2006 Accomplishments2006 Accomplishments

PTmagazinemagazine

PTPTO F P H Y S I C A L T H E R A P Y

O F P H Y S I C A L T H E R A P Y

AUGUST 2005

AUGUST 2006

Buyer's 2007 Guide

The

PTmagazinemagazinePTPT

also inside:also inside:Medicare Audits and Reviews Personnel Supervision Requirements Physical Therapy in Poland and Russia Turf Battles Threaten Scope of Practice

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O F P H Y S I C A L T H E R A P Y

JANUARY 2006

SeekingBenefi ts

BeingMentor

ofand

a

PTmagazinemagazinePTPTO F P H Y S I C A L T H E R A P Y

APRIL 2006

also inside:also inside:

Effective Employee RecruitmentTeaching PT Students Business Skills Self Pay and the Medicare Benefi ciaryCSM 2006 Highlights

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RewardsChallengesand

Extended Careof

The

PTmagazinemagazinePTPTO F P H Y S I C A L T H E R A P Y

JULY 2006

also inside:also inside:

Profi les in Grassroots Advocacy

The Worthingham Fellows Look Ahead

Concierge Services: An Option for PTs?

The Future of Physical Therapy Education

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Cardiovascular/Cardiovascular/Pulmonary PTs Pulmonary PTs

Addressing MattersAddressing Mattersof theof the Heart...and Lungs:Heart...and Lungs:

Protecting Your Right to Practice Physical TherapyuFour states—Mississippi, Georgia, Connecticut, and New York passed direct access

legislation. Forty-three states have now passed legislation allowing direct access, in certain conditions, to physical therapist services.

uContinued to build support for the Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act by securing the support of more than 159 US representatives and 16 senators.

uWorked with Congress and the Medicare program on the development of the new therapy cap exceptions process allowing Medicare beneficiaries needing care above the therapy cap to apply for additional coverage. Secured extension of the exceptions process for 2007 with the passage of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (HR 6111), thanks to strong support from more than 40 patient groups and the bipartisan leadership of legisla-tors on a bill to repeal the cap – more than 260 US repre-sentatives and 44 senators endorsed the repeal legislation.

uIntroduced a bill to allow physical therapists to qualify for student loan forgiveness through the National Health Service Corps. The bill quickly gained the strong bipartisan support of more than 100 members of Congress.

uMore than 180 physical therapists visited congressional offices in Washington, DC, during the 18th Annual Federal Government Affairs Forum to talk about Medicare direct access, extending the therapy cap exceptions process, “incident to,” and the importance of rehabilitation research funding.

uHelped members across the country plan practice visits with their members of Congress, allowing them to see physical therapy in action, meet with patients, and learn about the importance of physical therapy firsthand.

uOffered public comments and testimony at Medicaid Commission hearings nationwide emphasizing the importance of physical therapy in providing care to individuals and children with disabilities.

uContinued to fight for adequate Medicare payment for physical therapist services, including preventing a scheduled 5% reduction in the 2007 Medicare fee schedule conversion factor and making physical therapists eligible for a new incentive program beginning in July 2007 to provide a 1.5% increase for reporting on quality measures.

uThe Idaho Chapter successfully lobbied state legislators to establish an independent Board of Physical Therapy, becoming the 28th state to do so.

uRaised a record $1 million for PT-PAC in 2006 and a total of $1.9 million for the two-year 2006-07 election cycle –

ranking among the top health care provider federal PACs – with a record number of more than 9,500 APTA members contributing to PT-PAC. Roughly 93% of the candidates supported by PT-PAC in the 2006 campaign were elected to office.

Helping You Get Paid Appropriately For Your Physical Therapy Servicesu Educated more than 100 insurers about physical therapist services at APTA’s Insurer Forum.

uHawaii, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia chapters met with local insurers, and met with individual insurers nationwide.

uHosted four nationwide coding seminars to educate physical therapists about the latest coding information and successful billing practices.

uWorked with the American Medical Association and the Current Procedural Terminology Editorial Panel to develop codes that appropriately describe current physical therapist practice.

