At-Home Physical Therapy Service Luna Plots Next Steps in Charlotte Market

This article originally appeared in the Charlotte Business Journal on February 19, 2021.

At-home physical therapy service Luna is looking to grow a presence in Charlotte, with plans to expand its local network to more than 200 providers in the next year.

Luna, founded in 2018 in California, entered the Charlotte market in January. It has more than 30 active therapists here. The company uses technology to help mobilize care, with an app built in-house to connect patients with physical therapists on demand.

"The need for physical therapy is way beyond what we're able to support today. Not everybody who requires PT is getting physical therapy," said Palak Shah, chief clinical officer and part of the founding team. "We feel strongly that this is the new way of delivering health care, and it's important to consider this way of delivering health care at home."

Shah said most PT patients can be seen at home, with about 70% of patients not pursuing care when they have to go to a clinic.

There was an uptick in demand when the pandemic hit, although care was already shifting prior to Covid-19, she said. Luna was able to support patients when elective procedures were postponed last year. The therapists follow safety protocols, and Luna's app has Covid-19 screening tools.

Luna looks for high-impact areas with room for growth in their PT industries. Its services span nine states. Therapists specialize in orthopedic injuries, post-surgery rehabilitation and senior care, among other areas. Luna accepts major insurance carriers and Medicare.

Most providers hold full-time clinic jobs and then do about 10 visits per week with Luna.

Shah said Luna wants to scale services in Charlotte as it has in other areas. About 10% of outpatient PTs in the San Francisco Bay Area work for Luna, she said, adding that she would like to see the same here. The company also has therapists in Raleigh.

Luna prefers to expand in new markets with health system partnerships, Shah said. It has worked with Scripps for example. She said the company is in conversations with the top local health systems and wants to secure a partnership in the coming months.

"We definitely want to go in to enable them to provide outpatient care in physical therapy outside the four walls," Shah said.

California-based Luna has about 800 PTs in its total network. It can support hundreds of patient visits per month in Charlotte, with plans to grow that capacity to thousands of visits per month in the next year.