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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

The APTA was very involved in the process and helped define how EHBs should be defined.

Along a similar front, Kaiser Health News recently reported Federal Government will be running new health insurance marketplaces in at least 26 states.

Want to learn more about how the Affordable Care Act and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) may impact physical therapy? Listen to our podcasts on the topic.

Source: National Cancer Institute, Rhonda Baer (photographer)

The side effects from cancer treatment can be debilitating. NPR recently featured Dr. Julie Silver and her own personal experience with the extreme fatigue, weakness and pain she experienced after cancer treatment.  Not satisfied with the options available to her, she started the STAR program – a program designed to provide cancer survivors with rehabilitation program.

We’ve also been fortunate to feature the STAR program on PT Talker. Wendy Price, PT, MS, owner of Healthcore Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio, and one of the first practices to implement the Oncology Rehab Partner’s STAR (Survivorship, Training and Rehab) Program shared details about the program on PT Talker.  If you missed the original podcast or if it’s been awhile since you listened to it, you can listen to the full podcast here.

New requirements for improving cancer care and providing better access to rehabilitation therapy were recently made available from The Commission on Cancer. Get the new standards here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In companies where on-site services are available, employers can reduce work comp costs by up to 75%. To share how one physical therapy group helps employees avoid injury and return to work quicker, Larry D. Briand, MS, PT, ATC, Founder & CEO of Rehab Management Solutions and Connie Ziccarelli, Principal and Chief Operations Officer recently joined PT Talker in two podcast interviews.

The first podcast in the series takes a look at how Rehab Management Solutions has developed a program to help industrial employers reduce injuries.  Their industrial rehab solutions parallel what they are doing for the sports community.  Physical therapists visit employers to provide basic screenings, evaluate injuries, complete assessments and ways to prevent injuries.  To learn more about implementing an industrial rehab program at your clinic, listen to the full podcast now.

The approach Martin advocates physical therapists use to generate referrals is to utilize a physician liaison instead of a marketing representative.  This service-based approach is focused on the needs of physicians and how the physical therapy clinic can be of service. Discover more about how this approach can help you gain referrals as well as details about the new Medicare cap by listening to the full podcast now.

His study focused on if  physical therapy directed exercise counseling and fitness center-based exercise training offered benefits to diabetic patients.  The results of the randomized clinical trial suggest exercise counseling provided by physical therapists that is combined with fitness center–based exercise training can improve muscular strength and exercise capacity in people with type 2 diabetes. The outcomes patients received are comparable to those participating in supervised exercise training. Learn more by listening to the full podcast now.

He believes being an elite athlete helps him treat runners better. People get hit with injuries in a number of ways and his expertise helps him identify an individual’s risk factors to help prevent injuries. He embraces a philosophy that includes teaching, treating and training to optimize performance.  Through his website and blog, he aims to provide good quality information so patients can learn how to best care for themselves while achieving their fitness goals.

Learn how his niche practice continues to be successful by listening to the full podcast now.

The small sample size of the study allows researchers to only draw limited conclusions. But early findings indicate yoga in a group environment serves as an affordable and effective way to help chronic stroke survivors improve motor function, balance and quality of life.  Learn more about the pilot study and by listening to the full podcast.