GETTING WELL IN STYLE

When we take a fall, or suffer a stroke, a trip to the hospital is just the first stop. Therapeutic follow-up often comes next. And between the physical demands of rehab and the emotional strain of being a patient longer than we’d like, keeping committed to our care can be challenge. Especially when that entails a stay in a skilled nursing facility. While there’s no easy out when it comes to getting better, Ignite Medical Resorts offers a new model in the delivery of rehabilitation services.

“The concept of the medical resort is the best of both worlds,” says founder and CEO, Tim Fields. “Newer physical plants that look like a boutique hotel with private rooms, Starbucks coffee café’s, chef-prepared food, and concierge service, coupled with an engaging and appreciative culture to get the best nurses, therapists and employees to run a high-acuity, customer service-focused, tech-savvy advanced care model we call LuxeRehab.” Equipped to provide expert clinical programming for orthopedics, stroke, cardiac and respiratory care, Ignite Medical Resorts operates in six states, with five locations in Illinois—McHenry, Hanover Park, Aurora, Lisle, and Mundelein.

Fields began his career in IT. His first professional encounter with the healthcare industry came when he went to work for a cardiology practice. After migrating to business development, he joined a small family-run skilled nursing and rehabilitation company in Chicago before signing on with Symphony Post Acute Network, where he rose to president and partner and helped grow that company from eight to 30 facilities. In 2018, he and good friend Barry Carr launched Ignite, determined to bring an exciting employee culture coupled with upscale luxurious facilities that focused on short-term rehabilitation to the market. “I fell in love with the challenge of innovating and doing something different, or as we say, extinguishing the stereotype,” shares Fields.

Any business is only as good as its employees, and that goes double in healthcare, where the well-being of the client is paramount. But with burnout searing the ranks of nurses and therapists, recruiting and retaining top-notch professionals is no easy feat. “We knew early on, that to run an innovative and unique model, you had to have the best staff,” relates Fields. “So, a rewarding and appreciative culture is very important to us. We have great wage scales that pay top of market, we have great benefits, such as a Superhero in Scrubs program, where staff can earn gift cards, paid time off, and bonuses. We have daycare discount programs, and every employee gets a free Planet Fitness membership and free Door Dash pass. Work should be fun and rewarding. I want our staff going home and telling their loved ones how much fun they had at work today.”

Ignite’s clinicians are not only expert at effectively deploying a range of physical, occupational, and speech therapy strategies to achieve optimum results, but all are thoroughly trained to provide a high level of customer service. Additionally, each facility is staffed with a Director of Hospitality, a concierge who gets to know patients and their families to help them get the most out of the Ignite experience. “We have a program called ‘Surprise and Delight’, where the Director of Hospitality finds a way to surprise a patient during their stay,” says Fields. “It could be something small, like setting up a FaceTime visit with the grandkids, or bringing their favorite pet in for a surprise visit, to reuniting a husband and wife who’ve been apart. My favorite thing we do is called ‘Fond Farewell’, where the team celebrates the patient’s discharge from Ignite at the front door, clapping and celebrating them going back home, with a custom ‘I got my Spark back’ medal around their neck. It’s quite an emotional experience for our staff to see people going back home after they helped them regain their strength and independence.”

With the average stay at a skilled nursing rehab center running over 20 days, ambiance and atmosphere play a key role in keeping patients’ spirits up and propelling them toward their goals. “People don’t come to us because they want to, they come to us because they have to,” states Fields. “We can do a great job of getting someone their medications on time or healing a wound, or getting an individual to walk again. But if we don’t make them feel good about the entire experience, if they aren’t satisfied with their stay, then we haven’t done our job.”