DeWITT — An electronic-health record, an outside vendor handling billing, and a website for patient education ahead of an office visit. That’s all part of the technology and service package that Dr. Jeffrey Kahn uses to operate rehabwoRx Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, PLLC.

The office is located in a 2,200-square-foot space in the Brittonfield Medical Center at 5000 Brittonfield Parkway in DeWitt. Kahn is the practice’s sole owner and practitioner.

In his practice, Kahn treats athletes, both competitive and recreational, including those participating in triathlons.

“Additionally, I see patients who’ve been injured on the job, injured in motor-vehicle accidents, or who suffer from painful spinal of musculo-skeletal or neurological disorders who require the care of a specialist,” Kahn says.

Because of that, Kahn believes the scope of his practice is “more broad” than many other providers who may solely specialize in joint care or spinal care.

rehabwoRx instituted the use of an electronic-health record in 2011, prior to the pending federal regulations which could potentially lead to withholding of payments to providers who don’t use that technology, Kahn says.

In 2014, Medicare is going to require that providers treating its beneficiaries utilize electronic-health record technology and have the ability to prescribe electronically, he adds.

Kahn instituted electronic-health records to create “efficiency” in the practice, including “a more streamlined” method of managing its patients, he says.

“The benefit has been significant to me, and we have had for over two years a completely paperless-office system,” Kahn says.

The practice also uses a computer-based fax system and wireless technology so all incoming and outgoing records are managed electronically, he adds.

The system allows Kahn to review and sign off on documents in a timely manner, and rehabwoRx to schedule and treat patients “in a quicker manner,” he says.

The practice also has electronic interfaces between its scheduling and billing program, and the electronic health record, Kahn says, so following a patient visit, he’s already billed the individual.

“Our billing team, which is out of the office, is able to process the insurance claims in an efficient manner, and they are given all of the billing-related information moments after the patient has been seen,” Kahn says.

The billing vendor for rehabwoRx, Medical Management Resources, Inc., is also located in the Brittonfield Medical Center, he adds.

The practice also uses a website for patient education prior to a scheduled visit.

“I’ve had a website in one form or another for at least 10 years, [even] when it was not common for medical practices to have websites,” Kahn says.

He worked with Scottsdale, Ariz.–based Omedix to create the website, which includes a map and driving directions, information about insurance responsibilities, and details about the conditions Kahn treats, the diagnostic tests available, and the procedural services the practice performs.

rehabwoRx employs one full-time worker with no plans for additional hiring in 2013. Kahn leases his space from Brittonfield Associates, LLC, but declined to disclose his monthly lease payment.

His firm generated between $500,000 and $1 million in gross revenue during 2012. Kahn expects a similar range in 2013, and perhaps more, saying he is seeing more patients since he moved the practice to Brittonfield last December.

As a practitioner, Kahn provides 500 “services” per month, he says.

Launching, moving rehabwoRx

Kahn came to Syracuse in 1989 following his work at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City to continue his work as a physical-medicine and rehabilitation specialist at what was then called SUNY Upstate Medical Center.

After nine years in the academic setting, which included both teaching and patient-care responsibilities, Kahn decided to leave the school launch his own non-surgical spinal and muculoskeletal care practice.

“There was a great deal of flux in the medical community in terms of other providers merging practices, changing practices, and I felt that at that point in time, I was in a better position to be an independent practitioner,” Kahn says.

He launched rehabwoRx at Upstate’s Madison-Irving Medical Center in Syracuse, where it operated for 14 years.

As the years moved on, Kahn began to realize that operating his practice near a hospital wasn’t really necessary because rehabwoRx is an outpatient practice with no hospital responsibilities.

In addition, “due to increasing congestion and traffic difficulties,” Kahn says his patients were asking for a more suburban location.

He moved his practice to the Brittonfield Medical Center in December 2012.

“As a solo provider, who has an office which has a high degree of technology, I wanted to be able to create a single office location, which was geographically easy for patients across the broad area from which we draw patients to be able to access the office, as well as move into a building where there were other providers who I could have interaction with on a clinical basis,” Kahn says.

The location affords his patients free parking, and with patients who come from the North Country, the Southern Tier, as far west as Cayuga County, and as far east as Herkimer, Kahn wanted something that would provide them with easy access, either via the New York State Thruway or Interstate 481, he says.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

DeWITT — Residents and businesses looking to get rid of old appliances and a variety of other recyclable items have a new option since Disposal Alternatives Organization opened its doors about a month ago at 6361 Thompson Road in DeWitt.

The Indianapolis–based company is in growth mode and a Syracuse–area location was a perfect fit, says CEO Calvin (Cal) Hultquist. He formed Disposal Alternatives Organization (DAO) with Dana Eveland in 2008.

With just $4,000 and a box truck, the two men launched the business providing home pickup service for unwanted and broken appliances. The business quickly grew — not only in services by accepting a variety of recyclable items from cardboard to metal, but also in size. Today, DAO employs 220 people at nine plants in Chicago, Indianapolis, Nashville, Atlanta, Tampa, Charlotte, Richmond, Rhode Island, and now Syracuse. The company will soon open a 10th location in Pittsburgh.

Hultquist credits the company’s growth to several different factors. First, the business is a social enterprise, a business that addresses a social or environmental need and reinvests its profits back into the community or business. Hultquist describes the business model as a self-sustaining business somewhere between a not-for-profit entity and a for-profit business. The company, which does not receive any sort of government funding, makes all of its money by selling the recyclable materials it collects. This year, Hultquist says gross revenue should be about $30 million.

The other factor behind DAO’s success is that it provides a necessary service and makes it accessible and affordable for people. In most cases, Hultquist says, DAO does not charge customers for the recyclable items they dispose of with DAO. The company charges a small fee for certain items, like televisions, that are a little more complicated to break down before recycling.

“Our model is very unique,” Hultquist says.

In the Syracuse area, the company currently has 12 employees including recycling technicians, general laborers, and truck drivers. “We’ll probably grow upwards of 20 employees” as the business takes off, Hultquist adds. He expects DAO will handle a recycling volume of between 400 and 500 tons of material a month.

Going forward, Hultquist says he hopes to expand the Syracuse–area operations to include programs it offers at its other locations, including community-wide recycling days.

DAO doesn’t really have direct competition in the market, Hultquist says, and the company does its best to work in partnership with other recyclers. Everyone seems to carve out their own niche, whether its appliances like DAO or another product such as electronics. Often, he says, the businesses can work together and the end result is that businesses and residents have all of their recycling needs met.

“We think there’s enough trash to go around for all of us,” Hultquist says. People want to recycle, he contends. It’s DAO’s job to give them that option while keeping it cheap and convenient. “Then we found the participation naturally follows,” he adds.

DAO does not spend any money on marketing, relying instead on word of mouth. The company also drums up interest through being involved in the community and benefits from a national contract with Lowe’s to pick up customers’ old appliances after new ones are delivered. DAO has a similar contract with appliance-manufacturer Haier.

“The formula’s working, and we’re creating jobs,” Hultquist says. “As long as it keeps working, we’re going to keep growing.” There are plenty of areas across the nation in need of good recycling providers, he says.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, DAO is online at www.daorecycling.org.

Contact The Business Journal at news@cnybj.com