In case you need more proof, here is another article (this one from Business Week) stating that Physical Therapy is a growing and fruitful career.  The arguments laid out here are not new – especially as Baby Boomers continue to age, and while concepts of “wellness”, and “preventative care” grow more and more popular in our nation, Physical Therapy will continue to be a sought-after approach for health and rehab of the musculoskeletal system.  If you find other articles supporting this claim or otherwise, please pass them on.

On a related but different note, I attended the APTA National Student Conclave last week and was thrilled to meet so many enthusiatic and dynamic PT students.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth.  It’s exciting to consider all of the wonderful people who are on their way toward a career in PT.  Of course, as a health care profession we rely on people who are not only critical thinkers and ethical, but as a particularly ‘human services’ driven field within healthcare, we need therapists who have compassion, excellent listening skills, and a way of relating to their patients.  I left the Conclave feeling inspired that so many of our future therapists absolutely seem to fit that mold.

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you already know that October is national PT month.  Sponsored by APTA,  it’s a way to observe and honor our profession, but it also provides us with a great platform for continued education about Physical Therapy to the general public.  According to the APTA, this year’s theme, “Move Forward: Physical Therapy Brings Motion to Life” reflects the physical therapist brand, “Physical therapists help you restore and improve motion to achieve long-term quality of life.”

The APTA has been celebrating all month, with educational campaigns, media opportunities (apparently some PT students from NYU were on the Today Show this morning, introduced by Al Roker…still looking for a video clip of this!) and, of course, political action (APTA has been actively “at the table” during all phases of the current health care reform bill’s development).  Next week, APTA will host its annual National Student Conclave where hundreds of physical therapy employers (like Therapeutic Associates!) have a chance to meet PT students from all over the country.  I look forward to this event every year and consider it an awesome way to wrap up this exciting month

While our clinics are promoting National PT Month in different ways, one of the biggest things that our company has done this month is launch a brand new website!  Same address – www.therapeuticassociates.com – but an updated design and many new features, including several new patient education elements that fit right into some of the goals of National PT Month.  Check it out…and please share your feedback and comments!

One of our PTs in Bend, Oregon passed along this video they produced about their practice – TAI Central Oregon PT @ the Athletic Club of Bend.  It gives you a good sense not only of how they work in the clinic, but also how they play outside of the clinic   If you have never been to Bend before, this might paint a clearer picture of why so many active outdoor lovers have flocked there in droves in recent years…it’s a beautiful and magical setting, full of things to do year-round.  Enjoy!

I recently received the latest PTWA newsletter and immediately noticed the headliner article “Lorengo Honored as Emerging Leader”.  Jenn Lorengo, PT, DPT, OCS is a staff therapist at our Liberty Lake clinic in the Spokane area.  She has been with TAI since 2005, spending the first several years of her time with us at our West Kennewick practice.  Jenn has always challenged herself to advance clinically and in other professional ways.  She currently serves as PTWA Secretary and her history with the state association dates back to 2005 where she started as a delegate, later served on committees, and founded the Tri-Cities District in 2008.

APTA’s Emerging Leader Award is an annual honor bestowed upon one member of each APTA chapter annually.  We are so proud of Jenn as this year’s recipient.  When I contacted her directly to congratulate her, her response was humble and grateful and in every way typical of Jenn and her leadership style: ”Honestly we have a lot of wonderful mentors within TAI that have helped to inspire me – I think it’s a credit to our entire company.”

Thank you, Jenn, for being a great role model in so many ways!

I’m always on the look-out for helpful resources for physical therapists (present and future ).  I recently stumbled across a few great links that I want to share:

1.) This “elevator pitch” promo video was apparently the winner of last year’s First Annual Elevator Pitch Competition held by Evidence in Motion.  It successfully summarizes the vision and sentiment of our profession right now and I admire its simple and yet powerful, effective message.

2.) ADVANCE  produces a number of products and services (perhaps most notably, print and web publications) that focus on healthcare professions.  Through their website I found three great blogs:

• A Day in the Life of a Student PT is written by Veronica Haywood, a PT student in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The topics she addresses seem not only meaningful to other students, but also shed light on the kinds of issues and conversations that are relevant to our profession now and in the future.
• Life with a New PT Grad takes this concept once step further and is written by a recent grad who just started her career journey, working in an acute care setting.  Her posts share, in a very sincere fashion, the challenges, thrills, and everyday thoughts of a new therapist.
• Toni Talks about PT Today is written by an experienced PT in Texas.  Her experience lends to a breadth of post topics – everything from technical advice, to ethical ponderings, to philosophical debates.

If you come across interesting physical therapy resources, I’d love to hear about them – please share!

