Northridge Magazine

From his office overlooking the Santa Monica Mountains, Michael Weinper ’69 (Psychology, Physical Therapy) can watch the seasons change. A graduate of San Fernando Valley State’s first class of physical therapists, he also has watched the transformation of his profession during the last 40 years.

“In the class of 1969 there were five of us,” he recalls, “and the degree was a B.S. in physical therapy.” The program was offered jointly by CSUN and UCLA.

The president and chief executive officer of PTPN, one of the nation’s leading networks of independent physical, occupational and speech therapists, Weinper has been on both sides of the equation during his successful career as a practitioner and an administrator in his field.

His first job out of school was at the Sherman Oaks Community Hospital, where he worked with Dr. Richard Grossman in the Burn Center. After a time, he left the practice of physical therapy to serve as the CEO of Washington Medical Center in Culver City. His five years of administrative experience there was invaluable, but Weinper found himself missing the interaction with patients.

Forming a partnership with Ruth Gomez ’70, a member of San Fernando Valley State’s second class of physical therapists, he founded Progressive Physical Therapy in 1977. The thriving company has grown to include four clinics—two in the San Fernando Valley, one in Santa Clarita and one in Palmdale—and to employ nearly 20 therapists.

About half of Progressive’s professional staff members are CSUN Physical Therapy Department alumni. “Cal State Northridge produces an outstanding professional product when it comes to physical therapists,” said Weinper.

As health care began its nationwide shift toward health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations, it occurred to him that physical therapists and other rehabilitation specialists would need to organize themselves into a network that met the insurance industry’s new demands for quality control oversight and standards of practice. His solution was to found PTPN, a network of private practice rehab professionals.

“Insurance companies are looking for the most bang for their medical dollar,” said Weinper. “PTPN revolutionized rehabilitation therapy by using actual treatment outcomes data to balance the need for cost savings with the delivery of appropriate care. We have 1,200 providers in our network, in 23 states.”

Weinper also created educata.com, an online continuing education resource for physical therapists. “Learning is a life-long venture,” he said. “If you stop, you’re doing a disservice to both your practice and your patients.”

Physical therapy will be an increasingly important field as the baby boomer generation ages, as survivors of heart attacks, strokes and cancer require some form of physical rehabilitation as part of their recovery, Weinper observed. And longer life expectancy, he said, comes with a desire to maintain independence and flexibility.

“Technology has given us new tools and equipment that enhance our healing capabilities,” he acknowledged, “but physical therapists’ best equipment will always be their brains and their hands.”

— Julia Venkateswaran

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