the right people were in the room and whether they even heard any messaging.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I I I agree. I I I was recruited to kind of show up to kind of back up what things that I wanted to see done, and and I dove into advocacy here in Michigan and and volunteer a little bit and that and spending time with you and others on APTQI. I've really understood what it's like to fight at a national level for for our value. And I do feel we're we're getting heard. But and I think what's great is we're taking our real fractioned profession and starting to kind of piece it together through formal alliances and you know, informal alliances. We're, we're, we're really starting to strengthen our voice. And I do think it is starting to make a difference on a national stage. And I think that the value proposition that we're leading with, and and we've frankly already demonstrated, is going to be hard to be ignored. I mean, the the value of PT first or PT early or you know, PT first for MSK, or or realistically, whether we're primary care MSK or primary care down the road, that's where we're starting to gain a foothold. And there's some really exciting things going on across the country that is allowing us to get to that point. And Richard, you and I have talked about how we've provided value in these, you know, total joint bundles and in in some of these national value-based care. The evidence is there, and it's just a matter of us kind of continuing to show our value. And I think if we don't get it by going directly to insurances, we're definitely going to get it by going to the people who either need the care or are providing the benefits for the patients who use their insurance to come and see us for their services. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02:What have you felt has been the difference? And I think we've touched on some of the themes, but love your perspective and what you feel perhaps the difference between 2024 and 2025 was. I don't think there's necessarily any paradigm shifts, but I definitely feel that they're I'm feeling very different personally today as a CEO of an of the organization than I was 12 months ago, for instance. And I'm sure I'm sure you're probably in a similar place to that as well.
SPEAKER_01:I agree. I I think your your idea about the tide shifting and you know, kind of wondering, is it coming in, going out, and and and that, but it has shifted. And I think for for us in 2024, we were still trying to get our footing on all the things that were compressing margins. And we had some doom and gloom from payers on the horizon that we were trying to prepare for. So we had a lot of preparing to make the changes that we needed to make in order to stay competitive with our compensation for our employees and be resources in our communities for access to as many insurances as possible. So it was a lot of preparing and posturing where in 25 we took a lot of action. We, you know, initiatives for, you know, cash pay services and clinics for for us, for instance, for cash pay clinics and service was a big deal. We've had an increase in some musculosketal technology that we're trialing for a company, which has been a lot of fun for clinics to be a part of kind of a cutting edge. And then other things like really buying in on the value for some of the technology that's out there in terms of our AI for our describing, you know, technology for patient experience and and even for the the RTM. We've been able to launch a lot of those. I mean 25. So, you know, we're taking that action. We're 24, we were kind of prepping and and dealing with 25. We were we're really able to take that action. And I think that's that feels feels good because we're seeing the movement going forward as a profession and certainly within our company.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. However painful I think the some of these changes have been or these challenges have been, it has been a catalyst, hasn't it, for organizations to double down on change. I know how there's constant change in healthcare, but I feel as if it's it's certainly focused us and and the companies that are reasonably strong, I think, have done a good job over the last 12 months with the implementing changes to counter those challenges that we've had over the last few years. And certainly see that when I look at USET and some of the tactics and some of the initiatives they've done. And and to your point early, really changing perhaps or enhancing how we have onboarded and managed employees. So I I think the rubber kind of hit the road in 25 with regards to instead of being on our back foot, we've actually managed to get a little bit of traction to to offset some of those prior challenges. Yes.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I I I think keeping to the key principles of, you know, the at the end of the day, this is this is a people business. We we we take care of people, they come to us, you know, at a point where they're asking for help, which is hard. They come to us when they're not well, which that's not probably the least likely fun time they're having. And and it's it's it's it's such a rewarding profession. So keeping that motivation and energy up to be focused on the patient while all the variables around what it takes to take care of them and and take care of each other, the people on the team who are doing that, uh keeping that in focus um and and watching the amazing talent of how these therapists and people in behind the scenes kind of bend over backwards and dodge all these haymakers that come from payers or uh other environments external to the clinic, it is is is nothing that shouldn't be taken for granted. And I think being able to adapt and you know keep your NPS scores, keep your outcome scores up through all that turmoil is is quite a testament to the profession. And and I it's good to see that big companies who do publish their data like USPH, they they they're keeping their their patients first. And it's good that this profession through all this is keeping its prof its patients first, and we're just adapting a lot quicker than we used to, and uh it's pretty impressive. So maybe that's what it is, Richard. Are we just adapting quicker, you know, from from 2020 to now? Like we've gotten I don't want to say used to the pace of change, but maybe can keep up a little better. What do you think?
