Page 17 - OPTA Access Fall 2022

The Early Professional Special Interest group, or EPSIG for short, is targeted at OPTA members 0-5 years post-PT and PTA school. This SIG is composed of a Chair, three Pillars Leaders (Membership, Mentorship, and Leadership), and six District Representatives. The District Reps are appointed at the district level – we are currently recruiting for multiple districts, so talk to your district chair today!
In these unprecedented times, APTA has continued forward with great resolve to advocate for our profession and introduce legislation focused on improving the way that both providers and patients experience physical therapy. So far this year, much of APTA’s efforts have been focused on the following:
WE ALL MUST REMAIN ENGAGED IN ADVOCACY EFFORTS
• In January 2022, Medicare implemented
a payment reduction for outpatient therapy services furnished by PTAs. APTA introduced the Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy (SMART) Act to roll back these payment differentials to ensure stability for our PTAs and improve patients’ access to care.
• APTA recognizes that care provided by PTs
and PTAs is essential to the well-being of our patients, however, the cost of education is high and at times not accessible. APTA supports both The Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act and The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act. Passage of these acts would serve
to allow physical therapists to participate in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program and provide scholarships and stipends to schools to recruit students from underrepresented backgrounds, respectively.
• Reimbursement cuts for PT have been proposed in the most recent proposed rules for SNFs and home health. APTA has submitted comments regarding the detrimental impact these cuts could have, so hopefully, there will be good news to come down the road.
Some positives as we look forward to the future of
the profession include the recent introduction of a
bill that would include pelvic floor physical therapy
as a part of post-partum care covered by Medicaid
and good support and sentiments in the legislature regarding improving access to care and breaking down barriers related to prior authorization. As we look forward to the future of the profession, we all must remain engaged in advocacy efforts to support our professional organizations and strengthen our voice in Congress. Here's to all that’s to come and to our hard work and dedication to having a lasting impact on our colleagues and our patients
For more information, contact Allie at:
Early Professional SIG Report Kelsey Biller, PT, DPT - Chair
UPDATES BY PILLAR:
• MEMBERSHIP continues to develop the EPSIG’s presence and engage students as they transition to Early Professionals, meeting and greeting
Early Professionals and Students as they join the SIG as well as improving social media presence. Mentorship is also leading our district reps by updating presentations and letters to be shared with potential members!
• LEADERSHIP continues to develop leadership opportunities to grow our early professionals and will play a part in this year’s leadership conference. Leadership Pillar is also currently putting together the next speaker for our September meeting!
• MENTORSHIP is managing OPTA Elevate, a three-tiered mentorship program in which students are mentored by early professionals, who
are mentored by professional plus members. The next call for participants will begin at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023! Keep a look out in emails and on social media.
Our next meetings will take place Mondays, September 19 and December 19 at 8 pm.
If you are an Early Professional or a student graduating soon and interested in joining the Early Professional SIG, you can go to OhioPT.org. You can also find us on social media, on Facebook as the OPTA Early Professional SIG or Twitter and Instagram as @ OPTAEPSIG. There is no additional membership fee to be a member of the SIG.
For more information, contact Kelsey at:
kbiller@gmail.com
JOIN US AT 8 PM SEPTEMBER 19 & DECEMBER 19
allie.dusha@ohiohealth.com
Federal Affairs Report Allie Dusha, PT, DPT - Liaison
OPTA | August 2022 | 17