Article published December 28, 2007
HCR ManorCare to rehab needy league retirees
By LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE
BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
Toledo-based HCR ManorCare will serve as the exclusive rehabilitation provider for indigent or medically needy National Football League retirees who receive joint replacements under a $17 million league plan to provide care for former players.
HCR ManorCare will provide in-patient and out-patient rehabilitative care to former players within its network of more than 350 facilities nationwide, said Marty Grabijas, the company's assistant vice president for marketing operations.
"The NFL had worked on contracts with these major medical centers for quite some time, but the piece that was missing is: What do you do after surgery? These people will need rehab, and that's where we fit in," Mr. Grabijas said.
The NFL and the union representing its players, the NFL Players Association, announced the creation of a joint-replacement benefit plan for retired players to cover medically necessary knee, hip, and shoulder replacements.
The player care foundation, funded with $17 million from the league, players union, the NFL Hall of Fame, and the NFL Alumni Association, will pay for or assist with the cost of the surgeries and aftercare.
The surgeries will be performed at 14 facilities nationwide, including the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center."There are 14 medical centers doing the surgery, but there's only one company doing the rehab, and that's us," Mr. Grabijas said.
The Toledo firm was selected because a board member had a previous relationship with one of the NFL owners, Mr. Grabijas said. The former players are expected to begin undergoing procedures in February, and would be expected to stay in the facilities an average of 20 days each.
About 35 percent of patients within HCR ManorCare facilities are there for short-term rehabilitative care, Mr. Grabijas said. HCR ManorCare was acquired for $6.3 billion last week by the Carlyle Group, a Washington private equity firm.
Carl Francis, of the NFL Players Association, said the organization is unsure exactly how many of its retired members will take advantage of the program. An estimated 9,500 retired NFL players are still alive, Mr. Francis said, and 4,000 belong to the association.
"We receive a number of inquiries from former players regarding questions about [joint] replacements," he said.
Contact Larry P. Vellequette at:
lvellequette@theblade.com
or 419-724-6091.
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