SPEAKER_02:I I think that's probably pretty accurate, to be honest. People on the whole, aren't they reluctant to change? But I I uh we've had to, we've had no choice, and and certainly the speed at which we have changed, uh I I don't know if I'm just getting older, but I feel that every year the speed of change seems to to increase. And healthcare, I think with the changes that have occurred at the macro level, both economic and also political, there's just they've just been buffeted. And I think we've had to learn how to protect ourselves very quickly. And those that have learnt that or learnt the lessons, I think are in a much stronger position for it currently.
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SPEAKER_02:Moving on a little bit, the uh what what I've experienced the last 12 months is that non-clinical staffing has seemed to get significantly easier to retain and recruit for compared to two, three years ago. But clinical staffing still remains tough. I I believe that the retention component is better, but ret uh recruitment is is is still extremely difficult. Is that what you've experienced? And also do you get any sense that that might change in the next 12 months?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, the I I I still what I'm happy about 2025 for is you know, we we definitely improved our retention and our overall, our overall retention to recruitment uh overall has improved. You know, we're we're still not retaining people like we did, you know, pre-2020, but I I don't think anybody is. But uh it certainly was quite a shock to our system. And I think that, you know, the hard-to-hire areas are still gonna have always been and will always be the hard-to-hire areas. Finding licenses in remote areas is difficult. So, you know, attracting students, growing your own from tech to PTA to PT, that's how you how you can really be intentional about filling staff vacancies, and they're definitely more important than ever in these hard-to-hire areas. I do see the the landscape shifting a little bit, and this is in a direction I don't love. I was, you know, we used to only really recruit against people with who wanted outpatient, we were just recruiting against other outpatient companies, right? I I've definitely seen a resurgence in in people new grads going to hospitals, long-term care and and home care. And I think a lot of that is the the blessing of or the curse of Medicare Advantage, you know, coming back to pay strongly for those services as they continue to punish us on the outside and in private practice. But it's a subtle shift, but I mean, as far as I'm concerned, that's, you know, those are not apples to apples. So we have to really put ourselves forward to show why private practice and outpatient PT is is the best place for for therapists because of the of the variety and value you can bring. So as far as the shift goes, I think we're gonna continue to have challenges, but I think we've got a much better beat on how to be successful. And I think that success is gonna continue, is gonna continue as we move forward.
SPEAKER_02:That's great. Obviously there's been persistent increases in operating costs. We talked just mentioned kind of margin erosion or trying to prevent margin erosion. Optimization has become much more important and a focus for many organizations, including ours. Has this been an area of focus for team rehab and and you know, on a very practical level, when we talk about optimization, what types of things have you explored or implemented to to help with that?
SPEAKER_01:I I think the for for us, we underwent uh a very purposeful transformation project where we we knew we had to deal with change quickly and we needed to make sure communication was heard throughout, not just top to bottom, but you know, front to back, side to side, and bottom-up. And we we went on a a journey of making sure we had ways to create communication touch points throughout the organization. Simple things that we were focusing on each week, and we had a feedback loop within the clinic and external to the clinic to make sure everybody understood. So when we had to make a change or an optimization, it was well communicated, or I shouldn't say well, I should say better communicated than in the past. And and I think that it also generated a lot of good feedback and ideas. So it forced us to listen to what was needed in the clinics. And the number one thing that was needed was was help with documentation. Nobody likes writing notes, nobody has, nobody ever will. You know, once you think you get it right, the payer tells you you got it wrong. So we describing technology we used through our EMR partner has been an absolute game changer for us. That was our biggest focus is not only getting it rolled out, but getting it optimized so that, you know, not just our laggards were were getting help to get that giant monkey off their back, but that people who were doing it well just got more efficient so they could just have more time with patients and, you know, less time outside of work worrying about notes. So that was that was the biggest and best thing we've done. The other thing we heard is, you know, in in response to finding really, really good non-clinical help, you know, those those we call them patient access coordinates, those people who work the front desk and are the first voice and face that people see. We want those people to be focused on that stuff, not all these reports, not auto-generating offs and referrals. So we really work to pull anything non-patient facing, either automated or assisted in any way we could, so we could just keep them dialed in with what they're doing. And that's what these people want to do. They want to interact. So we want to increase as much of that as we can. So those are our two big intentional pieces at the clinic. And in centrally, we work to leverage technology as much as possible, even from, you know, we went from using Google, our Google Suite, you know, just maybe five, 10% to maybe we're up to using 20, 25% of its capabilities, but it has been outstanding what it's been able to do for us. And the same thing with looking at all of our central functions to try and get them a little bit trimmer. And we we've we've had great return from our central team looking at the way they do their work, using that transformation communication process to give us ideas on how to make the process better and and where we can, we we make them and it it has kind of cushioned that burden a little bit. But it's those compression that compression is real for margins, for sure.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, I I find that we've like yourself, we've implemented some technology solutions, and I think this is just really the start. I I feel that we haven't necessarily seen a significant return on it yet from a from a financial perspective. I definitely seen, I think, improvements related to reducing error rates, you know, satisfaction perhaps. But I I have a feeling then the next year or two as we go further in down the road of technological enhancements or applying it to both the clinical and non-clinical, that I think we will see some true financial optimization associated with it as well.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I think the the other part to this is by having more touch points throughout the organization, it it the I don't want to say forced interactions, but the it making sure people were having not just interactions, but the right interactions with the right few key points was important. What it also identified was you know, we needed to have more training for our leadership team, you know, but at all levels in in the clinic and and certainly centrally. So recognizing that gap and beginning that with realistically, it's only really begun in this last you know few months, but setting up more formal training for people who don't necessarily want to be clinic directors, but still want to be leaders in the clinic, you know, really firming up those clinical pathways for success, really important. But also like training new managers on the RCM or on the finance side, how to be managers, that's also been valuable because it it we need to grow our own leaders and and we want to make sure people really have the tools they need to succeed and and and grow with our company, which is important to us.
