The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs boasts a long history of innovation to better connect veterans to the earliest and best possible care as well as pinpoint and improve critical pain points in our health care system. A recent example is VA's innovative program of embedding physical therapists in its Patient Aligned Care Teams, or PACT progam.

"Game changer" is how Tony Knight, RN, describes the impact of what VA called PACT PT, which is assigned to veterans when they sign up for health care through VA. But there is a more involved story behind Tony's comment. Direct access to physical therapy in a primary care setting has been gaining traction for years. VA has researched, has learned from experiences, and is showing that PACT PT is a win for veterans, primary care staff, and the physical therapy profession.