patient services coordinator

physical therapist

rehabilitation technician

medical assistant

personal trainer

Illinois Bone & Joint Institute

This might be the worst job I've ever had.  It was a very busy call center in Morton Grove.  The manager's desk is on an elevated platform that overlooks 12 employee desks.  It's akin to a prison watchtower.  The work culture and atmosphere is very negative and toxic.  The physicians and their clinical staff blame anything and everything that goes wrong on the call center, even if the department is not at fault. If an employee is blamed for a mistake, the manager will call that employee up to her desk, play the recorded phone call, and criticize and reprimand the employee.  This is all done in front of the office staff.  There is no respect for the employees privacy or dignity.  Management tries to rule with fear.  The manager has also recruited a few people from her previous job, so she shows blatant favoritism. The manager also makes it very difficult for employees to plan vacation time.  I submitted a PTO request 3 months in advance.  I waited several days for a response, then asked the manager for the status.  She said that she does not approve time off until 3 weeks before the date requested.  This makes it very difficult to arrange airfare and accommodations.  Furthermore, working in a call center is naturally very stressful.  Nevertheless, the callers are exceptionally demanding, self centered, and rude.  There are also political policies in place that make it very difficult in providing customer service.  There are unnecessary obstacles, based on greed, that prohibit employees from fully doing their job and this makes a bad situation even worse.  This place has a very high turnover rate, so they are always short staffed and this creates a very heavy burden on the workload.  Avoid this place like the plague!

This review is about the Libertyville location. 

Management at this site is the main concern. During my two years there, I was made to work excessive over time and do the job of 5 people by myself. I had no life outside of this job, and my mental and physical well being were being impacted in a bad way. 

Everyday my provider had an overbooked schedule, and walk ins added to it throughout the day. It was too many patients for one assistant. I asked the admin for assistance many times, even crying in her office, and was just met with “that’s the nature of the beast”. Management is extremely unprofessional. They play favoritism and gossip.  Management motivates you with fear, and takes advantage of hard working employees. 

I dreaded coming into work everyday. Morale among employees is the lowest I’ve seen at any job I’ve worked. Medical assistants are essentially admin. You’re not allowed to do anything clinical, even if you’re nationally certified and went to school for this. But the job posting describes a clinical role. 

As a “medical assistant” at this location, you’re rooming patients, cleaning rooms, answering all calls, epic messages and faxes. Doing all the authorizations for gel injections and MRI approvals and fitting DME. All on top of running clinic on your own and taking care of the doctor and patients needs during a full clinic and triaging walk ins. You never feel like you’re finishing everything you need to do. None of this is clinical. 

Be prepared for stress, crying, and feeling like there’s no way out. 

All employees had 24/7 access to management at every level for professional and personal support. All employees were given tools to succeed and encouraged to advance. Smooth patient intake and successful treatment was the clear priority of all therapists. Teamwork and communication are the foundation of the company to ensure the aforementioned.
Through examples in leadership and company provided workshops, I gained extensive knowledge and experience that has helped me become a much more effective leader. 
A positive and healthy dynamic among colleagues was always a significant priority during the hiring process. Being a manager and a people person, having a team that was productive but also enjoyed being with each other was key. I enjoyed going to work every day, despite the challenges, because of my team and my other colleagues. 
The most challenging aspect of my position as front desk manager was keeping my staff and myself up to speed on the numerous changes to processes. As a fast-growing company that was making changes on a regular basis, many detailed processes changed regularly. This was compounded by the ever-changing world of medical insurance. With a staff of five, I had to learn to balance my time on the desk as a representative, my time learning and perfecting my understanding and ability to execute these processes and my time one-on-one with staff to ensure they were proficient with all processes. I was given ample support and encouragement to ensure I could find that balance.

A typical day at work, consisting of about 8 hours, was based around the schedules of the therapists. Seeing about 2 patients per hour (half hour slots), our day would be dictated by how busy the therapists were. I learned many things while working here that I had previously not known, specifically about the human body and the best methods to help heal, what effects us positively and negatively, and some good ways of maintaining good bodily health farther into age and adulthood. The most difficult part of the job was when the days would become busier. Based on the amount of techs that were also there (my position), it would determine how many patients we could potentially be working with. Working with a single patient at a time was standard, with the occasional 2 patients at a time per tech. Very rarely, we would have to work with 3 patients at once if the time called for it, but again, those were incredible uncommon and not suggested by any means. The most enjoyable part of the job was that our staff was very relaxed and friendly towards each other and the patients. We never created any kind of hostility towards each other, nor any drama. It was very family-like, and that's something that I can truly appreciate out of working here, not to mention how educational it was (for me, at least).

My experience as an Administrative Assistant was generally easy in terms of the tasks and workload, which were manageable on a day-to-day basis. However, the work environment was marred by significant issues that made the job less enjoyable and professionally fulfilling.