SPEAKER_02:Moving on a little bit, when we when we look at growth, and I think the whole conversation around growth has to be framed. So as a as a clinician, when you talk to a clinician about growth, they they just perceive it as a as an entity wanting to fill their pot of money in the corner of a room or but you know it's furthest from the truth, isn't it? You know, it's it's definitely, I believe, the the saying grow or die, it sounds a little extreme, but but certainly in healthcare, if you're not growing, then you you aren't necessarily getting economies of scale, and you're not able to continue to provide for the the team members that you have at the with the resources, support, and compensation we need to. So I think it's an imperative to grow. But how organizations grow, I think, varies tremendously for various factors. And each year, I think the the primary method of growth or can can vary. So for instance, you know, we have same-store growth, we have new clo building new clinics, and then we have new partnerships. And whilst I appreciate this perhaps isn't as applicable for the for the single clinic owner, but I think for organizations generally, it's how do you grow? And what's your thought as it pertains to kind of 2026 with regards to how how should organizations be looking at growth? What what perhaps are the you know the methods or the the levers of growth going forwards?
SPEAKER_01:I I think uh you're spot on about the the average therapist or the average employee looking at growth as maybe not the most positive thing. And I I think establishing the why behind the growth for everybody so that they understand that, you know, if we can grow, this is what you know provides compensation, you know, to help us attract the best people. And, you know, as we grow, there's more opportunity for you to grow and more opportunities for upward mobility, you know, within or obviously without the organization, but establishing that why is super important early on. And and for us, our our method of growth is tied strongly to each of our clinics currently at 136 have ownership at that local level. And we're looking for people who want to own and you know, create a patient environment that is is really positive. So we want to develop that talent. Internally, and then give those people the opportunity to have ownership. You know, every once in a while we'll get a current clinic director to grumble, oh, why are we adding all these clinics? And like, hey, you remember when we gave you a clinic? You know, you were in the clinic and you went through training and you went, you expressed like you wanted a clinic. This is to give you the next you the next opportunity. And, you know, don't we want that for everybody? And you know, having those conversations and really establishing the why is important. So for us, it's de novo growth when we are looking to invest in people, you know, the people who are great therapists, who have a passion for the profession and are just hungry for, you know, autonomy and entrepreneurship. And then for us, it is about same-store growth. You know, we we keep our focus narrow. And I think same-store growth is important because within your population and within your four walls, there's all kinds of great things you can add. Like we we talked about earlier, you know, cash pay, RTM, other services like that. So even same-store growth can add referral sources, niches is something we're we're hopeful that we can get spread across because there's such a demand for pelvic care, pelvic flow care, vertigo, concussion, all of those things. And we want to make sure we provide those opportunities for therapists who want to take them. So same-store growth and de novo is, you know, where we put our growth growth mode into.
