Stop the Merry Go Round- Direct Access Please!

The Problem: Timely access and provider choice for patients in the UK who need care for musculoskeletal complaints but have to wait months to get an appointment with a General Practitioner (so they can then be referred to a Physio). 

The Solution: Direct access to services provided by a physical therapist 

The Result: Swift, effective care for people of all socioeconomic classes with musculoskeletal disorders leading to reduced work absenteeism, reduced direct costs, and increased patient satisfaction (per the published govt. report commented on in this article). Oh yea, also employment for the 1,800 physiotherapists who have graduate since 2005 and want to treat patients but who cannot find work. 

One quarter of all consults from General Practitioners in the UK are for patients with neck and back pain complaints alone. What are they able to offer these patients?   Hmmm, it appears the "You have Drugs, Surgery, or Us" option applies internationally.it certainly does in this case. 

The Department of Health is calling on the leaders of the NHS to allow direct access. The APTA and its membership has been doing the same for some time now. Excuse me legislators and key health care decision makers: This is not rocket science- what's not to get? 

Round and round and round we go, when will this madness (Medical visit ------ Consult ----------PT) stop nobody knows. However, one thing we do know, and that is that it won't stop until our patients have the option and ensuing benefits of real (ie. unfettered and reimbursed) Direct Access.

 

Rob

Conference Hotel Reservations

Hello everyone,

I am trying to get all my travel plans made for the AAOMPT conference, and I was wondering if there are any guys out there that would be interested in sharing a room. I will be arriving on Thurs Oct 30 at 10 pm, leaving Nov 2 early and I haven't made hotel reservations yet (pending response to this e-mail). If anyone is interested please e-mail me or give me a call at 337-302-7253 (i tend not to answer my phone during the day but I will get back to you if you leave a message).

Thanks,
Stephen W Brittain, SPT
VP AAOMPT sSIG

Cricket and PT - Branding Woes

This blog was posted on myphysicaltherapyspace.com on September 26th

After a recent conversation I realize that there is an analogy that for me shows how it feels trying to communicate what PT is without a success brand:

Imagine going your friends, family and business contacts and try to get them to buy tickets to a Cricket game. They have heard of it, have their own idea of what it is but, if pressed, have no idea of the reality of the game. They would make comments like: isn’t that like Baseball? (Same as – isn’t that like a massage therapist or a personal trainer?), Don’t know if I’d like it. (Same as I don’t think it will help my condition), Never been to a Cricket Game before so I don’t think I want to take the time. (Same as never been to PT and so why would I take the time if I am not sure what it is, or I can exercise on my own?) What are the rules of the game? (Same as – I didn’t know that you could treat that, or I didn’t know you could do manipulation…), and they wouldn’t think to ask who is playing because one team is just like the rest given their perspective (they go where the MD tells them to with go or an MD just sends them to the closest PT).

PT is like Cricket because we have no Brand in this country, the public has heard of us but has no true understanding of what we do. I fear that our existence (with diminished benefits, higher co-pays and a state of significant undervalue in the market place) is truly at risk. Do the powers to be at the APTA understand what Cricket really is? If not then they have an opportunity to understand how the vast majority of the public, many physicians and almost all payors perceive PT.

Been to a Cricket game lately??? - Jeff

National Student Conclave

October 17-19, 2008
Fairmont Hotel
170 S. Market Street
San Jose, California 95113

Registration Costs
Student APTA member - before event $99/ at event $159
Student non-APTA member - before event $130/ at event $190
*to get the 'before event' price, it must be made by Oct 3, 2008
Cancellation policy - in writting to APTA before Oct 3 for a full refund

Fairmont Hotel - 800-346-5550 for reservations (mention APTA 

NSC to get the discount)
Single room - $129/night (probably 2 in a room)
Double room - $139/night (up to 4 in a room)
*Deadline for hotel reservations is Sept. 19, 2008

There is one "Social Event" for Friday Night that has an additional cost
of you want to participate. It is the PT-PAC Late Night Party at the
Tiki Lounge. It's an additional $10/person. AAOMPT will also have a
social event, but it's not official/sanctioned by the NSC and will
probably be a cash bar somewhere on the hotel property. 

