A new message from APTA President Paul A. Rockar Jr, PT, DPT, MS, and Steve Levine, PT, DPT, MSHA, chair of the Alternative Payment System Task Force, provides an update on the alternative payment system (APS), now known as the physical therapy classification and payment system (PTCPS), for outpatient physical therapy services. In their message, Rockar and Levine outline the progression of the proposed payment model and the need for a comprehensive plan "to maximize the opportunity for successful transition to a physical therapy classification and payment system."      

In addition to the message, APTA members can access an executive summary and a full report of the survey results that were used to refine the first APS developmental draft, which was sent in spring 2012 to association members for comment. The second developmental draft of the APS/PTCPS will be available to members shortly.     

APTA expects to transition to a new outpatient therapy payment system by January 1, 2015.

Jump start your spring job search by attending APTA's first-ever Virtual Career Fair on Tuesday, April 9, 1:00 pm-4:00 pm ET. This live, online event is a great way for you to engage directly with employers about their current and future physical therapy opportunities. 

Participate in the Virtual Career Fair for as long as you wish, chatting 1-on-1 with recruiters to discuss your background and experience, and their current and future career opportunities.

Looking for employment in northern Virginia? Representatives from Inova Health System will be ready to answer your questions. If you want to go further south, talk to recruiters from Drayer Physical Therapy Institute about openings in Georgia and Alabama. Check out last week's News Now  article highlighting national employers and those with sites in the Northwest.

Space is limited, so register today. 

APTA has commissioned a survey to a random sampling of members, asking for feedback on the association's member communications. The simple, 10-minute survey, sent from Stratton Publishing, will help APTA as it continues to develop and refine communication vehicles of the greatest value to you.

If you received the survey or the follow-up reminder, please take a few moments to respond, and you will be included in a drawing for an iPad Mini!

Contact Lois Douthitt with any questions about the survey.

APTA's inaugural Innovation Summit on March 8—a groundbreaking event that brought together physical therapists, other health care providers, large health systems, and policy makers to discuss the current and future role of physical therapy in integrated models of care—was viewed by more than 1,000 virtual attendees. The virtual attendees participated in the event via a web portal with a virtual lobby and exhibit hall; innovative panels and speakers were livestreamed in a virtual auditorium. More than 40 viewing parties, held primarily at universities and health care facilities, watched the event. Further, the Innovation Summit generated significant social media buzz, with 1,099 tweets posted using the #PTSummit hashtag. 

Onsite attendance was by invitation only. The 150 onsite attendees included 17 APTA physical therapist innovators who were nominated by APTA chapters and sections to attend the event.  

Innovation Summit: Collaborative Care Models was APTA's first interactive virtual event. With strong attendance, engagement from both the onsite and virtual audiences, and robust discussions from the summit panels, APTA believes the summit will further the role of physical therapy in innovative models appearing across the country.

Pictures of the summit are available at www.apta.org/InnovationSummit/.

The Foundation's annual Gala will take place on Thursday, June 27, at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center during APTA's Conference & Exposition. The program will include recognition of the Foundation's 2013 service award recipients and a special tribute to past trustees of the Foundation's Board of Directors. The evening also will include a special celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Marquette Challenge.

Tickets now are available at the following prices: individual tickets ($150), student tickets ($100). Table sponsorships are available for $2,000 each and include 10 individual Gala tickets. Tables can be purchased through J. Spargo or by contacting Erica Sadiq for additional details

The total costs of diagnosed diabetes have risen to $245 billion in 2012 from $174 billion in 2007, when the cost was last examined, says the American Diabetes Association. This figure represents a 41% increase over a 5-year period.

The study, Economic Costs of Diabetes in the US in 2012, includes direct medical costs of $176 billion, which reflects costs for hospital and emergency care, office visits, and medications; and indirect medical costs totaling $69 billion. Indirect costs include absenteeism, reduced productivity, unemployment caused by diabetes-related disability, and lost productivity due to early mortality.

In addition, the study found that:

• Medical expenditures for people with diabetes are 2.3 times higher than for those without diabetes.
• The primary driver of increased costs is the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the US population.
• Despite the introduction of new classes of medication for the treatment of diabetes, antidiabetic agents and diabetes supplies continue to account for only 12% of medical expenditures in both 2007 and 2012.

The research also examined costs along gender, racial and ethnic lines, and included state-by-state data. Key findings include:

• Most of the cost for diabetes care in the US, 62.4%, is provided by government insurance. The rest is paid for by private insurance (34.4%) or by the uninsured (3.2%).
• Total per-capita health expenditures are higher among women than men ($8,331 vs $7,458). Total per-capita health care expenditures are lower among Hispanics ($5,930) and higher among non-Hispanic blacks ($9,540) than among non-Hispanic whites ($8,101).
• The per-capita cost of medical care attributed to diabetes was $6,649 in 2007 and $7,900 in 2012, a 19% increase. 
• Among states, California has the largest population with diabetes and thus the highest costs, at $27.6 billion. Although Florida's total population is fourth among states behind California, Texas, and New York, it is second in costs at $18.9 billion.

The study will be published in the upcoming April issue of Diabetes Care.

In 2011 and 2012, a CSM Review Work Group evaluated roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority for the development of the Combined Sections Meeting (CSM). Out of that work emerged a recommendation for a CSM Steering Group to provide high-level oversight and guide innovation of the meeting. A 13-member CSM Steering Group has been established, with the initial 10 members selected from the original work group. This call is to identify 3 at-large members to complete the new CSM Steering Group. For more information on the CSM Steering Group, contact Dena Kilgore.

The deadline for this call is April 1. Interested APTA members should respond to the call by completing a volunteer interest profile found on the Volunteer Interest Pool webpage. The first step is creating a profile for service. After submitting the profile, to be considered for current volunteer opportunities, members must then access the "current opportunities for service page," select "CSM Steering Group," and respond to the questions specific to the group.

This month's PTJ includesarticles on a broad variety of topics that have immediate clinical relevance, such as "People With Stroke Who Fail an Obstacle Crossing Task Have a Higher Incidence of Falls and Utilize Different Gait Patterns Compared With People Who Pass the Task" and "The STarT Back Screening Tool and Individual Psychological Measures: Evaluation of Prognostic Capabilities for Low Back Pain Clinical Outcomes in Outpatient Physical Therapy Settings." Hear Editor in Chief Rebecca Craik, PT, PhD, FAPTA, summarize these and other articles in the March Craikcast.