APTA recently launched a new Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) discussion forum for members in APTA Communities. Members can find answers to frequently asked questions, post new questions, and share their experiences including best practices for reporting successes in this program.
The new discussion board is part of APTA's efforts to increase member resources for this program in anticipation of the upcoming payment adjustments in 2015. The decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to use data from the calendar year 2013 reporting period to inform the 2015 payment adjustment for PQRS has prompted many physical therapists who have previously not participated in the program to begin reporting this year.
To access the community, go to APTA Communities and click PQRS in the lefthand menu or use the direct link available on the PQRS page.
At its June 2011 meeting, the House of Delegates adopted a motion charging the association to review and revise its current APTA Vision Sentence for Physical Therapy 2020 and APTA Vision Statement for Physical Therapy 2020 (HOD P06-00-24-35) to reflect the vision of the profession of physical therapy and its commitment to society beyond 2020. To fulfill this charge and facilitate the Board of Directors ability to create and implement a strategic plan to achieve the House-adopted vision, a Board-appointed Vision Task Force is being created. APTA members interesting in serving on this task force should complete and submit the volunteer application and CV by 11:59 PM ET February 15. Applications should be submitted via e-mail or by fax to 703/706-8519.
E-mail APTA's Governance Department with questions regarding this task force or call 800/999-2782, ext 3256, for assistance.
APTA's Board of Directors will meet February 7 prior to the start of the Combined Sections Meeting. The meeting will take place in the Hilton Chicago, Continental A meeting room. The agenda is available online. To ensure that you are notified of any changes that might occur to the schedule, including a closed session that could affect the start of the meeting, RSVP to Kathy Cunningham by 12 pm ET February 3.
Join the American Heart Association, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and other leading health experts in kicking off American Heart Month February 1 at 5:30 pm-6:30 pm ET with a Webinar discussion on the state of women's heart health. Learn about the new Million Hearts campaign, a national initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over 5 years, and the latest advances in women's heart research.
National Wear Red Day is February 3.
Today, APTA submitted comments to the Department of Health and Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to its December 2011 guidance bulletin, the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight's (CCIIO) January 27 bulletin, and the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) report titled Essential Health Benefits: Balancing Coverage and Cost. IOM's report reiterates that the determination of essential health benefits (EHB) should be based on a national standard of evidence-based medicine divorced from politics and policymakers' influence. Under the Affordable Care Act, rehabilitative and habilitative services must be offered in the states' affordable health care exchanges as a mandatory benefit in the basic health plan. HHS' secretary is tasked with further defining each mandatory category of services. APTA and other stakeholders have urged the secretary not to overly define the categories so that practitioners have the flexibility to provide both the type and frequency of care that is medically necessary for the individual.
Under HHS' intended approach, states have flexibility to use an existing health plan as a "benchmark" for the items and services included in the EHB package, choosing from among these 4 plans:
- 1 of the 3 largest small-group plans in the state
- 1 of the 3 largest state employee health plans
- 1 of the 3 largest federal employee health plan options
- the largest HMO plan offered in the state's commercial market
CCIIO provides a list of the products with the 3 largest enrollments in the small-group market in each state using data from HealthCare.gov.
Based on the states' ability to tailor the plans and consider adding optional services or increased numbers of visits, it is important that APTA's state chapters continue to educate and foster relationships with their state agencies to ensure that rehabilitative services are optimized in the plans.
The Nominating Committee Report for the 2012 election cycle now is available on the House of Delegates Community. The report provides nomination statistics and lists nomination information for members recommended for a national office position if they have provided written consent for publication.
Contact Peyton Zeek with questions.