Manipulation Legislative Battles, Advocacy and Practice Protection

When:      October 30, 2008  1-6pm; followed by a reception with legislators 

Who:        William Boissonnault, Steve McDavitt, Ken Olson, Melissa Johnson
Where:     Bell Harbor International Conference Center, Seattle
                American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Therapists

How:          www.letsmeet.net/forms/aaompt/aaomptReg.aspx

Calling all Washington State Physical Therapists to seize this critical opportunity to learn about and support our legislative effort to erase language prohibiting spinal manipulation in our state!  Register now www.letsmeet.net/forms/aaompt/aaomptReg.aspx  and attend this landmark occasion with national leaders of our profession coming to Seattle to support our efforts.

-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FOR PAIN LEADING TO ALARMING RISE IN DEATHS
Physical Therapy an Alternative to the High Risks of Methadone
Tallahassee, Florida, August 18, 2008 – A recent investigative report1 published in the New York Times highlights the alarming increase in methadone prescriptions for the treatment of chronic spinal pain. The result has been a shocking increase in methadone related deaths. Physical therapists can play a role in providing patients and physicians with an alternative to dangerous pain medications like oxycodone and methadone. Methadone was once limited to use in addiction treatment centers to replace heroin, but today it is frequently given out by physicians to manage spine and joint pain. The Drug Enforcement Administration noted that from 1998 to 2006, the number of methadone prescriptions increased by 700 percent. “Many legitimate patients, following the direction of their doctor, have run into trouble with methadone, including death,” noted pain specialist Dr. Howard A. Heit from Georgetown University. Florida alone, which keeps detailed data, listed methadone as a cause in 785 deaths in 2007, up from 367 in 2003. “These are senseless deaths,” said Dr. Timothy Flynn of Regis University in Denver, CO, and President of the
American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT). “Patients should be aware that these medications are not the best option to reduce the symptoms of spinal pain. Research has shown that early movement and treatments like exercise and spinal manipulation offer strong benefits to spine pain and disability.” “The medical management of spinal pain in this country is a failure,” continued Flynn, “we too often initiate prescription drug therapy before choosing safe and effective alternatives.” Flynn suggests that patients seek out physical therapists as a first-line treatment for these conditions.

A February 2008 report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that from 1997 to 2005, pharmaceutical expenditures for the management of low back pain increased by 171% while the rate of good outcomes fell. "All the imaging we do, all the drug treatments, all the injections, all the operations have some benefit for some patients,” said Richard A. Deyo, a physician at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and a coauthor of the report. “But I think in each of those situations we've begun using those tests or treatments more widely than science would really support." For more on the benefits physical therapists can provide in the management of spinal pain, contact your nearest physical therapist or visit the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists website at www.aaompt.org. AAOMPT represents physical therapists by promoting excellence in orthopaedic manual physical therapy practice, education and research.

Dr. Richard Deyo, MD, MPH will be the key note speaker at AAOMPT’s Annual Conference in Seattle this November. The conference theme will focus on pain management and physical therapists’ role in this important area of care.

CONTACT: Timothy Flynn, PT, PhD
President, American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists
Phone: 303-964-5137
tflynn@regis.edu
www.aaompt.org

President Signs Bill Extending Student Loan Aid to PTs

On July 31, Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation to expand an
existing program under the Department of Education that will provide
eligibility for student loan repayment for physical therapists that
practice with children, adolescents, or veterans. This provision was
part of a comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
Reauthorization is the process by which Congress prescribes changes,
additions, and deletions to meet evolving needs of current programs
(such as education). The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HR 4137) also
includes extensive provisions that impact student loans, accreditation
of physical therapy education programs, and other programs for
universities and graduate schools. This legislation was signed by the
President today.

Please note - application for loan repayment is not yet available. The
Department of Education will issue regulations that will provide
physical therapists with the eligibility to apply and compete for
student loan repayment up to $2,000 per year for up to 5 years. The
legislation specifies that the physical therapist must practice in an
identified area of need and with children, adolescents, or veterans.
This will be a competitive process with a number of other professionals
eligible for this program. This is one step in APTA's comprehensive
legislative agenda to provide physical therapists with student loan
repayment opportunities and separate from the Physical Therapists
Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act (HR 1134 / S. 2485), which would
provide student loan repayment for service in the National Health
Service Corp.