Ensuring That Consumers Receive the Most Effective Physical Therapy ServicesuCollaborated with federal and local government agencies and professional and private associations to enhance physical therapist practice and increase the overall health of people served by physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. These groups include the Administration on Aging, JCAHO, CARF, CDC, the American Geri-

atrics Society, the American Pain Society, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and the National Blueprint partnership.

uPartnered with professional associations to increase awareness of the role of physical therapists in multidisciplinary care, including the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, the American Occupational Therapy Association, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the American Psychological Association.

uBegan development of the Defensible Documentation project that includes initiatives to provide members with practical tools and resources to ensure that patient/client documentation meets appropriate practice, payer, and regulatory guidelines and standards.

uLaunched the Physical Fitness for Special Populations initiative, including an online resource center with materials to improve the physical therapist’s ability to appropriately increase provision of services.

uAdvocated for rehabilitation research through meetings with institute and center directors at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Researach, the Interagency Committee on Disability Research, and the CDC.

Educating ConsumersStories about physical therapists have appeared in top daily newspapers from across the nation, Total TV, newspaper, and Web hits reaching nearly 600 million people this year. Physical therapy also made news in national consumer magazines including Prevention, “O,” National Geographic Adventure, Men’s Journal, Woman’s World, Health, Better Homes and Gardens. Other media highlights:

uLaunched Head to Toe, an online tool for your patients that features in-depth and evidence-based information on 4,000 diseases and conditions.

uAPTA’s skiing and snowboarding tips featured in Newsweek and Associated Press;

uBusinessWeek published a letter to the editor regarding a story on medical guesswork;

uOsteoporosis prevention in USA Today;

uBack pain on National Public Radio;

uBike fitness on the abc-news.com online program “Couch Potatoes.”

uHosted a window display in New York’s Rockefeller Plaza about strength training to prevent bone loss.

uHosted a Webinar on proper bike fit by APTA member Erik Moen, PT, CSCS.

uPhysical therapy was named as one of PARADE Magazine’s “Hot Jobs for 2006 and Beyond” and one of the “2006 Best Careers” by The Wall Street Journal’s online publication, wsj.com’s “CareerJournal.com.”

Advancing Physical Therapy EducationuAwarded 2,015 physical therapists and physical therapist assistants the status of

Credentialed Clinical Instructor.

uAs of September, 78% of 210 accredited and developing physical therapist programs were approved to award the DPT professional degree.

uSurveys from 51 postprofessional transition DPT programs report that 9,147 licensed physical therapists have been or currently are enrolled in transitional programs and that 2,724 have graduated.

uIntroduced the Education Strategic Plan to inform and influence APTA’s efforts relating to Vision 2020.

Providing You With the Tools to Be The Best Possible PractitioneruHosted more than 10,000 attendees at APTA national conferences, including the Annual

Conference & Expostion, the Combined Sections Meeting, Preview 2020, and National Student Conclave.

uCredentialed 22 clinical residency programs in the following specialty areas: geriatric, neurologic, orthopedic, and sports physical therapy.

uHosted 14 Advanced Clinical Practice courses, which emphasize autonomous and evidence-based practice.

uCredentialed 17 clinical fellowships in the following subspecialty areas: hand, movement science, orthopedic manual, and Division 1 sports physical therapy.

More AccomplishmentsuAwarded $58,500 to 8 PT students, 1 PTA student, and 1 faculty member via the Minority

Scholarship Awards for Academic Excellence/Minority Faculty Development Award.

uWelcomed 802 new clinical specialists certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. To date, the number of board-certified clinical specialists stands at 6,745.

uRecognized 77 physical therapist assistants who received the Certificate of Advanced Proficiency for Physical Therapist Assistants.

uRecognized 9 members as Catherine Worthingham Fellows of the APTA and 28 members and 1 education program for accomplishments through Association awards.

uAwarded the Mary McMillan Scholarship to 9 PT students and 2 PTA students, for a total of $51,000 in scholarships.

uPromoted risk management awareness and competencies through liability awareness articles in PT Magazine, presentations at national conferences, and the provision of a risk management education track during Annual Conference.

