Leaders Are Among Us!
Congratulations to Dr. Dianne Jewell for being recognized as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (FAPTA). This is the association’s highest membership category, and it was bestowed upon one of our very own VPTA members. Congrats, Dianne!
Congratulations are also in order for Virginia’s Dr. Secili DeStefano. Secili was recently recognized by the APTA with the Lucy Blair Service Award. This award recognizes Secili’ s exceptional contributions to the APTA. Many of you know that she was the chair of the nominating committee for the APTA. Secili, congratulations on the award and the job well done!
A Big THANK You
Special thanks go out to Dr. Shawne Soper, who just completed her final year of eligibility as Virginia’s chief delegate. Dr. Soper led all Virginia delegates as they worked alongside other state delegates as the policy-making body for the APTA. Thank you, Shawne, for making sure Virginia was well-represented at the House. The APTA and VPTA are better due to your contributions.
The Fall Summit
Advertising will be coming out soon for the VPTA Fall Summit (previously known as Annual Conference). Look out for engaging topics that will sell out fast. There is limited seating this year as we take on a new (and fiscally responsive) approach to our fall meeting. Register early to reserve your seat and also to get the early bird discount. Our fall meeting will be shorter and thus action-packed this year. We will be offering a Political Action Event on Friday night featuring a great speaker that is sure to resonate with every member. Saturday will offer two great 1-day courses. You asked for something new and exciting, and the VPTA is responding.
Keep an eye on your inbox for registration info.
Cigna Contract Update
As you know, numerous emails were provided to our membership regarding the partnership of American Specialty Health (ASH) and Cigna within the Virginia market. Open enrollment continues for providers that were previously directly contracted with Cigna, APTN or those who were not contracted in any way with Cigna but wished to be. For providers that were contracted with Cigna through Rehab Provider Network (RPN), an agreement has been reached between RPN and ASH. RPN will soon be sending our announcements regarding webinars that they will provide to those currently contracted with them. These webinars will review the procedures for eligibility verifications and Medical Necessity Review (MNR) process that will be required. The VPTA is not privy to what these requirements are but understands that this information will be shared by RPN in the near future.