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Therapy Matters

Therapy Matters

By: Raintree Inc.
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 Therapy Matters explores the ideas and innovations reshaping the leadership of rehabilitation therapy.

Raintree Systems is the rehabilitation and physical therapy software of choice for enterprise and large therapy provider organizations.
2025 Economics Hygiene & Healthy Living Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • The Heart & Hustle of PT: How People-First Leadership Builds Stronger Teams

    The Heart & Hustle of PT: How People-First Leadership Builds Stronger Teams
    Feb 18 2026
    An injury in high school introduced Tony Mikla to physical therapy—but it was the frustration of that experience that sparked his lifelong mission to help athletes recover faster and perform at their best.

    Today, as a leading voice in sports orthopedics with clinics across Sacramento, Reno, and Las Vegas, Tony has built a model of care that redefines what a thriving workplace looks like in healthcare.

    Tony’s path from injured athlete to clinic founder wasn’t just about mastering rehabilitation—it was building a people-first company that attracts passionate talent, brings in fresh ideas from outside healthcare, and thrives even in the tough world of insurance and reimbursement.

    With new technology, Tony believes AI is the key to bringing the human element back to healthcare, using AI to slash documentation time and shift more focus to patients.

    Whether you’re a clinic owner, physical therapist, or just curious about the future of sports medicine, Tony offers practical lessons on building culture, embracing innovation, and leading with purpose.

    Tony Mikla, DPT, CSCS, XPS
    Physical Therapist, Strength Coach & Founder of KIME Performance

    Tony is a leading sports physical therapist, performance coach, and researcher. He speaks and teaches nationally on sports physical therapy and regularly publishes research in international journals. Tony previously served as the Physical Therapy Manager at the world-renowned EXOS in Phoenix, AZ, working with some of the best athletes in the world. He was the Medical Director for the Sacramento Sports Commission and adjunct faculty in Physical Therapy at Sacramento State University and Northern AZ University. In 2015, Tony was named a finalist for the NSCA Sports Medicine Specialist of the Year and was awarded the 40 Under 40 Award from the Sacramento Business Journal in 2017.

    Connect with Tony Mikla on LinkedIn

    Learn more about KIME Performance

    Follow KIME on Instagram @kimeperformancept

    Listen to KIME’s podcast, KIMEcast

    Sarina Richard
    Chief Strategy Officer, Raintree Systems

    Sarina Richard has spent twenty years as a Healthcare Technology Executive across the healthcare continuum, from operator to service provider to financier. At Raintree, Sarina oversees corporate strategic planning and leads cross-departmental initiatives to build best-in-class teams, systems, and processes.

    Connect with Sarina Richard on LinkedIn

    About Raintree

    Raintree is the rehabilitation and physical therapy software of choice for enterprise and large therapy provider organizations.

    Discover why Raintree is the trusted EMR and practice management platform for the largest and most ambitious rehab therapy organizations in the U.S.

    Request a demo of Raintree
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • Making The Case for Physical Therapy as Primary Care

    Making The Case for Physical Therapy as Primary Care
    Jan 21 2026
    Dr. Anthony Buccafurni never planned on becoming a CEO. He started as a sports-focused physical therapist, raised by a pediatric nurse mom and a hospital administrator dad—giving him an early, front-row seat to both sides of the American healthcare system.

    When he began working with older adults on the brink of losing their independence, his path shifted to FOX Rehabilitation and a mission-driven career to help people stay safely in their homes as long as possible. Along the way, he realized leadership gave him the chance to impact far more patients and clinicians than he ever could one-on-one.

    He explains why rehab therapy has long been undervalued and how policy decisions have quietly treated therapists as “specialists,” leading to years of cuts. He argues therapy should be viewed as primary care for movement, function, and prevention, not a last stop after something goes wrong.

    Dr. Buccafurni also shares how FOX has built a culture rooted in craft, community, and cause, where advocacy is part of the job, not an extra. Hear his hopes for the future of the PT industry, from the idea of “discharge” fading away to the profession speaking with one loud, unified voice.

    GUEST

    Anthony Buccafurni, PT, DPT
    CEO of FOX Rehabilitation

    Dr. Anthony Buccafurni is a practicing Physical Therapist and Chief Operating Officer of FOX. Dr. Buccafurni joined FOX as a full-time clinician in 2003 and was quickly promoted to regional field leadership. During his early leadership at FOX, Dr. Buccafurni was instrumental to the expansion of FOX into Atlantic, Ocean, and Monmouth Counties in New Jersey.

    During his years as Executive Vice President of Operations, Dr. Buccafurni used his change management expertise to successfully reorganize Quality Assurance and Professional Development, Sales, and Admissions while leading Clinical Operations.

    Connect with Anthony Buccafurni on LinkedIn

    Learn more about FOX Rehabilitation

    Sarina Richard
    Chief Strategy Officer, Raintree Systems

    Sarina Richard has spent twenty years as a Healthcare Technology Executive across the healthcare continuum, from operator to service provider to financier. At Raintree, Sarina oversees corporate strategic planning and leads cross-departmental initiatives to build best-in-class teams, systems, and processes.

    Connect with Sarina Richard on LinkedIn

    About Raintree

    Raintree is the rehabilitation and physical therapy software of choice for enterprise and large therapy provider organizations.

    Discover why Raintree is the trusted EMR and practice management platform for the largest and most ambitious rehab therapy organizations in the U.S.

    Request a demo of Raintree
    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • PT Leadership Against the Current: AI, Access, and the Fight for a Better PT Model

    PT Leadership Against the Current: AI, Access, and the Fight for a Better PT Model
    Dec 17 2025
    Simon Hargus turned a small family clinic into a 50-location practice serving rural Ohio and West Virginia without losing the heart of hands-on, patient-first care.

    He leads with intention, focusing on culture over scale. By creating individualized career paths and flexible opportunities, Simon helps therapists build meaningful, lasting careers instead of following a one-size-fits-all model.

    He opens up about the journey behind First Settlement Physical Therapy—how he built a place people want to grow, what it takes to recruit in a post-COVID world, and how to keep quality care alive when volume often wins.

    Hear why he believes advocacy, creativity, and a touch of innovation are key to securing the future of physical therapy.

    Simon Hargus
    Owner and CEO of First Settlement Physical Therapy

    Simon Hargus is the owner of First Settlement Physical Therapy, a family-run practice that’s grown to about 50 clinics and 300 employees serving rural Ohio and West Virginia. A PT who moved from the clinic to the C‑suite, he’s known for building a people‑first culture, long‑form patient care, and individualized career paths to curb burnout. He’s active in advocacy, pushing for state‑level wins and a stronger political voice for PT, and he embraces practical tech like AI scribe tools where they deliver real ROI.

    Learn more about First Settlement Physical Therapy
    Connect with Simon Hargus on LinkedIn

    Sarina Richard
    Chief Strategy Officer, Raintree Systems

    Sarina Richard has spent twenty years as a Healthcare Technology Executive across the healthcare continuum, from operator to service provider to financier. At Raintree, Sarina oversees corporate strategic planning and leads cross-departmental initiatives to build best-in-class teams, systems, and processes.

    Connect with Sarina Richard on LinkedIn

    About Raintree
    Raintree is the rehabilitation and physical therapy software of choice for enterprise and large therapy provider organizations.

    Discover why Raintree is the trusted EMR and practice management platform for the largest and most ambitious rehab therapy organizations in the U.S.

    Request a demo of Raintree
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
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