Harris Hafeez is managing member of Advanced PMR, where he oversees all aspects of the practice. He is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and overseen the expansion of several companies.
Tell us about your practice. What sets you apart from other practitioners in your area?
Advanced PMR was founded in 2011 with one goal in mind: to provide the finest in healthcare. We have formed a team of passionate professionals who always put the patients first. Our state of the art facilities cater to every aspect of patient well-being while maintaining a spa-like environment. Our rapid expansion speaks for itself. We are currently three beautiful locations strong and opening another two offices 1st quarter of 2017.
We’d like to talk about a patient success story you’re especially proud of. Tell us about the patient.
In our Belmar office we have one patient who we are very proud of. She suffered from polio when she was a young girl.
What problems was she experiencing?
When she first came in she was in incredible pain. She suffered from chronic back pain and was almost completely immobile save for her being in her wheelchair.
What treatment course did you decide on?
We started a plan of action with her that began with acupuncture and manual therapy. Within 6 months she was moving on crutches and able to lift herself out of her wheelchair. Within 9 months she was able to stand almost perfectly.
What was the impact your treatment had on the patient?
We helped this patient regain strength and confidence. She now volunteers her time at various community outreach programs and has made a profound impact on her local community. She’s also brought awareness to physical well-being by being a motivational speaker to patients who suffer from chronic pain / disabilities. To this day we keep in touch with her and she visits us often thanking us for giving her a chance to live again. It’s hard not to tear up when see how far she’s come along and how wonderful of an impact she’s having on all those she comes in contact with.
What advice would you give PT students today? For instance looking back at your own career is there anything you would do differently?
The best advice I could give to PTs today would be to ensure and do your best to understand that each person, each individual case is unique. That no one method or procedure works the same. Thinking creatively and often improvising comes in very handy!
Please talk about any ways you are trying to impact the community you’re a part of:
We are continuously involved in charitable organizations. We create work shops and events where we give back to the community whether it be helping at our local foods banks or bringing awareness to a healthy lifestyle. People are living longer everyday; the road to success begins today!
Anything (that you care to admit) that you would never do again?
I’ve learned that listening to patients is the best advice one can get. In the beginning we focused on trying things that weren’t 100% receptive to what the patients wanted. As we’ve grown we have learned that the secret to success is ensuring that we do right by the patients and accommodate their every need. The rest will take care of itself because our biggest referral source is our valued patient.
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