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.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
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2 comments:
I think that Health Care Reform is an opportunity for PT to begin to shift its focus from rehabilitation to 'habilitation', to go from being reactionary to proactive. Has APTA circled the wagons around 'rehab' or are we pushing for greater community and societal roles in the emerging paradigm?
I am both a licensed physical therapist and chiropractor. On a daily basis I see the cost savings of evidence based medicine in the use of manual therapy, exercise and patient education.
An example of this was a patient that I discharged this week. The patient presented with R shoulder pain of 6 weeks duration following yard work.
If the patient would have gone the traditional medical route she would have gone to her family doctor who would have ordered x-rays and MRI (>$2500 charge). She would have been given an acetominophen containing drug, risking liver, stomach are heart damage. The doctor would tell her try this for 2 weeks, if it dose'nt improve come back. The patient would return back to the physician (another $150 charge) with minimal improvement, in fact worsening with tightness (capsular changes) and atrophy. She next would be sent to the orthopedic who would inject the shoulder (>$500 charge) and then finally send the patient for physcial therapy. Total charge over $3500+.
In the case of the shoulder patient that I recently discharged, the patient was seen for 6 visits using manual therapy (Graston, mobs, active release), ROM/strengthening exercises and modalities as needed. In 6 vists she had full recovery with at total cost of <$600.
The point her is that with direct access all patients with musculoskeletal dysfunction should first be seen in physical therapy. We are highly trained for this role. If there is no improvements in 2 weeks to a month then send them to the traditional medical route.
For those concerned about tumors, infection... Research is clear that early medical intervention does not help to role out those non-organic pain patterns.
So in closing, let physical therapists fuction as portal of entry providers for those who have musculoskeletal disorders. If cost is important, physical therapy will save our health system countless dollors.
John R. Mishock, DC, MPT
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