A Bit of Guidance

““If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.”

—A BUDDHIST PROVERB

Traditionally, Americans always seem to put a collective best foot forward, moving through obstacles with boldness and resiliency. However, since experiencing the fallout of the worst economic crisis the country has experienced since the Great Depression, citizens are in a collective “wait and see” mode before stepping back into a spending comfort zone. Although many economists concur that the economy is stabilizing, they also agree that recovery will be slow, money will remain tight, and many aspects of business will change. In fact, when offering his summation of the situation, Dennis P. Lockhart, president and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, remarked, “The economy that emerges from the recession may not fully resemble the pre-recession economy.” During the unpredictable year to come, professionals in the physical medicine and rehabilitation industry will need extra assistance in determining best practice decisions, as well as in making the informed product and technology purchases that will help sustain their businesses, as the economy rebuilds. Rehab Management’s Fall 2009 Product Directory provides the tool that will be needed in making these decisions.

Rehab Management’s Fall 2009 Product Directory is a comprehensive annual directory that offers information on some of the industry’s most significant manufacturers and providers, as well as the products and technologies that PMR professionals, including occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language therapists, and the entire team, will require for their long-term and short-term practice requirements. The online Rehab Management Fall 2009 Product Directory offers a product profile page (with a directory linking directly to each product category) that focuses on innovations offered by PMR manufacturers and professionals for PMR professionals, including information on facility-based equipment, fitness, mobility aids, pain management, products for the home, seating and positioning, and suggestions for software programs developed to enhance the HIPAA-compliant rehab facility’s electronic billing, medical record-keeping, and documentation issues. In addition, the Web Resources Directory provides highlights of the companies featured in this issue, including handy URLs so readers can visit each vendor’s Web site to research products and services.

Regardless of the financial environment, the team at Rehab Management presents its 2009 Fall Product Directory to its readership, with the intention of providing a beneficial resource tool that will provide all of the necessary information to continue making intelligent, pennywise purchases that will help to enhance their rehabilitation practices—now and for years to come.

—ROGENA SCHUYLER SILVERMAN