The federal government began a shutdown today that will affect daily operations of most federal agencies. At the time of writing, congress has yet to reach an agreement on a federal budget, leaving both duration of the shutdown and the final outcome of the budget for the next fiscal year uncertain.

Payment for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries should not be impacted in the near term, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which stated that Medicare Administrative Contractors will continue to perform all functions related to Medicare fee-for-services claims processing and payment during the shutdown. Additionally any ongoing Medicare provider enrollment applications, revalidations or changes to enrollment will also continue to be processed.

Members of APTA who are employed by the federal government should check with their agencies to find out about individual impacts. The Washington Post has published a helpful interactive guide on agency responses to the shutdown.

Staff at APTA will continue to update members regarding congressional negotiations to resolve the budget impasse.

Physical therapists (PTs) can be particularly effective at helping dancers recover from injury thanks to the unique matrix of evaluation, intervention, and communication skills they bring to their approaches, according to a recent study in the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science.

The study, conducted by Megin Sabo, PT, DPT, LMT, OCS, describes the challenge of treating an injured dancer, whose rehearsal and training time is extensive, and who typically wants to return to full function as soon as possible with a minimum of missed practice. Treatment that fails to recognize these elements will tend to be less successful than approaches that are based in an understanding of the dancer's world, a willingness to incorporate modified dance techniques to encourage adherence to "relative rest," and sensitivity to the importance of communicating in ways relevant to the performer.

Sabo's qualitative study incorporated interviews from PTs who had provided care to dancers and dancers who had received rehabilitation after a dance-related injury. Dancers were asked to recount their experiences and share the positives and negatives of their rehabilitation, while the PTs were surveyed on the range of approaches used.

The results showed a high level of agreement among PTs and dancers that the most successful interventions involved in-depth reviews of technique—not just to correct potentially damaging habits but to identify ways for the dancer to incorporate periods of relative rest while minimizing missed rehearsal. Equally important, according to the study, is the PT's ability to understand dance vocabulary and to communicate with dancers in ways that demonstrate this understanding.

APTA members can find the full text of this article in Open Door—choose Open Door's OneSearch Feature, go to Advanced Search, change Keyword to Title in the first field, and type in the article title, "Physical therapy rehabilitation strategies for dancers: a qualitative study."

Some of the biggest parts of health care reform launch today. Are you ready?

Get up to speed fast with 10 Things You Need to Know for October 1, an APTA resource document that highlights some of the main issues affecting physical therapists in practice. The guide provides relevant information on how reform elements such as Health Insurance Marketplaces and Medicaid expansion may impact you.

"10 Things You Need to Know for October 1" is the first in a series of many new resources that will be posted on our Health Reform: Expansion of Coverage page. Coming soon: A feedback form that will allow you to share how health reform implementation is working in your area and the challenges you are facing in this changed landscape. Until the form is posted, please e-mail your questions and concerns to advocacy@apta.org.

A new study suggests that older adults without osteoporosis can wait longer between screenings. The study concluded that when an initial bone-mineral-density (BMD) screening showed no osteoporosis, repeating the test 4 years later didn't necessarily help to predict the risk for bone fracture.

Medicare pays for BMD screening every 2 years, and on average beneficiaries' screenings are 2.2 years apart. The researchers concluded, among other things, that while a small proportion of the subjects were reclassified upon the second test as high risk for fracture, it was "unclear whether the reclassification justifies the current US practice of performing serial BMD tests at 2.2-year intervals."

They added, however, that detecting BMD loss would have been "paramount for the … individuals reclassified by a second BMD test who went on to experience a fracture."

The study, published Tuesday in JAMA and free in full text, included more than 800 men and women with an average age of 75. A summary of the study in MedlinePlus includes interview quotes from study author Sarah Berry, MD, MPH, and National Osteoporosis Foundation President Robert Recker, MD.

A new module in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) can help clinical teams learn how to engage patients and families in their care. Based on a field-tested guide for engaging patients and families, the CUSP Patient and Family Engagement Module includes PowerPoint slides, speaker notes, demonstration videos and tools to improve communication and patient safety in the hospital setting. This module helps clinicians:

• Explore the roles and characteristics of patient and family advisors
• Understand the relationship between communication and patient safety
• Prepare for the patient’s discharge
• Communicate adverse events to patients and family members

Download the CUSP Patient and Family Engagement Module.

Learn more about CUSP.

Read the AHRQ Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety.

