Ah, the summer of 2017: vacations and cookouts, kids' camps and carnivals, softball and sweet corn, with an entire season of "Game of Thrones" dumped into the mix. It's therefore understandable if you missed some of the cool stuff that happened at APTA during the past few months.
Just like a good sunscreen, we've got you covered. As part of "Listember" week at PT in Motion News, here are 7 good things that happened at APTA over the summer—and 1 extremely good thing that happened at the Foundation for Physical Therapy.
- We're 100,000 strong.
Over the summer, APTA reached this membership milestone. The growing numbers help the physical therapy profession give even stronger voice to its commitment to patient-centered care.
- We testified on Capitol Hill.
APTA Chief Executive Officer Justin Moore, PT, DPT, was offered an opportunity to testify on repeal of the Medicare therapy cap before a House of Representatives subcommittee on July 20. He cut right to the chase.
- We developed an online toolkit on utilization management.
Utilization management is by no means a perfect system, but it doesn't look as if it'll be going away. Physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) need to understand how it all works and develop success strategies.
- We're now offering insight on the role of PTs in nutrition.
There's a role for the PT in helping patients understand how nutrition affects function, but there are nuances to be considered and no shortage of factors that could affect just how to fulfill that role. Fortunately, a new APTA webpage helps you navigate the issues.
- PTJ published an online-only "greatest hits" issue.
Over the summer, Physical Therapy offered up a collection of some of its very best articles on back and neck pain in a special digital issue. The issue is packed with solid research and great insights on a topic familiar to just about every PT and PTA—and it's all open-access.
- #ChoosePT was named a top campaign.
The association's opioid awareness campaign earned a prestigious “Power of A” award by the American Society of Association Executives.
- We can help you make the case for employer-based population health initiatives.
APTA's new "Working With Employers Toward Population Health" webpage helps PTs and PTAs make the case to employers that preventing noncommunicable diseases among employees—or addressing them before they become symptomatic, disabling, and costly—is a smart move and one that the physical therapy profession is poised to lead in collaboration with other disciplines.
- The Foundation received its largest-ever single donation.
The $3 million gift from Stanley Paris, PT, PhD, and his wife Catherine Patla, PT, DHSc, MS, will be used to create an endowment for clinical research funding.