The most challenging aspect of the role was the toxic team dynamic. I found that the atmosphere was often negative, with a lack of collaboration and frequent interpersonal conflicts that affected overall morale. Communication within the team was poor, and this led to misunderstandings and inefficiencies.

Additionally, management's communication skills were severely lacking. There was little to no transparency, feedback, or guidance provided, which made it difficult to understand expectations or grow within the role. It became evident that management lacked the necessary skills and experience to effectively lead the team. Decisions were often made without clear rationale, and it felt like there was no structure or support for professional development.

While the job itself was relatively straightforward, the issues with team dynamics and management made it a challenging environment. I would not recommend this position to someone seeking a supportive and professional workplace.



There was no typical day at my job as a Case Manager for the Bundled Payment Program. Responsibilities ranged from designing the program for conception, engaging with Home Health and Rehab facilities for quality of care for our patients, patient education about their post op needs, writing reports, interfacing with MD's and outreach to the medical community for appropriate post op care needs in the total joint setting. 
The management at IBJI gave broad freedom with our ideas to implement the new program creating an engaging and collaborative environment. The most difficult part of the job was when COVID struck and our patients, who typically didn't get sick, were dying. This was new for me. The most enjoyable part of the job was when patients would call me and tell me how wonderful their post op course was and that they were so grateful for all of my assistance. The best part though was the amount of money saved for the company in the first year of the program.  

I've had a mixed experience with the company. While the benefits package is average (6 paid holidays annually, good health/vision/dental package), the absence of sick pay accrual and maternity leave is not ideal for some. There's a need for a better PTO accrual system that allows for sick days without using PTO. Although the pay is slightly better than minimum wage, it doesn't justify the workload and stress levels.

There is a significant lack of structure and alignment within the rehab department, which contributes to a consistently high turnover rate and adds to the overall challenges.

On the positive side, I've had the opportunity to meet and work with some great people. The average workday goes by quickly since there is always a task to be done. There is plenty of opportunity for growth if you work hard and showcase your skills.

The workplace is fun and productive overall. Depending on the clinic's size and location, you will work with various personalities and age groups, always keeping things interesting. If you're considering working here, you should be able to handle a fast-paced work environment.

It's a fast paced environment but definitely not a team work orientated company. They do not want nor encourage team work at all. Management specifically stated to employees not to talk to each other which creates a very hostile, uncomfortable work environment, which is very contrary to which business should aspire or want. Of course, most of this comes down from Administration. They are not very supportive of employees at all.

I definitely agree with another reviewer who stated it is not a family friendly company; it isn't. I have seen people get fired or be forced to quit because of family issues. FMLA is not really much of a protection here.

Many employees have been or were there for years without getting any raises. Be forewarned that if you take a job here, you will have the same problem too.

But should you take the job with them, you will be kept busy which is a good thing. You will meet some nice people too.
They are great with HIPPA continued education. It is a great place to have on your resume but it is not the most pleasant place at which to work.

IBJI is a typical workplace; there is good and bad.  I got paid fairly at first and benefits were good. However I did 'max out' salary wise meaning I would no longer get a raise.  Job advancement was more so based on nepotism (friends and family) rather than actual talent, experience or tenure at the company.  That being said when there was a change in management, working there became impossible.  I enjoyed our patient population and collaborating with physicians.  It is a harder place to work for Occupational Therapists rather than Physical Therapists.  The PT's get aide support and are therefore able to complete their documentation during the day where as OT's do not and often have to work at home after hours to complete everything.  Occupational Therapists also have little opportunity for job advancement.  There were no Occupational Therapists in a management role while I was there despite making up at least 30-35% of the work force. Overall I would put IBJI above an Athletico or an ATI but not as good as good as a hospital (Lutheran, Loyola, Masonic).

Typical day at work would vary based on the shift you worked. The front desk manager made her schedule first before anyone else's, and if you asked her when it was going to be done, she would just roll her eyes at you and cop an attitude for the rest of the day with you. People were afraid to ask her questions or get help from her because she always seemed to be annoyed. 

None of the staff appreciates workers who try to help them or work hard to learn new things so that they will be more valuable and helpful to the clinical staff. Instead, the manager lets the less experienced workers get away with sitting up front on their phones, messaging on twitter on the computers and talking poorly of the entire clinical staff to one another in front of patients and other employees. 

The most enjoyable part of the job was getting to know the patients and being able to see their progress through PT. Congratulating them on their "graduation day" was always the best.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Patient services coordinator 122 salaries reported	$20.59 per hour
Physical therapist 83 salaries reported	$92,014 per year
Rehabilitation technician 87 salaries reported	$15.49 per hour
Medical assistant 58 salaries reported	$21.70 per hour
Personal trainer 15 salaries reported	$30.17 per hour

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