Physical Therapy Diagnosis

Psst! Want a HOT tip? Form your own Physical Therapist Association...

2012-01-25T16:59:00.001-05:00

All kidding aside, newly formed physical therapist associations seem to be a growth industry lately. Full disclosure, I am on the Board of Directors of the Florida Physical Therapists in Private Practice (FLPTPP). However, I do not belong to any of the following: Physical Therapy Business Alliance (PTBA) Physical Therapy Alliance of Upstate New York (PTAUNY) New Jersey Society of

Florida Temporary Licensure - From a Ripple to a Wave

2012-01-23T16:01:00.001-05:00

I got my first real taste of the less glorious side of politics when I spent 2009 and 2010 passing out flyers, attending fundraisers, and throwing candy for Chad Hays, my step father, now State Representative for the 104th district in Illinois. Fast forward to January 16th, 2012—myself, some close peers, and colleagues in Physical Therapy are attending the Advocacy Forum put on by the Florida

Why Politics Is Important to Physical Therapists

2012-01-21T11:43:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Eric Chaconas, DPT of the Florida Government Affairs Committee and and Scott Harp, PhD Vice President of the Florida Physical Therapy Association for hitting their attendance goals for the 2012 Florida State Advocacy Training program in Tallahassee on January 16 and 17, 2012. Thirty five physical therapists and physical therapist assistants attended and the 2012 Advocacy Day

Value-based Healthcare Does NOT Reduce Medicare Spending

2012-01-20T08:26:00.002-05:00

The blog of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced yesterday that 30 years of Medicare demonstration projects have failed to show Medicare how to reduce healthcare spending in a Fee-for-Service environment. The Issue Brief from the CBO describes two thirty-year initiatives: "Disease management and care coordination demonstrations have sought to improve the quality of care of

Prevent Internet Censorship

2012-01-18T09:35:00.000-05:00

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) centralizes the power to regulate the Internet in contents creators: essentially large corporations, like Sony Music and the Disney Corporation, among others. Join the virtual strike against Internet censorship – along with others like Wikipedia and Google – to raise awareness of US Congress legislation that could fundamentally alter the Internet we know and

New Book on Clinical Decision Support in Physical Therapy

2012-01-13T04:34:00.001-05:00

The new book is finally done! Bulletproof Expert Systems began in 2006 when myself and six other physical therapists and physical therapist assistants attempted to standardize our clinical documentation. From those early beginnings, in a series of workbooks, clinical manuals and in-services and, finally, seminars - this book was born. Bulletproof Expert Systems: Clinical Decision

Do We Need Physical Therapists or Algorithms?

2012-01-12T04:12:00.000-05:00

"Do you use Treatment Based Classification algorithms?" I asked my friend in Florida. "No", she replied. "Why not?" I asked. " If I use an algorithm, where's the need for the physical therapist?" was her final answer. My friend is a busy, private practice owner who is well-respected for her focus on the patient and her clinical skills. Physicians, too, resist using computer

Mary Hayashi Gets Probation

2012-01-11T13:22:00.000-05:00

As described on this blog, California Assemblymember Mary Hayashi was arrested for shoplifting on October 28th, 2011. Hayashi received the following punishment: three years probation, she paid a $180 fine she has been ordered to stay 150 feet away from the Nieman Marcus store where she committed her felony grand theft. Stephanie Ong Stillman, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco District

Florida Legislative Session Opens Today!

2012-01-10T17:16:00.001-05:00

Florida physical therapists get ready to lobby! The start of the 2012 Florida Legislative session is today, January 10th, 2012. Physical therapists can learn to set up their Bill Tracker with the Florida Senate video and with the Florida House of Representatives video, below. 2:03 min. If you've never so much as picked up a phone to call your legislator then this may be YOUR year. The

Provocative Position by American College of Physicians Calls for "Parsimonious Care"

2012-01-09T12:13:00.000-05:00

The American College of Physicians (ACP) issued first-of-its-kind guidelines specifically calling for "parsimonious care" Monday. Listen to the National Public Radio (NPR) interview here. The 6th Edition of the ACP Ethics Manual is not a Clinical Practice Guideline so no direct implications are implied for physicians' practice patterns. <!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-6152095693375511"; /*

Disruptive Innovation in Physical Therapy

2012-01-06T17:13:00.002-05:00

Selena Horner noted in her Twitter stream: "Data doesn't create change... stories that evoke emotion create change..." Collaborating Reduces Costs of Health Care is such a story. The story appeared in the Money section of USA Today on January 6th, 2012. The article tells a story about an employee of Intel Corp. and its insurance company, Cigna of Oregon. <!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-

Chiropractic Services in Florida Have High Error Rate

2012-01-04T12:23:00.000-05:00

First Coast Service Options (FCSO) is estimating an improper payment error rate of 39 percent for chiropractic services in Florida for the November 2011 CERT report. These payment errors often involve the billing of chiropractic manipulation services that represent maintenance care. Providers’ adherence to Medicare coverage guidelines for chiropractic services continues to be a significant issue

