More details about school visit... & News

This is a PR summary about a school visit I recently mentioned in the blog:

The PT students covered topics such as the importance of sitting up straight, not sitting in a "W" position, the importance of diet and exercise, and what Physical Therapy entails among other topics. The whole class took part in an exercise session led by Tracy Adams that got the energy even higher. This led to a Question & Answer session full of curiosity and clear passion from the PT students about the human body. As the event winded down, Ryanne Glasper issued a challenge to the students to minimize their video game playing so as to leave more room for fun exercise. Overall the day was a great success and hopefully these kids futures will be filled with a great deal of health.

Congress Renews Push for Medicare Direct Access

Legislation to improve access to physical therapists for Medicare beneficiaries was reintroduced in the US Senate this week (http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=38145), following the filing of identical legislation last week in the House of Representatives. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) were joined Tuesday by five fellow Senators in introducing the “Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act” (HR 1552/S 932) to provide beneficiaries with the same direct access to physical therapist evaluation and treatment that 43 states and the District of Columbia (see below) provide for non-Medicare patients. Representatives Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Jim Ramstad (R-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ron Lewis (R-KY), and Tim Murphy (R-PA) introduced the same measure in the House last week with the bipartisan support of 42 cosponsors. APTA urges all members to contact their Senators and Representative to ask them to cosponsor the “Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act.” Talking points, sample letters, and more information is available in the Medicare Direct Access Resource Center (http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Direct_Access&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=187&ContentID=18637) on the APTA Web site, and information to help get patients involved can be found in the Patient Action Center (http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Patient_Action_Center1&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=279&ContentID=31728).

DC Residents Gain Direct Access to PTs

The District of Columbia became the latest jurisdiction to provide residents with direct access to physical therapists with final publication of an ordinance adopted by the District Council. The measure provides patients with unrestricted access to physical therapists for evaluation and treatment. The DC Council also finalized a statute providing licensure for physical therapist assistants. In other direct access developments, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine signed legislation (HB 2087/SB 1305) that removes some of the restrictions on patient access to physical therapists in that state. The Virginia Board of Physical Therapy must promulgate regulations before the new access provisions can go into effect.