New Study: Dementia Risk Nearly Double in Older Adults with History of Multiple Falls
A new systematic review examining the incidence of future dementia and falls found that middle- and older-aged adults who experienced multiple falls had a 174% higher risk of developing dementia in the future. Analyzing the impact of single and multiple falls in the study’s population of more than 2.9 million adults aged 40+, the study…
Early Access to Physical Therapy Reduces High-Cost Care in New Study
A new study published in Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal (PTJ) found that early access to no-copay physical therapy for musculoskeletal pain was associated with fewer surgeries, injections, imaging services, and physician visits, potentially lowering overall healthcare costs. Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), in collaboration with Duke University School of Medicine and APTQI member ATI…
Congress Must Stabilize Medicare Reimbursement and Protect Patient Access to Care
For years, Medicare reimbursement for physical therapists has continued to decline while the cost of delivering care has continued to increase. Clinics across the country are grappling with higher labor costs, increased administrative burden, inflation, and growing demand for rehabilitation services. Yet, under the current Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), reimbursement for physician and physical…
Guest Blog: Why Practice Owners Need to Step Into Advocacy
By Dr. Josh Funk, PT, DPT For a long time, I cared deeply about the future of physical therapy without doing enough to influence it. Like many practice owners, I was focused on building a business, developing leaders, serving patients, and navigating the growing complexity of healthcare. Advocacy mattered to me in theory. In practice,…
APTQI Supports Legislation to Repeal MPPR Policy to Protect Patient Access to Therapy Services
APTQI supports the Removing Excessive Cuts to Outpatient and Vital Essential Rehabilitation (RECOVER) Act, legislation to repeal Medicare’s outdated Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) policy. Introduced by Representative Deborah Ross (NC-02), the RECOVER Act (H.R. 8386) updates a Medicare payment policy that unfairly targets physical and occupational therapy providers and restricts access to critical outpatient…
APTQI Commends New Legislation to Exempt Healthcare Workers from Onerous Visa Fees
Bipartisan lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would exempt physicians and other healthcare professionals – including physical and occupational therapists – from the $100,000 fee for H-1B visa petitions, which is making it extremely difficult for American employers to fill critical gaps in the workforce at a time when the nationwide healthcare workforce shortage is…