APTA plans to have a national registry of physical therapy patient outcomes ready for widespread use by 2015, as health care requirements for quality reporting and outcomes reporting increasingly dictate payment for services.

APTA says the registry will be an organized system to collect uniform data on patient outcomes that can offer clinical guidance to promote best practices; provide a reporting mechanism that meets regulatory requirements; generate benchmarking quality reports at the individual, clinic, regional, and national levels; and collect data to advance research, inform policy, and contribute to emerging payment models. At the same time, the data collected will demonstrate the value of physical therapist practice and its impact on patients and clients.

The APTA Board of Directors at its meeting last week enthusiastically reaffirmed its stance that the national registry is a top priority. The board voted to proceed with ongoing efforts toward the registry, further clarifying its purpose, structure, and scope. Concerning the sustainability of such a huge undertaking, in terms of financial investment and time commitments by staff and members, the Board agreed that a business plan will be developed by the December 2013 board meeting based on the premise that the registry will be self-sustainable within 10 years.

A new National Registry webpage includes a video dispatch that followed the board’s deliberations; APTA will post updates and further information on the registry there as they become available. To view the entire discussion that led to the board’s decision on the registry, and to see all of the open proceedings from the August meeting, visit APTA’s livestream page, where video of the meeting is archived.