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.APTA-South Carolina News
Federal Affairs Update
Support PTAs: Contact Your Representative Today about the SMART Act and Protect Access to Care
Payment for services under Medicare Part B when provided by physical therapist assistants (as well as by occupational therapy assistants) were reduced by 15% as of Jan. 1. These cuts are a threat to physical therapist assistants and may leave many older adults — especially those in underserved and rural areas — with less access to care. Now is not the time to cut therapy services provided by a PTA, given the other multiple cuts under Medicare and the current public health emergency.
On Oct. 8, 2021, Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., and Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., introduced H.R. 5536, the Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy Act, or SMART Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives. This APTA-supported bipartisan legislation is aimed at protecting beneficiary access to therapy services by mitigating the impact of the 15% payment differential for services furnished by a PTA under Medicare Part B.
The legislation would suspend the PTA payment differential until Jan. 1, 2023, and exempt rural and underserved areas indefinitely. The proposed legislation would also institute a change long-advocated by APTA: allowing for general supervision of PTAs by physical therapists in outpatient settings (where allowed by state law) under Medicare Part B. Medicare currently allows for general supervision of PTA in all other settings; outpatient practice under Part B requires direct supervision.
Along with APTA, the legislation has been endorsed by 17 provider and patient groups who expressed their support in a sign-on letter. .
Take action now and send an email to your U.S. House member asking them to cosponsor H.R. 5536 and push for the legislation to be added to the next Continuing Resolution that Congress must pass by mid-March.
Coalition Letter on HR 5536
APTA Action Center
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2022 APTA South Carolina Annual Conference Membership Meeting Information, Proposed Bylaws & Notice
Official Notice for APTA South Carolina Business
Meeting: https://multibriefs.com/briefs/scapta/membermeeting.pdf
This meeting will be in person and virtual. Please completed registration accordingly. (Indicate if you will be in person or will log on virtually)
Proposed Bylaw Amendments:
The APTA-South Carolina Board of Directors is proposing several amendments to the APTA-South Carolina Bylaws.
After significant consideration and feedback from both current and previous members of the Board and Delegates, the changes propose changing the length of term for the positions of Director on the Board of Directors, Chief Delegate and Delegate. Additionally, the amendments propose changing the term limits for the positions of Chief Delegate and Delegate.
The last amendment proposes adding language to the Bylaws that would allow the APTA-South Carolina Board of Directors to offer discounts or other incentives as a means to promote membership. This language, for example, would allow the Chapter to participate in Early Career Dues without significant language changes to the Bylaws that would have to be voted on by the Membership. It would additionally allow for future changes that would only benefit members.
See Bylaw Proposal here: https://multibriefs.com/briefs/scapta/proposedbylaw.pdf
2021 Business Meeting Minutes: https://multibriefs.com/briefs/scapta/meetingagenda.pdf
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A unique opportunity — Share Your Nest -—A new home-share program for therapy students
"Share Your Nest" was created in December 2021. It is a nonprofit organization that connects therapy students with local hosts, where the student could stay with free or reduced rent, while out of town on their clinical experiences. The intention is to create a unique way to alleviate the costs of completing therapy education and to encourage more students from diverse backgrounds to pursue a career in the healthcare field.
While much of the population wants to support students, most individuals cannot afford to pay significant amounts to a scholarship fund that would make a meaningful difference to a single student. But many people may have an extra bedroom in their home that they would be willing to temporarily share. This creative solution would enable more current therapists to support future students by being a host, and would help the students cut down significantly on ancillary graduate school costs. Our first student completed his 10-week clinical experience with a Share Your Nest host in December 2021, and ended up saving over $2600 in rent that he would have had to pay during his clinical out of town.
I am hopeful that this new program will continue to support more and more students and foster relationships between hosts and new therapy professionals, to help make a meaningful difference in their education as well as bank accounts.
For more information, please visit http://www.shareyournest2021.org
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Time to Write Legislators and Press for the Payment Cut Fix
Bipartisan legislation is in the U.S. House of Representatives that would prevent cuts to the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and another bill in the House would address the PTA payment differential set to begin in January. Now that Congress is back in session, we're calling on the entire profession, patients, and supporters to use the APTA Patient Action Center to send a message to lawmakers that they can't ignore.
The fee schedule-related legislation, known as the Supporting Medicare Providers Act (H.R. 6020), would essentially offset the cuts planned by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid by providing additional funding to the fee schedule's conversion factor through the end of 2022. Reps. Ami Bera, D-Calif., and Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., introduced the bill.