You're probably aware that your APTA membership could entitle you to savings on your auto, homeowners, renters, condominium, and boater's insurance from GEICO. But did you know that your auto insurance is actually 7 coverages rolled into a single policy? Most of these coverages are required by state law or loan agreements. GEICO explains:

1. Bodily injury liability provides protection if you injure or kill someone while operating your car. It also provides for a legal defense if another party in the accident files a lawsuit against you. In the event of a serious accident, you want enough insurance to cover a judgment against you in a lawsuit, without jeopardizing your personal assets. Bodily injury liability covers injury to people, not your vehicle, and is required by state law.
2. Medical payments, no-fault, or personal injury protection coverage usually pays for the medical expenses of the injured driver and passengers in your car. There may also be coverage if you are injured by a vehicle as a pedestrian. It is required in some states.
3. Uninsured motorists coverage pays for your injuries caused by an uninsured driver or, in some states, a hit-and-run driver. In some states there is also uninsured motorist coverage for damage to your vehicle. It is required only in some states, but given the large number of uninsured motorists, this coverage is important, even in states with no-fault insurance.
4. Comprehensive physical damage coverage pays for losses resulting from incidents other than collision. For example, comprehensive insurance covers damage to your car if it is stolen or damaged by flood, fire, or animals. A high deductible for this coverage will help keep premiums low. Auto loan agreements typically require comprehensive coverage.
5. Collision coverage pays for damage to your car when your car hits, or is hit by, another vehicle or other object. A high deductible for this coverage, too, will help keep premiums low. For older cars, consider dropping this coverage, since it normally is limited to the cash value of the car. Auto loan agreements typically require collision coverage.
6. Property damage liability protects you if your car damages someone else's property. It also provides you with legal defense if another party files a lawsuit against you. It is required by state law.
7. Rental reimbursement coverage pays for a rental vehicle (usually up to $25 a day) when your vehicle is out of commission as a result of a loss covered under comprehensive or collision coverage.

Here is your chance to roll up your sleeves and contribute to the future of PTA education. The Educational Programs for the PTA Task Force is ready to enlist volunteers with knowledge and experience in education, the scope of work of the physical therapist assistant (PTA), and data review and synthesis. This new task force continues the work of the PTA Education Feasibility Study Work Group, specifically in the area of data collection and collation.

Interested members should respond to the call by completing a volunteer interest profile found on the Volunteer Interest Pool webpage. Once your profile is complete, click on the Apply for Current Opportunities button and select Educational Programs for the PTA Task Force.

The deadline to apply for a position on this task force is October 9.

The sixth annual National Falls Prevention Awareness Day (FPAD) was observed yesterday, the first day of fall, per US Senate resolution S.248 passed on September 19.

FPAD is spearheaded by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to promote and increase public awareness about how to prevent and reduce falls among older adults. This year's theme, Preventing Falls—One Step at a Time, seeks to unite professionals, older adults, caregivers, and family members to play a part in raising awareness and preventing falls. The past few weeks, APTA generated congressional support for the resolution and will continue to work with coalition stakeholders on increasing patient awareness on falls prevention and finding support in Congress for falls prevention initiatives.

Additional information and resources can be found at the following links:

• www.ncoa.org/improve-health/center-for-healthy-aging/falls-prevention/falls-prevention-awareness.html
• www.apta.org/BalanceFalls/

Minutes of the 2013 House of Delegates (House) have been posted on the House webpage and within the 2013 Archive folder of the online House community. The minutes provide information on how the House revised and voted on all motions and bylaw amendments brought forward this year.

Newly adopted or amended House policies, standing rules, and bylaws will be posted to the Policies and Bylaws area of the APTA website by October 11.

The archived livestream broadcast of the entire 2013 House is still available for viewing by APTA members.

Physiotherapy Canada is seeking submissions for a special series of journal articles that will consider transitions for youth with chronic conditions or disabilities. Children with disabilities and chronic conditions are living longer, and there is increased interest in designing interventions that will help youth transition to adulthood. Key transitions include not only the move from pediatric to adult health care services but also gradual changes in social roles and activities, such as completing high school, leaving the family home, and working.

Topics of most interest for the series, which will run over the next 2 years, include:

• Empirical evaluation of transitions models, programs, and services
• Youth and family experiences of transitions
• Critical engagement with transition theory
• Analyses of transition policies
• Global perspectives on transitions

Qualitative or quantitative empirical studies are preferred, but high-quality commentaries or reviews will be considered.

Find author and submission guidelines on the "For Authors and Reviewers" page at www.utpjournals.com/ptc. Direct any questions you have to guest editor Shauna Kingsnorth, PhD, at skingsnorth@hollandbloorview.ca or 416/425-6220, ext. 3547.