Physical therapy quality is highly inconsistent between clinicians, clinics, and companies. Numerous factors play into these discrepancies, including clinical process, management structure, payment models, clinician-patient time, use of assistants, patient load, clinician training, and business models. These issues often culminate in underwhelming rehabilitation outcomes for clients. When embarking on a rehab journey, most patients don’t anticipate these issues. As Sarah Smith, PT, DPT, and co-founder of Smith Performance Center, observes: “Many patients don’t know where to start their rehab journey, and physical therapy is often not their first choice.” Choosing a clinic that treats 25 patients daily with heavy use of assistants is vastly different from one that sees six patients daily with dedicated one-on-one time. Blending the art and the science of physical therapy requires more than most patients realize. From our experience, three key areas drive these differences: Process, Patient-Provider Relationship, and Clinical Skill. Clinics that avoid assistant