APTA Facts & ActivitiesuMember Michael Hersey, PT, and Olympic Gold Medalist

Seth Westcott helped educate consumers about what physical therapy can do in For Your Health, APTA’s annual magazine now in its 6th year. More than 430,000 copies were distributed this year.

uNearly 500 physical therapy facilities have been recognized for achieving 100% membership through APTA’s Facility Challenge.

uMore than 6,000 APTA members already have signed up to become part of the national “Find a PT” database.

uMore than 467 members of APTA’s members participate in APTA’s Mentoring Members program.

Advancing Evidence-Based Practice With the Foundation for Physical TherapyuAwarded four $40,000, 1–year, research

grants for a total of 26 grants of more than $1 million to investigators at 18 institu-tions since 1998. Research topics include: low back pain, geriatrics, work-related and knee injury, pediatrics, chronic heart failure, iontophoresis, strengthening exercises, and stroke.

uFunded more than 500 physical therapists who continue their research careers with funding from large agencies to develop promising rehabilitation interventions. This year, three Foundation funding recipients launched the largest rehabilita-tion trial grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a 5-year, $13.5

million project titled Locomotor Experi-ence Applied Post Stroke (LEAPS).

uContinued to build the Foundation’s financial strength and long-term stability:

• Total assets remain over $3 million and have increased more than $2.3 million since 1998.

• The asset ratio is strong at 6:1 (current assets/current liabilities) compared with the industry standard of a 2:1 ratio.

• Fund portfolio grew to $3.1 million.

APTA CONNECT, a point-of-care, computerized patient record system designed specifically for physical therapists, will become the basis for the APTA National Outcomes Database. APTA CONNECT was developed with Cedaron Medical, Inc.

Hooked on Evidence now provides clinical scenarios so that you have rapid access to clinically relevant evidence for enhancement of clinical decision making.

APTA continues its efforts to advance the physical therapy profession so that you can focus on the reason you chose a career in physical therapy...your patients.

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Thumbs Up for APTA’s Most Popular Feature Release YetIn August, APTA created a nationwide buzz with “BlackBerry Thumb Caus-ing Digital Distress In and Out of the Workplace.” “BlackBerry Thumb” was listed as one of the “Today’s Pick”

articles on www.msn.com, a search engine that garners more than 20 million daily hits. It also was in USA Today and was mentioned on “The Weekend Today Show.” The Associated Press ran a story that went to 15,000 news outlets in more than 120 nations. “BlackBerry Thumb,” also was featured in the Medical Libraries Listserv of the Medical Library Association (3,600 readers).

Reached 250

million people

A m e r i c a n P h y s i c a l T h e r a p y A s s o c i a t i o n

2006 Year in Review

Where Do Your Dues Dollars Go?

12¢

11¢25¢

21¢18¢

13¢

Education/Research & Professional Development Supporting Services

Annual Conference & Combined Sections Meeting

AdministrationPublic RelationsMarketingMembership ServicesBoard of Directors/ House of Delegates

PeriodicalsPhysical TherapyPT MagazinePT Bulletin Online

Professional Services & Government AffairsReimbursement Specialist CertificationGovernment AffairsMinority & International Affairs

2006 Expenses

Experience the Newest Benefits Of Membership

Getting the Word OutAPTA launched a new multimedia ad campaign that APTA members can use to promote their practices. The ad campaign features television, radio, and print ads to run in your local media. Be sure to take ad-vantage of this “members only” benefit to promote your facility and the value of physical therapy to health care consumers.

www.apta.org

Newest Benefits

uOpen Door, APTA’s portal to evidence-based practice: Gain free access to full-text articles in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and full-text articles in more than 1,000 health care journals.

