The Virginian
 
 
Association News
Our professional autonomy in the Commonwealth of Virginia has just advanced substantially, as I hope most of you are aware. Thank you all for your activism and grassroots efforts to support our Direct Access Bills! Your efforts have enabled us to advance our profession through this legislation.
 
This legislation becomes active on July 1, 2023. At that time, we will no longer have a time restriction on caring for a patient under Direct Access. In addition, we will no longer require a prescription/referral to perform Trigger Point Dry Needling. In the meantime, we will work with the Department of Health Professions and the Board of Physical Therapy to ensure a smooth and easy transition to the new regulations.
 
PLEASE BE AWARE: In accordance with the current law, you are permitted 60 days of Direct Access before requiring a prescription, and it is still necessary to obtain a prescription to perform Trigger Point Dry Needling until 7/1/2023.
 
In order to solidify this change, it is critical for each of us that utilizes these privileges to do so appropriately and correctly, in accordance with all legal and ethical guidelines. If you have questions regarding Direct Access or Dry Needling laws, please feel free to contact us.
 
While the legislation has been passed and signed, there is still work to be done. Now begins the process of thanking your legislators for supporting our bills — please do so, as they appreciate your feedback, and many have been instrumental in making this change possible. We are particularly grateful to Senator Ghazala Hashmi and Delegate Matthew Fariss for sponsoring our bills.
 
Our team will keep everyone updated on upcoming legislative agendas and further efforts to advance the profession. Thank you again for your advocacy and action!
 
Sincerely.
Tony Grillo, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
 
Please help us in congratulating this quarter's PAC contest winners!

Highest Corporate Donor:
Rehab Associates of Central Virginia
 
Highest Individual Donor:
Anonymous
 
District With the Highest Percentage of Donors:
Mountain District
 
The Q2 winners are taking home the winning title, a spotlight in our quarterly digital publications and on our website, and most importantly, bragging rights! Watch Video…
 
June 10, 2023, 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
(10:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. or 1:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m.)
University of Richmond, Robins Center

Volunteer your expertise with Special Olympics Virginia to help identify athletes with flexibility, balance, and strength deficits. This will enable them to connect with coaches and healthcare providers in their communities.

FUNfitness is the physical therapy discipline of Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® that addresses the ongoing health needs of Special Olympics athletes. FUNfitness provides athletes the opportunity to be examined for flexibility, functional strength, balance, and aerobic fitness. During these screenings, physical therapists and physical therapist assistants offer athletes expert guidance and exercise recommendations to prevent and reduce the risk of injury while working to improve the athletes’ optimal function not only in sports training and competition but in everyday life.
 
As a valued member of APTA Virginia, we encourage you to take advantage of our Career Center as your one-stop shop for career and talent management resources. Whether you’re a physical therapy professional navigating your career journey or a rising leader seeking to recruit and retain top talent in a highly competitive marketplace, our extensive job board, career and recruitment services, and content resources fuel both individual and organizational success.
 
Select Physical Therapy is part of the largest physical therapy network in the U.S. With almost 2,000 outpatient physical therapy centers and 7,000-plus licensed therapists, it’s a leader in physical therapy excellence.

Offering occupational and hand therapy, sports medicine, workplace injury treatment and prevention, and specialized rehabilitation services, Select Physical Therapy helps patients maintain or recover their health to get back to the activities and life that they love.
 
Student News
 
In 2018, the medical and work loss costs of motor vehicle accidents in Virginia exceeded 1.31 billion dollars (CDC, 2020). Motor vehicle accident prevention is the most effective method to reduce these expenses (CDC, 2020), and physical therapists can help to reduce the cost of injury and fatality. Read more…
  River
   
Almost all states require continuing education to maintain licensure, making programming a big business with a wide variety of programming across multiple different formats. You can attend courses via webinar, online, or in-person. Additionally, there are a variety of content areas to choose from, ranging from learning a new technique to managing a single joint or condition to learning evolving approaches to practice or your scope of care.
 
How many times have you spent a few hours, a day, or a weekend in a continuing education course to take back only one or two "pearls" to apply to your practice? Perhaps you have not seen a meaningful change in your approach to care as a result of your learning? In selecting continuing education programming, how do we ensure our time and money are well spent? When making this decision, there are a few considerations. Read more…
 
District News
 
This presentation will describe factors impacting the delivery of health care delivery in the U.S. and possible responses of the system to these factors. We will explore recent technological developments and their potential impact on healthcare providers and patients. A significant focus will be ways to improve healthcare delivery in the U.S. Read more…
 
If pain occurs with movement, then observation and analysis of movement are required. This course will utilize smartphone video technology slow motion analysis to identify deviant movement(s). Real-time symptom modification of deviant movement can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of movement system impairment syndromes. This approach can enhance clinicians' existing clinical toolkit and facilitate reflective learning and professional development. Read more…
 
SIG Updates
  River
   
Connie Johnson, PT, DScPT and David Downing, PT, DPT met through the VPTA Pediatric Special Interest Group — Connie as Chair of the APTA Pediatrics Practice Development Committee and David being new to Virginia and eager to get involved! Together, they created a Journal Club Experience for the VPTA PSIG. Listen to their journey here. Formatted using Liberating Structures, the event was a huge success! They took this concept to the Practice Development Committee, where the idea was embraced and developed.
 
Journal clubs can be fun and socially engaging. Together with the Practice Development Committee, the Journal Club Guides were created with the vision to foster engaging, accessible, and sustainable journal clubs to support evidence-based practice. Check out the Journal Club Guides and resources to support you in developing your own journal club. Included in the guides are strategies to select a journal article, tools to develop facilitation skills, and innovative structures to facilitate self-discovery and participant engagement. More resources and videos will be on the APTA Pediatrics website very soon.
 
We hope you will check out this amazing resource and put it to use in your own Communities of Practice!
 
Industry News
American Physical Therapy Association
The Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act (H.R 1617, S. 793) seeks to expand "reciprocal billing and fee-for-service" to all PTs, meaning that PTs across the country would be allowed to secure substitute care to treat Medicare patients during a temporary absence.
American Physical Therapy Association
APTA’s State Payer Advocacy Resource Center (SPARC) now offers tools to assist with the Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction system (MPPR) and differential payment for services delivered by PTAs.
WebPT
With effective training, you can help minimize the likelihood of documentation becoming an operational bottleneck at your clinic.