ATPs thrive amid consolidation

YARMOUTH, Maine - While personnel cuts often go hand in hand with mergers and acquisitions, ATPs need not worry about job security, stakeholders say.

“Sometimes with consolidation, you hear, 'There's going to be layoffs,' or 'We're going to decrease our workforce,'” said Don Clayback, executive director of NCART. “You may see some of that when it comes to support staff, like accounting and HR within the company, but the ATP shouldn't really be impacted.”

As of August, more than 4,100 individuals held a current ATP certification, according to RESNA's website.

One reason for the job security of ATPs is demand. Though the provider pool may be shrinking, the patient population remains the same.

“Whether there are 100 different companies or 50 different companies or 10 different companies serving the marketplace, the need will continue to be there for ATPs,” said Julie Piriano, director of rehab industry affairs at Pride Mobility.

In addition, ATPs are often prized for their relationships with customer referral sources, making them assets to companies.

Valuable as they are, stakeholders say poaching between competitors is rare. They credit that to non-compete agreements, competitive salaries and a steady hiring pool.

Jeff Offner, president of Bronx, N.Y.-based Rehabco, adds: “If I need an ATP I can find someone or I grow my own. I train them to the level that they need to be trained and then sponsor them for the test.”

One advantage to developing talent from within: there are no learned bad habits to break, says Offner.

“They don't have the baggage that you would normally get from an ATP that comes from another company,” he said. HME