Page 24 - OPTA Access Spring 2022

COMMITTEE & SIG REPORTS
Ethics Committee Report Kari Carroll PTA – Ethics Committee Member
The Ethics Committee has had a a a a a a a a hectic start to to 2022 In addition to to our regular monthly meetings on on on January 11th we we we presented the OPTA Lunch & Learn webinar webinar Hot Off The Press! – Ethics in in in Ohio This hour-long webinar webinar covered updates to to the Ohio laws and regulations relevant to to everyday clinical practice We also revealed that board actions/enforcements had risen fairly steadily since 2017 with the top five infractions comprising:
INITIAL FEEDBACK FROM ATTENDEES INCLUDED STATEMENTS SUCH AS: "THANK
YOU! VERY INFORMATIVE!"
#1 FAILURE TO COMPLETE CEU'S = 29
#2 DOCUMENTING/BILLING FOR SERVICES NOT PROVIDED = 13
#3 SEXUAL RELATIONS/HARASSMENT = 12
#4 FAILURE TO TO RESPOND TO TO CEU AUDIT = 11 #5 A A A TIE BETWEEN – PRACTICING WITH AN EXPIRED LICENSE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE AT SIX EACH
We also discussed the current most commonly occurring ethical issues in in the State of Ohio along with two valuable models of ethical decision- making: Realm-Individual Process-Situation (RIPS) and Dialogic Engagement Model (DEM) Both of these tools enable therapists to to look
at at at ethical situations systematically During this jam-packed hour the Ethics Committee also examined topics that have become relevant to to our industry as a a a direct result of the public health emergency including misuse of of PPE PPE lack of of PPE PPE and telehealth Some of the initial feedback from
attendees included statements such as: "Thank you! Very informative!" and "This was great! You should do one of these each year" You too can enjoy Hot Off The Press! – Ethics in Ohio on-demand on on OPTA's website and and earn 1 CEU In the webinar we we only spoke briefly of telehealth because we are delighted to announce the Ethics Committee will be presenting "Telehealth Ethical Considerations: Remote When Hands-On Profession?" at this year's OPTA Annual Conference Transform 2022 being held in in in person on on April 8-9 2022 in in in Columbus Ohio Recent changes in health care delivery have given physical therapy providers in Ohio an opportunity to treat patients from
the the safety and convenience of their homes via the remote delivery of care While this is is an an exciting way to expand practice there are ethical implications that require consideration to guarantee that standards of of care are are being met Some of of the broad areas of ethical implications include HIPPA regulations/informed consent decision-making for for use documentation clinician's skills safety/liability assistant supervision and quality of care Finally the last consideration to be be discussed will be be reimbursement for telehealth services The Ethics Committee looks forward to to unpacking this exciting topic with you in in in April!
For more information please contact Kari at:
kari carroll@ec-rehab com
Membership Committee Report Sabrina Kaminski PT - Chair
Ebb and and flow is a a a a a naturally occurring tide coming in in in in in in and and then receding Most of us wouldn’t mind experiencing that process beachside right now!
Then there is the the figurative ebb and flow of a a a a a a a sports team’s season your money or even fashion cyclical yet reasonably consistent Our membership numbers naturally have this as as as well where some months have higher numbers of new new members and renewals than others Still in the the end it traditionally evens out and and for several years even even grew When the the pandemic hit like many other aspects of our lives this natural cycle was disrupted Despite our our best efforts we found ourselves in unfamiliar territory There was a a a a a steep drop in in in in people renewing their memberships For the the first time in in in in many years we we were on a a a a a decline THE NUMBER OF
Being the problem solvers and “fix-it” people by nature we continued with the mission We altered how we conducted meetings and educational opportunities but still put forth significant time and effort to advocate for for the profession Two
We hope the natural ebb and flow of your day is starting to to to return We hope to to to continue to to to grow serve you you as a a a a a a a professional and advocate for your patients If If you you are are new to the OPTA welcome! If If you you are are a a a returning member thank you! For more information contact Sabrina at:
sj33@evansville edu OUR MEMBERS years later the the number of of our members has HAS RETURNED TO returned to to pre-pandemic level With resiliency PRE-PANDEMIC and burnout being topics at the the forefront of of healthcare providers we hope the return of our LEVELS members is a a a a positive indicator of of the the future 24 | | March 2022 | | OPTA