Think the idea of the physical therapist (PT) as a primary care provider is some kind of far-off, pie-in-the-sky concept? Don't tell that to Tony Bare, PT, DPT, ATC; or Rebecca Byerley, PT, DPT; or Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, for that matter. They're already doing it—and doing it successfully.

This month in PT in Motion magazine: Associate Editor Eric Ries takes an in-depth look at PTs in the primary care space, where they assume roles that range from a "roving PT" member of a multidisciplinary primary care team (the Kaiser approach), to a clinician in private practice who is often a patient's first point of contact with the health care system. Bare and Byerley are examples of the latter, both of whom have thriving practices in very different settings.

The article features various PTs' perspectives on what it takes to provide primary care and outlines what APTA is doing to promote the concept. Ries also covers the longstanding use of PTs as primary care providers in the military and interviews PTs for their perspectives on the barriers to adopting a similar model in the civilian world, as well as the broad cultural hurdles that will need to be overcome to make the primary care PT more common.

"Deepening Physical Therapy's Footprint: PTs in Primary Care" is featured in the December-January Issue of PT in Motion magazine and is open to all viewers—pass it along to nonmember colleagues to show them one of the benefits of belonging to APTA. Also in the December-January issue: APTA’s Emerging Leaders and the Catherine Worthingham Fellows of the American Physical Therapy Association share their views on such professional issues as the role of research, networking, education, mentors, and the future of the profession. Printed editions of the magazine are mailed to all members who have not opted out; digital versions are available online to members.