PT Talker

Ever wonder what apps other physical therapists are using to enhance patient outcomes or to stay organized? Today’s guest, Mai Ling Chan, M.S. CCC-SLP, CEO of Yappguru.com has launched an app review site designed to bring therapists together to share details about the physical therapy apps they use. Yapp Guru is a non-biased platform that provides real reviews by therapists. The site is currently looking for physical therapists willing to share reviews and details about the apps they use to currently make their job more efficient or help patients out.  In exchange for sharing your expert opinion, physical therapists can earn the title of “Savvy Guru” as well as links back to any app reviews on your blog or site. Learn more about Yappguru by listening to the full podcast now.

Currently, Indiana patients wanting to seek physical therapy are required to obtain a prescription or referral from a physician.  Beginning July 1, 2013 individuals in Indiana can seek direct access to a physical therapist without a referral.  One of the individuals involved with making this change a reality, President of the Indiana chapter of the APTA, Shane Sommers PT, MS, OCS, CSCS recently joined PT Talker to share details about the direct access legislation. Indiana is the last state to allow patient’s direct access to physical therapy without a referral.  Direct access allows patients quicker access to care and should help reduce costs. Sommers sees  the future of physical therapy to be more outcome focused and eventually moving more to a model where physical therapists are paid for outcomes instead of per visit. Listen to the full podcast to learn more about direct access efforts and the future outlook for physical therapy.

Physicians are often one of the top sources physical therapists rely on for referrals.  However, they don’t have to be. Today’s expert joins us for a second time, Jarod Carter, PT, DPT, MTC owns cash-based physical therapy clinic, Carter Physiotherapy . He shares some of the secrets to obtaining non-physician referrals. Author of the book My Cash-Based Practice, Dr. Carter has successfully implemented a cash-based practice.  He also finds word of mouth from his own patients as one of the leading sources for referrals.  Followed only by athletic trainers, massage therapists, personal trainers and other heathland wellness professionals. Learn how you can tap into these resources to grow your practice by listening to the full podcast now.

In the United States, 250,000 Americans have a spinal cord injury. Today’s expert shares the results of a study that found activity-based rehabilitative strategies can play an important role in promoting physical integrity and functional recovery, even when implemented years after an injury. John W. McDonald,M.D., Ph.D.is the Director of the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury and senior author the study. The study, Lower Extremity Functional Electrical Stimulation Cycling Promotes Physical & Neurological Recovery In Chronic Spinal Cord Injury, was recently published in the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. The research revealed that long-term lower extremity functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling, as part of a rehabilitation regimen, was linked to substantial improvements in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Prior to this study, exercise was not typically advocated for individuals with a spinal cord injury.   To learn more about this exciting new research and the benefits it provides patients with spinal cord injuries, listen to the full podcast now.

Some physical therapists not only meet the needs of their patients but also work for the greater good of the profession.  One of those physical therapists is today’s guest.  Paul Gaspar, PT, DPT, CCS, Owner of Gaspar Doctors of Physical Therapy and President of Independent Physical Therapists of California recently discussed legislative issues with PT Talker. The Independent Physical Therapists of California is very similar to the CPTA.  The group knows actions speak louder than words. They are very proactive and defend the profession rigorously. Most recent efforts include stopping bill SB381 which prohibits physical therapists from doing joint or spinal manipulation. As Gaspar predicted, the bill (SB 381) was defeated earlier this week. Learn more about legislative efforts underway in California and their overall impact on physical therapy by listening to the full podcast.

The APTA has been working on a plan to reform payment for outpatient physical therapy services to enhance quality of care, recognize and promote clinical judgment and communicate the value of physical therapy services. To achieve these goals, the APTA has developed a proposed payment model for outpatient services.  The alternative payment system (APS) is now known as the physical therapy classification and payment system (PTCPS). The Senior Director of Payment and Practice Management at the APTA, Carmen Elliott, MS, recently joined PT Talker to share details about PTCPS. The PTCPS will move physical therapy from a procedure based payment system to a per session payment system. The new payment system is based on two concepts. One is the severity of a patient’s condition at the start of care. The second is the intensity of the physical therapy service provided. The current proposal has 3 levels of evaluation and 9 levels of intervention codes to use for patient classification. Learn more about the timeline for PTCPS and how it will impact your practice by listening to the full podcast now.

Uncertainty remains a part of today’s health care climate. Today’s guest is doing his part to make sure physical therapy remains top of mind for members of his community and nationwide. Dr. Michael Nula is a Physical Therapist and Owner of Elite Physical Therapy in Rhode Island. Elite Physical Therapy was voted “Best Physical Therapy Practice” in the country by Advance Magazine in 2009. Instead of waiting for change to happen, Nula became an advocate for physical therapy. He worked with the APTA to arrange a visit from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse to his clinic earlier in the year. He shared his views on the importance of direct access and the current Medicare issues and how they impact physical therapy and rehabilitation services.  Listen to the full podcast now to learn more and how you can get involved now to have a positive impact on the future of health care.  

Patients sometimes need a friendly reminder to do their prescribed home exercises and a gentle nudge to change their behavior.  Today’s expert offers a solution to help patients make exercise a part of their daily routine.  James Lomuscio is the co-founder of DropKicker, a HEP compliance tool for physical therapy patients The DropKicker system allows physical therapists to monitor their patients HEP compliance, send feedback via text, and reconnect with former patients to schedule tune-up visits. For the patient, DropKicker is a low barrier way to connect with their physical therapist and a friendly reminder system. The application is currently in Beta Testing.  If you’re interested in being a part of their Beta Testing, visit their site.  Listen to the full podcast to learn more. now.

