Sutter Health has announced an agreement to acquire Hayashida Physical Therapy, a provider of outpatient physical therapy services in Santa Barbara County. The acquisition will bring together three locations—Hayashida’s Santa Barbara and Goleta clinics and Sutter Health’s existing Goleta Physical Therapy office—under the Greater Central Coast Physical Therapy department, which will serve about 8,700 patients annually.
Dr. Kurt N. Ransohoff, President of Sutter Health’s Greater Central Coast, stated, “We are proud to welcome Hayashida Physical Therapy into the Sutter Health family. This investment preserves a vital community resource and strengthens access to physical therapy services, reflecting our commitment to providing the highest quality of care to patients throughout the communities we serve.”
The acquisition is intended to ensure continuity for current patients, who will be able to continue seeing their existing therapists with minimal disruption. Maury Hayashida, founder of Hayashida Physical Therapy, said, “We are excited to become part of Sutter Health’s expanding and innovative organization and feel aligned with our mutual ambitions to continue developing clinical excellence while creating new access points for our active community.” He added: “We take great pride in the culture of life-long learning that we have created over the past 23 years. Starting Santa Barbara County’s first orthopedic physical therapy residency program is one example. Better clinicians contribute to better outcomes, which help people live better lives.”
The merger will provide Hayashida Physical Therapy with expanded resources and operational support through integration with Sutter Health. The practice’s expertise in sports performance will complement Sutter Health’s experience in treating both sports-related injuries and general orthopedic conditions.
Sutter Health orthopedic surgeon Dr. Corina Brown commented on the partnership: “Physical therapy plays a key role in the healing process as patients recover and regain strength, flexibility and mobility. This new partnership represents a great opportunity to deliver even further on our promise to provide patients comprehensive, specialized orthopedic and sports medicine care. I could not be more excited to partner with Hayashida Physical Therapy in continuing to provide the highest quality resources to our community, getting patients back to doing what they love.”
Orthopedic physicians at Sutter’s Central Coast facilities focus on returning athletes to sports participation as well as joint preservation procedures such as outpatient total joint replacement and minimally invasive surgeries performed at Foothill Surgery Center.
The residency program established by Hayashida will expand under Sutter’s orthopedics service line. The combined department aims to serve as a host site for post-doctoral specialty training in physical therapy.