uPhysical Therapy (PTJ) moved to its new Web site powered by HighWire Press, which hosts more than 900 journals and the largest repository of free, full-text, peer-reviewed content, including BMJ and JAMA.

uOnline tools assess your professionalism.

uPTA Viewpoint, a monthly column, which debuted in PT Magazine.

u“Bike Right, Bike Fit!” a companion piece to the 2006 National Physical Therapy Month- featured activity, which quickly became a bestseller!

uSpanish for Physical Therapists, a home-study professional development course, designed to facilitate communication between physical therapists and their patients, clients, and families.

u Build Your Career, a social and networking event, designed especially for APTA’s New Professionals.

u Be a lifelong member of APTA...renew annually!

u Get involved in your chapter and section(s).

u Network with colleagues.u Become a physical therapy advocate.u Join one or more of APTA’s 18

specialty sections.u Be a lifelong learner.

u Recruit new members.u Become a mentor.u Support the Foundation

for Physical Therapy.u Support PT-PAC.u Join PTeam.u Share your ideas and voice

by serving on a committee.

How Can You Make a Difference?

Questions?

Through your membership,

you have helped APTA realize

great accomplishments that

bring us closer to making our

high-quality services more

accessible to all patients

and health care consumers

and creating a better and

more prosperous

practice environment.

Contact the American Physical Therapy Association at 800/999-2782 or visit www.apta.org.

1111 North Fairfax StreetAlexandria, VA 22314-1488

800/999-2782 • www.apta.org

Thank you for supporting the American Physical Therapy Association!

Renew Your Membership Annually! To renew, contact APTA’s Membership Services Department at 800/999-2782, ext 3124, or visit www.apta.org. Be sure to ask about APTA’s Installment Dues payment plan. (Please have your MasterCard, Visa, or American Express card ready.)

Be a Lifelong Member!

Looking Back at APTA’s Long History of SuccessesImagine where the physical therapy profession would be without APTA!

2005u Achieved significant improvements in Medicare outpatient

therapy manual policies, including ensuring that only qualified personnel deliver services under the “incident to” rule and eliminating requirements for physician visits or orders prior to initiating treatment.

u Worked with Congress and the Medicare program to identify alternatives that would prevent implementation of the Medicare therapy cap, while urging legislators to pass a bill repealing the cap.

u Continued to fight for adequate Medicare payment for physi-cal therapist services, including efforts to correct the flawed Medicare fee schedule formula and avert a scheduled 4.4% reduction in 2006 fees.

u Supported the South Carolina Chapter in a landmark case to prevent physicians from employing physical therapists in practices structured to allow doctors to profit from referring patients, and continued to develop resources and strategies to help physical therapists fight anti-competitive practices.

2004u Built support in Congress for Medicare Patient Access to

Physical Therapists Act.

u Fought for adequate Medicare payment for physical therapy services, securing a 1.5% increase in 2004 payment and preventing a scheduled 4.5% cut.

u Launched Find a PT.

2003u Obtained a 3.6% increase in Medicare payments (rather than

a 4% scheduled decrease) due to efforts to correct flaws in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. APTA’s efforts to improve the accuracy of practice expense values resulted in a 2003 increase that was 2% higher than that for other Medicare providers paid under the fee schedule.

u Defended the scope of practice for orthotics and prosthetics services by physical therapists during the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Negotiated Rule-making.

u Developed and adopted Professionalism in Physical Therapy: Core Values.

2002 u Advocated to increase the practice expense component in the

Physician Fee Schedule, resulting in $23.5 million more in reimbursement to physical therapists in 2002.

u Achieved Medicare coverage for biofeedback and electrical stimulation for the treatment of urinary incontinence.

u Released the Interactive Guide to Physical Therapist Practice with the Catalog of Tests and Measures CD.

u Changed the scope of the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education to include only PT programs at the post-baccalaureate degree level and PTA programs at the associate degree level.