One of the biggest trends in healthcare is the consolidation for care. Hospital and physician-owned physical therapy practices are on the rise. To discuss how the market is changing and how you can combat these changes is Tannus Quatre, PT, of Vantage Clinical Solutions. He consults and advises physical therapists who own their own physical therapy clinics across the country and shares his outlook for physical therapy with PT Talker. As the market changes, consumers are responsible for more of their cost of care.  As their out of pocket costs rise, consumers are also becoming savvy. Quatre sees a private practitioner as a pure form of healthcare. A way to provide care the way it was intended to be provided. In essence offering consumers the best care they can get at a cost they can afford. The fact consumers are paying more attention provides physical therapists with an opportunity to educate consumers and drive business to their clinic. He also believes that physical therapists need to work together at a national and local level to build awareness in the market to help consumers fully understand that they have a choice on where they go for care.  Learn more about his outlook for private practice physical therapy by listening to the full podcast now.

Business News and Ideas for Physical Therapists.

According to a study recently published by The Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of total knee replacement surgeries have increased by 165% over the last 20 years and could reach  nearly 3.5 million total knee replacement procedures a year by 2030. To discuss the impact of knee replacement surgeries on physical therapy, Joseph Zeni, PT, PhD, Assistant Professor at the University of Delware recently joined PT Talker. The reason behind the growth is the aging population and people wanting to stay active longer.   Zeni has been involved in a number of studies that examine outcomes after knee replacement. One study found individuals with total knee replacement had weight gain following knee replacement.  Another study looked closely at outcomes after knee replacement and found that despite knee replacement, many individuals continued to be sedentary.  He sees a greater need for educating patients following their operation and believes physical therapists can play a bigger role in this area. Take a moment to listen to the full podcast now and to find some of the studies discussed in the podcast, click here.

One of the challenges physical therapists face is often times patients don’t realize that they have the right to choose the physical therapists they see. To combat this, the Sports and Physical Therapy Center in Eureka, Missouri, launched an educational campaign: “It’s Your Choice.” Joining us today is the expert behind the campaign, Sean Quinn, Physical Therapist and Owner of  Sports and Physical Therapy Center. Missouri is not a direct access state and POTS are illegal.  But more hospitals are offering physical therapy services.  The campaign is designed to let patients know they have a choice on where they get physical therapy services and at the same time educate patients about the value of physical therapy.  Early response to the campaign has been positive. The clinic has seen an increase in screenings and found that their community has a greater understanding of the benefits of physical therapy. The Sports and Physical Therapy Center is also a member of Rehab1 Network, a network of 19 facilities that provide outpatient rehabilitation to referred patients throughout the metropolitan St. Louis area with a home health agency specializing in orthopedic care. To learn more about the “It’s Your Choice” campaign, listen to the full podcast now.

Interactive gaming systems have been shown to offer rehabilitative benefits to patients. This week’s experts, Spencer Hutchins, Co-Founder and CEO and Anang Chokshi, Lead PT of Reflexion Health, Inc., recently took a moment to speak with us at APTA CSM. They shared details about how their software works with Microsoft’s Kinect system to help patients correctly complete prescribed exercise and offer physical therapists a tool for tracking and measuring a patient’s progress. The prescription-based software uses a camera with the Microsoft Kinect system so the clinician can actually see patients doing their exercises at home.  The data collected gives physical therapists some feedback and information to help physical therapists provide additional guidance and help to patients. Learn more by listening to the full podcast now.

Social media offers the perfect platform for physical therapists to stay informed, engage with peers, discover the latest physical therapy news and share the benefits of physical therapy. This week’s expert does exactly that. You may know her as @SnippetPhysTher on Twitter. In this informative podcast, Selena Horner, PT, MS, GCS, ATC shares how social media can benefit your practice.  She’s also a regular blogger on Evidence in Motion and owner Red Cedar Physical Therapy. Selena first turned to social media as a medium to share information and bounce ideas off other physical therapists. She uses social networks to share content that she thinks will benefit others. Before jumping into social media, Selena recommends first understanding what you want to use social media for. Listen to the full podcast now to discover the tools she uses to maximize social media to share information and connect with other physical therapists.

In the second of two podcasts focused on providing work injury solutions, Larry D. Briand, MS, PT, ATC, Founder & CEO of Rehab Management Solutions and Connie Ziccarelli, Principal and Chief Operations Officer share the benefits of industrial rehab. The United States Department of Labor estimates that employers pay almost $1 billion per week for direct workers’ compensation costs. A work injury program can help reduce those costs. The Rehab Management Solutions injury prevention program saved a corporate client over $670,000 in a six year period. In the injury screening program, they did over 285 screens at one employer and 95% were resolved without the need for additional care.  The benefits to employers extend beyond cost. The key to success behind a work rehab program is to keep employers in the communication loop.  Get the buy-in from the employer and case managers early and physical therapists need to provide ongoing updates to the employer and case manager. Ziccarelli believes it is truly a partnership between the employer, employee, case manager and the clinician. Learn more about the benefits of industrial rehab for employers and employees alike by listening to the full podcast now.