Comparative Effectiveness Recommendations Include APTA Priorities

APTA’s recommendations for comparative effectiveness research are well represented in two reports released today outlining priorities for spending the $1.1 billion in research funding allocated under the economic stimulus bill.

Both the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research, an HHS advisory committee, and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released their recommendations for how the funds should be spent.

In addition to stating that “much more research is needed to identify effective speech-language, physical, and occupational therapy interventions” (page 20), the HHS report also includes sections relevant to the physical therapy profession under the titles “persons with disabilities” (page 19) and “other underrepresented populations” (page 20). Prevention is also a key theme mentioned throughout the report, and an area where physical therapists and physical therapist assistants play a key role.

The IOM report also contains a wealth of positive recommendations related to the physical therapy profession, including effectiveness of prevention methods (exercise and balance) vs. clinical treatments for falls risk, comparing treatment strategies for low back pain, the effectiveness of various exercise interventions and strategies for rehabilitation services, and a host of other items that will ensure our patients are well-represented in this important research initiative.

As you might recall, in April APTA provided comments to the Federal Coordinating Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research, outlining our rationale for the importance of including rehabilitation interventions in the scope of the research. Among other things, our comments point out that physical therapy for conditions such as low-back pain and knee osteoarthritis could potentially improve public health while providing efficiencies for a reformed health care delivery system. However, we emphasize that funding for research of rehabilitation interventions has not been equitable when compared to funding for research of pharmaceutical and surgical interventions.

“As priorities are set for the future, we recommend that rehabilitation topics must rise to a level of importance not typically seen in the past,” we stress in our statement. “Equitable funding must be directed toward this area of research so that more reliable conclusions can be drawn.”

APTA’s government affairs and research teams will be conducting a more in-depth analysis of both reports over the next few days, but at first glance, it appears our recommendations are well-represented. Look for more information in this week’s issue of PT Bulletin Online, as well as our Health Care Reform Resource Center, where more information will be published as it becomes available.

In the meantime, please read both reports and let us know what you think. Do you feel the physical therapy profession and our patients have been well represented?

Time to Take Action

Thanks to the more than 600 people who participated in the June 24 Virtual Rally for Health Care Reform. Now it's time to take action! APTA members and non-members can use the links found on www.aptavirtualrally.com to send a personalized message to their representatives in Congress.

Let your voice be heard. Join the debate on national health care reform. Help APTA in our goals to ensure that rehabilitation is an essential element of the benefits package and that it's provided by only those health care professionals who are expertly educated and licensed to do so. Urge for the elimination of existing payment policies that impede patient access to physical therapists. Join our efforts to ensure that post-acute care "bundling" of rehabilitation services doesn't restrict patient choice and access to physical therapist treatment.

This is a crucial moment in the health care debate. Don't wait to find out what happens. Take action!

Make a Difference: Participate in APTA's Virtual Rally for Health Care Reform

Registration is now open for APTA's first-ever Virtual Rally for Health Care Reform, set for tomorrow evening, June 24, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET.

Please join APTA and your colleagues from across the country to help the profession make an impact in the national health care reform debate. You'll have a chance to hear from APTA leaders about the association's efforts to date on health care reform, as well as lobby your legislators on issues important to the physical therapy profession. And you can do this all from the comfort of your own home or office via your computer. The rally is free and open to everyone.

One very interesting aspect of the rally will be a "town hall" style session where participants can ask questions about health care reform and APTA's role in the debate. What types of questions do you have about health care reform? We'd love to hear them via this blog, as well as during the town hall discussion tomorrow.

I hope you can join us for the rally. Together we can make a difference.

Hang Up the White Coats?

Correction: An earlier version of this post referred to a Wall Street Journal article that stated the AMA House of Delegates had voted to recommend a ban on white coats in hospital settings. That article, and this blog post, was incorrect. According to the updated Wall Street Journal article, the AMA HOD has referred the resolution to another panel, saying more evidence is needed. A corrected post appears below. My apologies for the error.

As APTA continues to roll out our new "Move Forward" branding campaign to members and urges them to "live the brand," I found a couple of recent articles in The Wall Street Journal interesting. At its House of Delegates meeting this week, the American Medical Association debated the issue of whether its members should continue to wear white coats, given recent evidence that they harbor bacteria that can be passed on to patients. AMA delegates referred the resolution to another panel for review, citing the need for further evidence. It could come up for a vote before the AMA HOD next year, according to The Wall Street Journal.

APTA's brand guidelines for members state that physical therapists and physical therapist assistants should wear "professional" attire, as well as exhibit several other characteristics that convey a professional demeanor to patients. Many of us already wear lab coats over business attire during our daily interactions with patients. But should we?

What do you think of AMA's debate on white coats? Are lab coats appropriate "professional" attire for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants? Could they endanger our patients? If so, what attire is suitable and will convey the appropriate image to consumers, while also allowing PTs and PTAs to provide the highest quality care to patients?