This was a significant legislative victory for APTA and its advocates.
In early 2007, APTA worked with the US House Committee on Education and
Labor to add physical therapists to this section of the legislation to
reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Congressman Joe Sestak (D-PA)
offered the addition of physical therapists to this section of HR 4137
on the floor of the US House, and this amendment passed on unanimous
consent. Representative Sestak represents suburban Philadelphia, a
district with a high number of physical therapist students and faculty
from education programs in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Representative
Sestak felt so strongly about the need for student loan repayment as a
tool for the recruitment and retention of physical therapists that he
highlighted the issue in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Senate did not include a specific listing of professions in its
version of the legislation, so APTA advocated for inclusion of the House
provision in the House-Senate conference report. In mid July, the final
conference agreement included the House provision.

Manipulation Legislative Battles, Advocacy, And Practice Protection

Thursday, October 30, 2008

1:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Pre Conference Workshop- Manipulation Legislative Battles, Advocacy, And Practice Protection

Cost: $35 donation to PAC for all PTs. FREE for students!!!

 

This special half-day Pre-Conference workshop is offered in support with the Physical

Therapy Association of Washington The special registration fee for this session will be

allocated as a PAC contribution to the Physical Therapy Association of Washington. Our

thanks to the presenters and to the Physical Therapy Association of Washington for bringing this important information to the AAOMPT registrants as well as the Physical Therapy community of Washington State as they face the challenge of addressing current legislation affecting our profession.

This pre-conference course will include three primary components. The first component will be include description of legislative strategies used by physical therapists over the past 20 years to defend the right to practice manipulation in the legislative and regulatory area. The second component will include the current legislative initiatives by the physical therapists in Washington State designed to restore the right to practice spinal manipulation in Washington State. Grassroots efforts and strategies to build relationships with legislators will be emphasized throughout the presentation. The third component of the presentation will include a panel discussion with opportunities for participant interaction to further educate on advocacy for physical therapy practice.

 

Session Objectives:

1. Discuss the legal and legislative implications of manipulation and how it impacts PT

practice.

2. Discuss legislative strategies used by the chiropractic profession

3. Discuss legislative strategies for protecting physical therapy scope of practice in manual therapy and manipulation

4. Provide the necessary tools and resources to empower physical therapists to become

advocates for protection of manipulation within physical therapy practice

5. Discuss WPTA initiatives to restore spinal manipulation

 

Presenters:

William Boissonnault, PT, DHSc, DPT, FAAOMPT

Associate Professor, Division of Physical Therapy

University of Wisconsin, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

 

Ken Olson, PT, DHSc, OCS, FAAOMPT

Northern Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Associates

 

Steve McDavitt, PT, DPT, MS, FAAOMPT

Saco Bay Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy

 

Melissa Johnson

Lobbyist, PTWA

My Experience at the 2008 APTA House of Delegates

Imagine an enormous room filled with more than 400 physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and students from around the nation. As you walk into this room for the first time, you can hear the music blaring, papers rustling, loud chatter, and ongoing debate, as the giant clock projected on the screen counts down and everyone scurries to take their seat. The stage is set for the APTA House of Delegates, the governing body of our profession. Over the next few days, the speaker of the house, with his witty humor, will direct over 200 voting members, selected by their state associations, along the legislative path. On this floor, they will debate, amend, postpone, withdraw, and refer on several motions brought forth by different components of APTA, until a vote is called and affirmed with either, a “Yay” or “Nay”.

 I remember the very moment I walked into the room for the first time; I was speechless. I thought to myself, WOW! This is where it all takes place, where leaders make the decisions as to the direction of our profession.  At this moment, my understanding of the purpose of APTA became very clear. I felt proud to be a member. I realized that APTA brings unity to our profession and without it we would not thrive and flourish as a whole.  This organization is well run by the top leaders in our profession who are dedicated to the advancement of all of our interests. So, for all of you who wonder where your dues money goes and why you pay so much to belong to one organization, I can assure you, it is all worth it. I have made it my duty and obligation as a future physical therapist to support my profession by being a member for life. I challenge you to do so as well.

Sincerely,

Brett Neilson

PTWA Student Liaison

Housing Wanted in Ballard/Seattle Area

Hi Everyone,
My name is Brad Defenbaugh and I am a PT student from St. Ambrose University. I have an 8 week clinical in Ballard at Advanced Manual Therapy and I was wondering if anyone had an extra room available from July 28th-Sept 19th. I would only need to stay in the room from Mon night-Thurs night because on weekends I will be staying with my brother in North Bend. If you have a room or know someone who does, email me at

defenbaughb13@gmail.com

Thank You for the hospitality.