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Summer is flying by and the end of the year will be on us before we know it. This is a busy time of year for all of us with school starting back up and the number of PT-related events that seem to all happen in the fall around October, which is National Physical Therapy Month. The pace of life and work quickly ramps up, and things at APTA Virginia are no exception! We know you have a lot of choices when it comes to continuing education, with time and cost being primary considerations. With that in mind, I want to remind you that we have kicked off our fantastic new educational format ‘Virginia is for Learners’ in July and have both in-person and virtual content scheduled for the rest of the year at excellent rates, including on-demand through our new Education Center. This will take us to our Fall Summit, which will be hosted by Emory & Henry College. We are so happy to be back in person for our annual conference this year, and Emory & Henry is thrilled to have us. We eagerly invite you to check out some great events and beautiful autumn scenery in the mountains!
Along the way you might see some emails and content promoting our PAC fundraising events and competition, as well as Trivia Night at the Fall Summit to support the PAC. In the same spirit of boosting continuing education, we are also developing our PAC activity with more fundraising throughout the year. These funds are critical to our ability to advocate and advance our professional interests at the state and national level. Advocacy is not just proactive legislation aimed at advancing our scope of practice and autonomy, but also includes working to defeat proposed legislation that is detrimental to our profession. Much like the military defending our nation’s freedom, stopping these threats is a constant battle…and trust me, the wolves are always waiting at the door. For more information about the PAC and how to donate, please visit our website.
Take care, and I hope to see you all at the Fall Summit!
Sincerely,
Tony Grillo, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Our very own Dianne Jewell, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA was honored in a BIG way. The Virginia Business published a cover story: "Taking the Reins: 42 women execs who set the standard for leadership." Dr. Jewell is one of the 42 women who were highlighted for their contributions. You can read the full article here and their specific write-up of Dr. Jewell here.
On June 11, 2022, Special Olympic Athletes descended upon the Robins Center at the University of Richmond to be screened by physical therapists, PTAs, SPTs and SPTAs. FUNfitness® is the physical therapy discipline of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® Initiative that looks at functional strength, flexibility, balance, and aerobic endurance.
APTA Virginia has an award called the PTA Award. The purpose of this award is to recognize physical therapist assistants who have made an outstanding contribution to clinical practice and to the physical therapist assistants' development through APTA Virginia participation. We are happy to announce that this year’s awardee is Margie Nguyen, BS, PTA.
Check out this short video message from PAC Chair, Brian Britt to find out about the upcoming PAC Contest, how you can be entered to win $50 off Virginia is for Learners, and who won the last contest.
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Attention providers who intend to provide physical, occupational or speech therapy services:
The AIM Rehabilitation Program effective date is delayed until September 1, 2022. A prior authorization will not be required for therapy services until that date.
Recently, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and our affiliate HealthKeepers, Inc. shared with you our plans to transition medical necessity review of physical, occupational and speech therapy services to AIM Specialty Health® (AIM), a separate company, effective August 1, 2022. Last week we informed you that we were experiencing a technical issue related to Anthem’s Commercial members in Virginia. Therefore, we have decided it would be best to postpone the prior authorization requirement for the AIM Rehab program until September 1, 2022. We will continue to work on resolving our technical issues.
At Anthem, we value your business and understand the seriousness of this delay. Please know that we regret any inconvenience or disruption this situation may have caused you and your staff.
Thanks,
The AIM Rehabilitation Program Team
Here is a recent update regarding the Federal Affairs Liaison 2022 Briefing and APTA.
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Kendall Livingston and Kandra Taylor, PTA students at Riverside College, collected goods for the APTA VA SSIG Goods Drive during the VA4L event in July! The goods that were collected were donated to the Menchville House, whose mission is to help proactive homeless families return to self-sufficiency.
This year physical therapy schools from Virginia were among the 79 schools that participated in the 2021-2022 VCU-Marquette Challenge to raise $170,221.98 in support of the Foundation of Physical Therapy Research (FPTR).
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Please click on the banner to register for the September 10 event.
For more information on Virginia is for Learners, go here.
Get Out of Your Silo! Applying Occupational Health Concepts
Across Physical Therapy Practice
Presented by Julie A. Collier, PT, CIE, CSCS, Fire Service PFT
and Connie Johnson, PT, DScPT, PCS, AIT
November 5, 2022 at Emory & Henry College
4 CEU
Occupational health has historically focused on rehabilitating injured workers…and yet, workers across the lifespan have demands that impact their ability to engage in worker roles. As physical therapists we often work within our “silos”: pediatrics, neurologic, orthopedic, cardiopulmonary.
Orthopedics and Pelvic Health: Bridging the Gap with an External Approach
Presented by Colleen Whiteford, PT, DPT
November 5, 2022 at Emory & Henry College
March 11, 2023 at Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences
6 CEU
Many clinicians harbor the mistaken impression that female and male pelvic issues always require internal examination and treatment. Orthopedic physical therapists typically do not perform internal pelvic techniques, nor seek such training...
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SIGN THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS INCLUSION PLEDGE
54 years ago, Special Olympics launched a global movement to break down barriers and end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities (ID).
Since then, this peaceful inclusion revolution has been changing lives all around the world. Now, we are asking YOU to be part of a powerful new generation that celebrates all differences and all abilities!
Together we have the power and determination to ensure no one is forgotten during this critical time around the world.
I pledge to look for the lonely, the isolated, the left out, the challenged and the bullied.
I pledge to overcome the fear of difference and replace it with the power of inclusion.
I #ChooseToInclude
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American Physical Therapy Association
APTA provides a quick rundown on what PTs need to know about the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ proposed 2023 Medicare Part B Physician Fee Schedule, including a cut to the conversion factor and revisions to relative value unit weighting.
American Physical Therapy Association
Read about merit-based incentive payment program reporting, value pathways, virtual supervision, and more in the second part of APTA’s review of the proposed 2023 Medicare Part B Physician Fee schedule.
WebPT
A recent PT Patient Experience Report found that between-visit communication is the most important driver of patient-perceived motivation and success. Here are some strategies to help PTs keep their patients engaged.
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