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SPEAKER_02:You know, the reason I went into therapy was to help people, and the more people I can help, the better. But I feel that certainly in 25, there's uh we've experienced some challenges to same store growth. And that's not because of demand for services, it's because of of staffing the clinics to be able to allow for that growth and be able to help more people, which is really quite a change to 10 years ago, where when we were looking at same-store growth, we were really looking at how do we increase referrals. Whereas now when we look at same-store growth, I think the primary challenge is how do we staff to allow it to occur. So definitely a shift there. Have you I well, based off our conversation, I would imagine that you have experienced some challenges with regards to same store, certainly in those locations that have had challenges associated with recruitment, yes?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I I think you know, planning for growth is great. And just like any great plan, it's great until you get punched in the mouth, right? And, you know, having therapist hours to treat the patients and take care of those people and the communities you serve is is job one. And, you know, there's gonna be staff changes, you know, heaven forbid there's all kinds of medical issues that pop up. I mean, we you know, it's no surprise that you can lose hours for all kinds of reasons. So growth and profitability are are so tied to having people, the patients, and then the people to take care of the patients. So we've definitely run into hard to hire areas where we can see, you know, visits just plummet for no other reason other than there just isn't enough hours in the clinic. And you know, that at that time, that focus, as much as it has to be, is to taking care of patients. You can't take your eye off the ball about taking care of your current staff, but making sure that you're you're focused on them and their needs to make sure that they can deliver the care that's best, and then focus on making sure you leverage all the tools that you have at your disposal to get those bodies. And then once you get those bodies in, you know, do a good job of of keeping them. And that's the best you can do. But you're right, that that has definitely been more of a curveball for how we forecast. You know, you can't can't forecast for 50 weeks of a therapist anymore. You certainly, you know, 48 maybe even is is as brave as you can go, but it it does definitely cause a nonlinear growth model for sure. Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Turning towards 26, I'm actually quite bullish, and I'm definitely the glass half empty guy in the room. I I feel that we will continue to build on the conversations and the the wins of 25 personally. Do you feel bullish on 26 and what do you perhaps see on the horizon?
SPEAKER_01:Quite bullish on 26. I think with all the the planning and thinking we did in 24 and the implementing we're doing in 25, those lessons that we thought hard about and implemented in 25 are looking really good for 26. And as a reflection of that, externally on the profession, I I I see nothing but the demand continue. I think that all these, pardon my language, pretenders in the space are are trying to fill in a void that we can't right now. And the more that we as therapists find ways to fill that void, it's going to continue to lead to furthering of the profession and respect for the value that that we provide to the entire healthcare system. So I'm very bullish on us continuing to kind of carve or force ourselves into the primary care MSK space for sure, but certainly the primary, you know, first stop for any MSK injury in any way, shape, or form. I think we're going to continue to gain momentum in that space. I think it's a way we will be able to get around having to deal with insurance, not paying us more. And I really think that's our passion for the future. And I think it'll start to match what therapists want to do, which is focus on taking care of patients, not just when they're hurt, but before they're hurt. So I'm I'm very bullish on the profession moving in that direction. And that'll also facilitate us, you know, being able to be less dependent on the wins and feelings of payers.
SPEAKER_02:I always finish up asking if there's any other words of wisdom. And I'm sure that you have plenty of wisdom, but anything else to share perhaps with the audience as we wrap this up?
SPEAKER_01:Well, certainly not as much wisdom as you, Richard. And I again, I really, really do appreciate the relationship we've had and how open you've been to not just answering questions, but being open to, you know, ask me for questions too, because the, you know, the best way you learn is you, it's it's a two-way street and you you get to learn from not just the person you're seeking the knowledge from, but them seeking some knowledge and clarity from you. And I do appreciate that. And you know, as far as you know my wisdom, I I think I I I like you, I I got into this profession to help people, and I really haven't taken my eye off that ball ever. You know, I was definitely the therapist who squeezed everybody in and, you know, worked around them and and and did all that because I loved it and I still love it. And when I owned a clinic, I wanted to make sure I hired people who felt the same way, people who could complement my skills. So if it was something I couldn't treat, you know, I could give it to them. That way we could we could continually take care of more people. And with each of my roles, I feel like I'm still taking care of people, and I just get to do it at a much bigger scale. So I I think the the best thing here that I want to make sure we all do is just stick to fundamentals. Like we have a super rewarding profession. It is such a uh a great field to be in, and we get to help so many people, and we get such instant gratification out of what we do, and it's it's exhausting and you need to take care of yourself. But I I love this profession. I think we do great things, and I think we're we're poised to take uh uh bigger steps to asserting our value and getting getting more of the respect that we deserve that's been absent from anybody other than patience, per se, you know, coming up in 2026. So I'm I'm very bullish and no surprise, glass half full for our profession going forward.
SPEAKER_02:Uh thank you so much, Nick, for providing your perspective and thoughts for the 25 and and going into 26. Thank you for your leadership and also your advocacy for the profession generally. It's quite inspiring. So I wish you well over the next 12 months, and perhaps in 12 months' time we sit down and have a beer and work out what actually happened compared to what we think will happen. So thank you.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you, Richard.
SPEAKER_00:This has been another episode of the PT Leadership Podcast, brought to you by Alliance Physical Therapy Partners. Learn more about our team and find more episodes online at allianceptp.com slash podcast.