Bipartisan Legislation Reforming Medicare Payment Would Ensure Financial Stability for Physical Therapy Providers
Each year, specialty healthcare providers like physical, occupational, and speech therapists face uncertainty about whether they’ll have the financial stability to continue providing care for their patients. The current Medicare physician fee schedule payment model does not adequately account for rising inflation, labor costs, or other economic pressures that have only worsened since the onset…
Senator McConnell Highlights Importance of Fall Prevention Efforts
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) recently suffered a fall that resulted in a concussion, a hospital stay, and discharge to an inpatient rehabilitation facility for rehab. We wish Senator McConnell a speedy and successful recovery. We also recognize Senator McConnell’s fall is, regrettably, not an isolated accident. Instead, physical and occupational therapists have been…
Why Seniors Should Embrace Remote Monitoring for Physical Therapy
In a recently published letter to the editor in Kaiser Health News, APTQI Executive Director Nikesh Patel, PT encouraged seniors to take advantage of remote physical therapy services. Remote monitoring allows physical and occupational therapists to monitor patient progress and ensure patients are adhering to their specialized treatment plans, improving outcomes and saving money. Particularly…
Jump Start Your Physical Therapy Advocacy in 2023
The 118th Congress has been sworn in, and there are many new faces on Capitol Hill. Forty-eight new Republican and 38 new Democratic lawmakers joined the U.S. House and U.S. Senate this month. As both new and returning lawmakers get to work, it’s important that our community educates them (and their staff!) about the value…
Protecting the Value of Physical Therapy: An Interview with Peter Jordan, PT
Physical therapy offers immense value to patients and the healthcare system as a whole. As a patient-preferred approach for addressing injury, chronic pain, or restricted mobility, physical therapy has been shown to reduce Medicare spending, prevent senior falls, and offer a clinically proven alternative to opioid treatments. Yet, despite the important role that physical therapy…
CDC Report: Senior Death Rate from Accidental Falls is Rising
According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Center for Health Statistics, the death rate from accidental falls is rising among seniors. The CDC found that accidental fall death rates among adults aged 65 and older have increased by 30% from 2009 to 2018. More than one out…