See the Possibilities

As more than 2,500 physical therapists and physical therapist assistants gather in Baltimore for PT 2009, health care reform is a topic that has emerged as a common theme. From discussions at the APTA House of Delegates to the opening ceremonies and many educational sessions of PT 2009, it’s clear that the prospect of imminent health care reform has evoked emotions ranging from excitement and relief to anger and fear. But wherever you fall on the political spectrum, most will agree that something must be done to fix our broken health care system. The question that remains is what and how?

As I mentioned in my opening address at PT 2009, the physical therapy profession must see the possibilities in health care reform. Health care reform must address availability and access to care, cost of care, promotion of health and prevention, and returning a sense of “community” to health care in lieu of its current sense of “corporatization.”

The physical therapy profession offers a very real sense of “community,” because PTs and PTAs connect directly with our patients and clients by the use of our hands—and our minds, by delivering services founded on evidence-based clinical decision making. Our challenge is to make sure that our patients and clients have, and know that they have, direct access to our important services. Our patients and clients should be ensured, by law, that when they receive physical therapy care it is not a generic service, but one that will be delivered by conscientious, well prepared, licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.

I must say I am honored and humbled to have been re-elected president of this amazing association during such a critical time for our profession and our country. As we move forward to address the many issues important to our profession and ensure we are well-represented in the health care reform debate, I look forward to working with you and hearing from you regarding your ideas and concerns.

A fantastic opportunity to ensure your voice is heard in the health care reform debate is coming up on Wednesday, June 24, when APTA hosts its first ever “virtual rally” for health care reform. Please mark your calendars and plan to participate in this online advocacy event, scheduled from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET. You’ll be able to learn what APTA is doing to address this issue, as well as have an opportunity to provide feedback and advocate on behalf of your profession – all from the comfort of your own home or office. More logistics will be available soon.

Could Massachusetts Model Offer Opportunities or Challenges for Physical Therapists?

As the call for health care reform heats up on Capitol Hill, many legislators and policymakers are looking toward Massachusetts as the model for federal health care legislation, according to an article this week in The New York Times.

Massachusetts has seen a rise in the number of residents who report having a steady source of health care due to the state’s “near-universal” plan, according to a recent study published in the policy journal Health Affairs. However, there are drawbacks as well. Increasing numbers of residents are saying they cannot afford needed care or cannot make an appointment with a primary care physician, because demand for care from the newly insured has been met with an insufficient supply of doctors.

Perhaps this is an opportunity for physical therapists, who could help alleviate this burden by seeing patients directly. Among the policy provisions that APTA is urging be included in any national health care reform package is the elimination of the unnecessary referral requirement or certification of the plan of care for patients to access outpatient physical therapy services. This barrier to patient access delays care and adds additional costs for patients and the health care system.

In an editorial in yesterday’s Boston Globe outlining elements of his health reform bill, Sen. Edward Kennedy writes, “We'll make certain that doctors and patients will have better information so they can decide which treatment is best based on real evidence.”

It seems to me this is a crucial opportunity for physical therapists. What are your thoughts?

Making a Difference

More than 200 of APTA’s grassroots advocacy leaders traveled from across the country this week to Washington, DC, where they took the physical therapy profession’s message on health care reform to Capitol Hill. These engaged and active physical therapists, physical therapist assistants and students were in town for the Federal Advocacy Forum, an annual event that helps shape legislators’ and policymakers’ opinions of the profession and helps APTA advance its legislative agenda in Congress.

This year’s event was especially important – with comprehensive national health care reform on the horizon. During the first day of the event, several congressional leaders spoke to attendees and stressed the important role physical therapists can and should play in a reformed health care system. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) spoke very highly of the profession and the valuable contributions we can provide by improving health care quality and outcomes for patients.

As our 200 grassroots leaders converged on Capitol Hill, they took with them not only their enthusiasm, but also their firsthand knowledge of the difference physical therapy can make in the lives of patients. It really made quite an impression on legislators – and does so much to advance our legislative agenda.

You can do the same back home without having to travel to Washington, DC. APTA has developed two important documents outlining our perspective on, and our role in, health care reform. The first is a brief overview of the policy provisions we believe should be included in any health care reform legislation that is considered by Congress. The second is a more comprehensive document that goes into more detail about the physical therapist’s role in health care reform.

Print them out, become familiar with them, then visit your member of Congress when they are back home. Discuss the importance of physical therapy in the lives of constituents in your area, then leave these documents behind for your legislator.

In addition, as health care reform legislation emerges in June, APTA will host a virtual rally and townhall to keep members informed and involved. Watch for coming details.

Together, we can ensure that the physical therapy profession will continue to improve the lives of patients across the country. Your work – and your advocacy – really does make a difference.