A while back I wrote a post about TAI’s Athletic Trainer program in Salem, Oregon.  That program continues to grow and gain attraction, most recently from a local newspaper, the Statesman Journal.  This article by journalist Justin Much follows the West Salem High School girls soccer team as they utilize our SAM (Speed-Agility-Mobility) training program. 

SAM is a comprehensive training program for athletes of all kinds, designed to increase athleticism while decreasing injury potential.  It was fully developed and is directed by certified Athletic Trainers.  SAM uses a dynamic warm-up approach and sport-specific activities to guide athletes safely and effectively through training.

TAI physical therapists and athletic trainers across the company are developing sports education and injury prevention presentations and accompanying materials for young athletes in a variety of different sports, including soccer, baseball/softball, running, basketball, cycling, and skiing.  Stay tuned for more information on how and when you can access these tools for your team. 

TAI Marketing Director Scott Wick recently passed along an APTA press release from June that announces that the President’s Council projects growth for the Physical Therapy profession in the years ahead.  It makes sense, given that the need for PTs already outweighs the number of licensed professionals out there.  If/When health care expands to meet the needs of a national plan, that will mean that many more people will presumably be seeking medical care, including physical therapy services.  Good news for the profession and those of you considering a career inPT!

This topic already is, and will continue to be, discussed thoroughly within and outside of the PT profession (e.g. here is a recent article from TodayinPT.com).  In fact, Scott has already been asked by some media sources to comment on it from our company’s perspective.  Here’s an excerpt from one of his recent discussions:

Are there more practitioners now than ever before?

Scott:  According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 173,000 Physical Therapists employed in the US in 2006.  That number is expected to increase to 220,000 by 2016, or increase by 27%.  For our company alone, we have seen PT employment increase over the last five years by about 56%. 

Is there a greater demand for PT than ever before?  Why?

Scott:  I believe there is a much greater demand for PT services for a number of reasons:

1. Increased Awareness of our Profession:  This profession has come a long way since WWI and we have been evolving to become more of a mainstream medical provider.  Patient and Consumer awareness and understanding of the scope of practice and services provided by Physical Therapists is at an all time high and continues to grow through the efforts of the APTA, other state and local associations, and the efforts of individual companies like ours.   
2. Push for wellness:  With the epidemic in Diabetes and Childhood Obesity, awareness of “wellness” has increased across the country.  Examples of this include Washington State’s “Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign”, new Physical Activity Guidelines developed by the CDC, the “Exercise is Medicine” campaign asking all primary care doctors to focus on physical exercise during routine examinations, etc. 
3. Baby Boomers:  76 Million strong are now reaching Medicare age starting in 2010.  That is important not only because of the Medicare issue, but also to acknowledge the huge number of active adults in their mid 50’s to early 60’s.  This group is trying to stay active as they age.  Physical Therapists have been treating this group for decades already and they have a better understanding of our profession and how we can help to maintain and even improve their physical health.
4. Shortage of Primary Care Physicians:  There is a shortage of primary care doctors in our markets and not many entering this specialty.  Their training on the Musculoskeletal System is limited and due to the volume of patients they are seeing, they tend to rely more on Physical Therapists to diagnose and treat Musculoskeletal Issues than ever before.

How has TAI grown in the recent past?

Scott: Over the past five years, our company has certainly grown.  Our growth rate of New Clinics is about 16%.  We have seen an increase in New Patient volumes of about 18%.  Visits have gone up by 21%.  We expect these trends to continue in the years ahead.

If you’re considering a career in PT but don’t know where to start your investigation, APTA has some excellent resources.  If you are a PT (or on that path) and would like more information on career options with TAI, visit our website.

If you’ve been around a radio or television or an online news source in the past week you have no doubt heard a lot about “Health Care Reform.”  Naturally, there is significant focus on what shape the plan will take, how much it will cost and who will pay for it, and – the hottest topic of late - when we might expect to see some legislation make its way to the President’s desk. 

Of course, I have been curious about how the field of physical therapy might be affected by proposed reform.  Until more details are debated and drafted by Congress, we won’t really know the answer to that, but I was impressed when I discovered an entire section of the APTA’s website devoted to the “Health Care Reform” issue.  Here you can read the Association’s position on health care reform and find out about how APTA staff, affiliates, and members are advocating on behalf of the profession to legislators.  Their Government Affairs committee has maintained nearly weekly updates and podcasts on their activity and the situation in general – a good resource for comprehensive but relatively quick overviews.  And if you’re so inclined, they even have a virtual rally where you can participate in the advocacy online. 

I’ll keep you posted on details as this whole issue develops (since it sounds like the original August 1 goal date for legislation is no longer relative, we may be waiting for several months ) and invite you to share any information you discover.