That's not the only positive development on Capitol Hill: The bipartisan Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy Act, or SMART Act (H.R. 5536), introduced in the House in October would delay implementation of the 15% Medicare PTA payment differential until Jan. 1, 2023, provide an exemption to the differential for rural and underserved areas, and allow for general supervision of PTAs in outpatient settings. The SMART Act was introduced by Reps. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., and Jason Smith, R-Mo.
Take Action Now
Now's the critical time to let lawmakers know how important it is for Congress to act on both pieces of legislation. Here's how.
First, start sending letters this week. Delivering a strong, unified, and coordinated message is key — and timing is everything. Use the APTA Patient Action Center to send emails to your legislators in both the Senate and House to urge them to cosponsor H.R. 6020 and H.R. 5366 (APTA makes it easy to send multiple communications in a matter of minutes). And be sure to tell co-workers, patients, and other supporters to do the same — everyone can use our Patient Action Center.
Next, get connected with APTA (and be ready to act). It's hard to predict if, when, and how Congress will address the cuts, so we need to be ready to take further action on a moment's notice. The best way to do that? Sign up for the APTA Advocacy Network, a free service that sends you special legislative updates and action alerts so you're up to speed and ready to roll.
"We have great opportunity to change the 2022 payment landscape under Medicare," said Laura Keivel, APTA grassroots and political affairs specialist. "Our members and supporters have done an amazing job of advocacy throughout the year that has helped us get to this point — now it's time to bring it all home."
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.INDUSTRY NEWS
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APTA Centennial Scholars Spotlight
APTA
APTA's Centennial Scholars Program supports our quest for a diverse and prepared leadership pool and is an investment in the sustainability of the association as it begins its next 100 years. The scholars designed and completed capstone projects that address a need identified by their sponsor. APTA Magazine is spotlighting many of these capstone projects in each issue during 2022.
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Double-team injuries with massage and physical therapy to accelerate healing
Thurston Talk
If you've ever injured a joint, you know that the recovery process is a whole-body affair. The muscles around the wound tighten, the opposing joint takes on extra duties and pain makes us tense up. Physical therapy sessions are essential but for those who want to accelerate their healing, adding massage to the mix can be a game-changer, according to Jennifer Penrose, owner of Penrose & Associates Physical Therapy. "Bringing in massage therapy gets people moving better, faster," says Penrose. "There are definite medical benefits."
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FAQ: Organize to optimize: Front office efficiencies to improve patient outcomes and boost clinic revenue
WebPT
Your front office probably has some room for improvement. We don't mean that in the finger-wagging "you brought home a bad report card" kind of way — rather we believe that most clinics have opportunities to better cater to the patient experience (and reduce staff burden to boot). So, in an effort to help you build the best front office operations physically possible, WebPT hosts Heidi Jannenga, PT, DPT, ATC, and Brian Kunich, PT, joined forces to host an hour-long webinar that was packed to the brim with actionable insights about the front office environment.
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Getting motivated to move
Physical Therapy Products
Rosemary Peng writes: Three years ago, I wrote an article about the increasing sedentary lifestyle around the globe and its effects on public health. I never would have predicted that a global pandemic would occur in my lifetime, let alone that it would last for 2 years. Yet here we are, entering the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic with continuing effects on public health as seen through social, emotional and physical lenses. It seems like a good time to revisit this topic with added importance because of the 2-year health and safety restrictions imposed to prevent deaths from COVID-19-related illness.
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Physical therapy is an important component of postpartum care in the fourth trimester
Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal
The objectives of this perspective paper are to educate physical therapists on their important role in assessing and treating common pregnancy- and delivery-related health conditions, and to advocate for their routine inclusion in postpartum care during the fourth trimester. Pelvic floor dysfunction and diastasis recti abdominis are two examples of musculoskeletal disorders associated with pregnancy and childbirth that can have negative physical, social and psychological consequences.
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Physical therapy student stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study
Physical Therapy Education
According to research studies and surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of stress, depression, and anxiety have increased with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially true for young adults and has the potential to affect students' learning outcomes and long-term well-being.
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Putting imaging into focus
APTA
Every physical therapist has a story about "that patient" — the one who made an appointment for whatever they thought their condition was only to learn that wasn't their problem. For Aaron Keil, PT, DPT, the case that came to mind in a recent discussion about diagnostic imaging was a man who had undergone surgery on his foot.
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Using fundamental interventions to address social determinants of health
APTA
During the pandemic, the alarming health inadequacies influenced by social factors came into focus in all areas of health care, and social determinants of health, already an area of concentration for many in the health care community — physical therapists included — reappeared at the forefront.
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