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Over the Telephone Effective for Chronic Widespread Pain

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Physical therapists who treat chronic pain patients may be interested in this new randomized controlled trial of 442 patients comparing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and an exercise program over 6 months. As background information, the researchers described why alternatives to pharmacologic management, such as CBT and exercise, are necessary: "In the United States, mean per-patient costs

MicroSoft Xbox 360 Hackers Assess Gait, Measure Knee Angle

2012-01-01T15:03:00.001-05:00

Are you still using your plastic goniometer? Maybe its time to throw it away and get the new Microsoft's Xbox 360 to measure your patients' knee angles The Kinect works, according this National Public Radio podcast by of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology teams winners, Ziyuan Liu: "...the Kinect actually has two cameras and a laser emitter, so the laser emitter scatters

New Treatment Based Classification Chart with Hyperlinks

2011-12-28T23:16:00.000-05:00

These are the Treatment Based Classification rules I've been using the past couple of years. Please use this chart, including the hyperlinks. Let me know if you see any ommissions or if you recommend a rule I have not included. Rule Author Year Level of Rule Development Cancer Rule in Lower Back Pain Patients Joines et al 2001 Cost Effectiveness study Lumbar Manipulation Rule Flynn et al

Why Do Physical Therapists Need to Track Florida's 2012 Legislative Bills?

2011-12-28T16:14:00.000-05:00

I think it was Mark Twain who said: "We should never watch laws or sausage being made, for if we did we would lose our appetite for both"  Yet I'm now going to suggest to you that you sign up for the Bill Tracker features on the

Support New York Physical Therapists' CoPayment Legislation

2011-12-25T17:45:00.001-05:00

Physical therapists will again put CoPayment reform legislation before the New York legislature in 2012. Twice now the legislation has been put forward for consideration. In 2011, CoPayment was advanced but not all the way to a vote in the legislature (in general, fewer than 10% of bills in ANY state each year are passed into law). <!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-6152095693375511"; /*

Healthcare CEOs Richest 1% in North America

2011-12-16T15:11:00.002-05:00

Healthcare CEOs are the among the richest American executives across all industries. Three of the top-earning 10 executives across all industries were in healthcare: Healthcare company McKesson Corp. Chief Executive John Hammergren topped the list with nearly $145.3 million in compensation in 2010 Following McKesson is Omnicare's CEO in second place for the highest paid exec with $98.3

Distracted Doctoring Raises Risks For Patients

2011-12-16T08:04:00.001-05:00

This free New York Times article discribes a disturbing trend for which peer-reviewed research is just beginning to emerge: nurses and doctors gued to their iPads in the hospital technicians who monitor bypass machines talking on cellphones during heart surgery a neurosurgeon making personal calls during an operation a nurse checking airfares during surgery providers routinely texting

Sitting Disease Cured by Exercise!

2011-12-16T04:58:00.001-05:00

Fair CoPayment Web Page Now Online at APTA

2011-12-09T05:31:00.001-05:00

The new American Physical Therapy Assocation (APTA) Fair CoPayment web page went live on December 7th, 2011. Physical therapists advocating for improved patient access at the state level should look at the resources available here to help your state association craft your legislative strategy. It's exciting to see the momentum this issue is beginning to generate. I'm curious to see which

The Process of Profitability

2011-12-09T03:52:00.001-05:00

Physical therapists can learn from this highly successful company. They sell 10% af all the furniture in the world, they made $30 BILLION in revenue in 2010 and their estimated profit margin is 10%. This company has created a process for customers to buy their products, become loyal customers, leave their stores highly satisfied and eagerly look forward to coming back and spending more money.

Hospitals Bounce Back but Florida Physical Therapists May Still Get the "Take Back Letter"

2011-12-06T17:22:00.001-05:00

Florida physical therapsists may still be on the hook, beginning January 1, 2012, resulting in the dreaded "Take Back Letter" from Medicare for services provided to orthopedic patients who don't meet new Medical Necessity requirements under Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC). "The physicians will receive a form letter which will be entitled a “Take-Back Letter” requiring return of any funds paid

The Art and Science of Physical Therapy

2011-12-01T15:16:00.001-05:00

The 2011 Oxford Debate at the APTA Annual Conference in Washington DC pitted clinical decision rules - algorithms - against clincial intuition. You can see some of the debaters coments here. I wrote, at the time, that this was a false choice. Algorithms and intuition can BOTH be used by the physical therapist to improve patient outcomes and speed the clinical workflow. It's not an

Primary Care Physicians Call for Exercises to Treat Lower Back Pain

2011-11-30T04:49:00.000-05:00

Wiser words were never spoke in addressing the paradox of payment for lower back pain and physical therapy treatments. Read on... "We physicians should refer our patients for exercise... ...practitioners should work to standardize treatments... ...and payers should encourage these treatments through minimization of copayments for therapies that have both effectiveness and modest cost," ...