I recently read an article on the APTA blog about how their Clinical Instructor Education and Credentialing Program (CIECP) reached a new milestone – more than 25,500 PTs and PTAs (and an additional 1,000 non-physical therapy health professionals) have now completed the course.  Amazing.  What a wonderful indication of passion for, and dedication to, advancing the profession.  Whether or not a Clinical Instructor (CI) completes this course, it is commendable that so many therapists devote time to mentoring the next generation of clinicians.  And after querying a few of our own CIs, it sounds like the learning aspects of this relationship go both ways.  

As with many medical professions, physical therapist students must do hands-on work in the field prior to graduation.  These clinical rotations not only help students identify which settings and specialty programs might be a good fit for them, but they give students exposure to a variety of diagnoses and situations and a chance to work with real patients, under the direct guidance of an experienced mentor.  

The vast majority of TAI’s clinics work with students at various stages in their schooling and, as a company, we value and encourage this practice.  We have dozens and dozens of CIs in the company (many of whom have completed the CIECP) and typically host more than 50 students in a given year (some who spend a few weeks in a clinic and others who spend 6 months or even a year in a clinic!).  David Deppeler, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT, Clinical Education Director, has said:  “The educational environment created by working with students helps keep us thoughtful and dynamic in our practice.” 

This sentiment was reiterated by every TAI clinician who I talked to about why he/she is a CI.  Matt Booth, DPT, OCS, Director of TAI-Boise Parkcenter stated:  

I regard the CI position as highly valuable for many reasons: 1.) Students bring new ideas into the clinic and keep me on my toes so I don’t get stuck in a treatment rut; 2.) Taking students for years has allowed me to have a “pipeline” of PT’s interested in working for my clinic, 3.) I am giving back to my profession by sharing my knowledge, and I promote this with my patients and referral sources; and 4.) When a good 3^rd year student is in their last affiliation, they can be a valuable asset in the clinic through their final projects, as well as helping with a caseload.   

Nicole Smyth, DPT, OCS, therapist at TAI-Fairwood PT said: 

I take interns for 2 reasons: 1.) I feel that being a “more recent” graduate I still remember the struggles of being an intern.  I can sympathize with their struggles but also have the experience and extra education to help them attain all their goals; 2.) I feel that if we want to continue to see advancements in our profession we need to support the schools that are producing the new physical therapists.  As a company Therapeutic Associates offers more highly skilled manual therapists, which is an area that all new grads seem to struggle with.  We have the education to help grads with these very important skills.   

Kudos to APTA for leading the way with important edification for experienced therapists who want to mentor students and BRAVO to all of the therapists out there who make time for supporting PT students as Clinical Instructors.

I love talking to people about so many aspects of this profession – discussing therapists and their skills, finding out about interesting specialty programs and ways in which clinics work their communities, hearing incredible stories from patients about how PT changed their lives.  One thing I tend not to think about much is the paperwork stuff – charting, billing, outcomes, scheduling, just to name a few.  Every therapist has to do it and even though it may be among a pracitioner’s least favorite things to do, it is an essential part of the job.  I started to look into how our therapists tackle all of this and found our CareConnections system to be really fascinating.

CareConnections is a Web-based suite of rehabilitation medical management services that TAI developed many years ago to assist providers and payers alike.  All of our 60+ clinics use the suite and hundreds of other PT companies around the country use it too.  Primary features include:

Outcomes System (formerly known as TAOS): A functionally based patient data collection system that compares clinical outcomes to similar groups of clinics and provider submitted episodes of care.  The database is significant - averages between 18,000 and 19,000 records per quarter and has been collecting data from providers across the country since 1996.  Through analysis of benchmarks in areas like functional improvement, perceived improvement, decreased pain, and return to work status, the Outcomes feature allows therapists and health plans to determine how and when therapy services are effective.

Patient Satisfaction Monitoring: A standardized survey for patients that allows them to provide valuable feedback about their overall experience (from the front office through the treatment itself).  This is a great tool for the people who you likely consider to be your biggest customers.

Treatment Guidelines: These are written by a therapist (now in their third edition), with researched parameters of care grouped by anatomical body region and cross referenced by ICD-9 code. Over 86 diagnosis-related treatment patterns give clinicians guidance on how to proceed with treatment and give payers assurance upon which medically-appropriate care can be measured.

Prior Authorization/Advice System (PAS): This tool provides real-time, web-based authorization of services to a clinician.  With efficiency as its driving force, PAS gives payers the ability to set into motion a provider’s referral and care plan without a phone call or fax – just a simple and quick mouse click! 

Currently, over 450 facilities (outpatient facilities and hospitals alike) in 30 states across the country use CareConnections.  It’s one of the more sophisticated systems on the market, but also quite user-friendly.  If you have questions about the suite itself or want to test some of its features, contact Josh Benson at joshb@taiweb.com.