Current News
ATPA
For more information about physical therapy and the latest news in the profession go to
the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) website. The APTA is a national professional organization
representing more than 74,000 members. Its goal is to foster advancements in physical therapy practice, research, and education.
Medicare news
President Obama signed Senate Amendment to HR 4994, the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010, into law -- preventing the scheduled 24.9% Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) Medicare payment cut and extending current Medicare payment rates through December 31, 2011. The law also extends the therapy cap exceptions process and the 1.0 work floor of the geographical price cost index (GPCI) until December 31, 2011, and repeals the delay of the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Resource Utilization Group - Version 4 (RUG-IV). Senate Amendment to HR 4994 did not include a provision on the multiple procedure payment reduction (MPPR) policy for outpatient therapy. The MPPR policy, which will apply reductions to the practice expense component for the second and subsequent outpatient therapy services performed on the same day, is still scheduled to go into effect January 1, 2011. For more information go to the National Health Information Center.
What does this mean to our patients? Medicare usually sets the bar for all other insurance companies and this ensures that further coverage restrictions will not be enforced for physical therapy. The Medicare therapy cap is still in place, but does allow for some excepted diagnoses.
The physical therapy/occupational therapy cap is $1,880.00/calendar year, regardless of diagnosis or MD referrals. There are some excepted diagnoses, you should discuss with your therapist if your situation applies. Medicare does not pay for maintenance therapy.
Hot Topics in Physical Therapy
Diabetes Type II
People with type 2 diabetes should engage in at least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise spread out at least 3 days during the week, with no more than 2 consecutive days between bouts of aerobic activity, according to new guidelines published this month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Any form of aerobic exercise (including brisk walking) that uses large muscle groups and causes sustained increases in heart rate is likely to be beneficial, and undertaking a variety of modes of physical activity is recommended. Additionally, resistance exercise should be undertaken at least 2 times a week on nonconsecutive days, but more ideally 3 times a week.
Joint Replacements
Joint replacements are on the rise, with baby boomers seeking to maintain current active lifestyles. Physical Therapy expedites the overall rehab process with early return to activity, especially as technology improves and overall hospital stays are shorter.
Healthcare and Wellness Programs
Physical Therapist’s are more proactive with healthcare and wellness offering programs that help improve strength, mobility and function to try to reduce long term need of healthcare. Many Physical Therapist’s implement hands on skills with traditional modalities and other alternative methods such as acupuncture, massage and Pilates. Early physical therapy intervention with low back pain can help to minimize health insurance utilization.