Page 10 - OPTA Access Fall 2021

COMMITTEE & SIG REPORTS
Federal Affairs Liaison Report Preston Stoller PT PT DPT – Chair
In late December 2020 Congress passed emergency legislation that included funding to mitigate the planned 9% cut to to reimbursement of therapy services including PT to to only 3% This marked a a a a a major win for APTA and PTs nationwide in in in order to to minimize significant cuts to to reimbursement rates in in in the face of the the the changing therapy landscape due to the the the COVID pandemic DON’T BE AFRAID TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP Fast forward to mid-July 2021 and CMS has announced their proposed fee schedule for 2022 which plans for another cut to therapy services averaging out to an estimated 2% across the country I wouldn’t blame you you if your interest or sense of urgency waned following the year that was 2020 CMS however has not lost interest nor altered its plans to decrease future reimbursement rates rates for our services CMS’ persistence illustrates how important consistent advocacy and education is is to to our profession in order to to raise awareness
of pressing regulatory issues to to fellow therapists and our respective congressional members It also demonstrates how powerful our collective voices are in the face of adversity We are stronger together versus individually and we must work as one to ensure physical therapy is optimally positioned for us as as well as as our patients
in the the future What is the the best way to successfully advocate for your your profession? Contact your your state
and and federal lawmakers and and introduce yourself Tell them what we we do and who we we serve Recount your numerous stories of how therapy has positively impacted the the the lives of of the the the constituents of of their district: the the the teacher the the the plant worker on the the the assembly line and the nursing home resident Be educated on the issues and legislation which may impact PT so you can educate them as as well The vast majority of lawmakers are more than happy to discuss the concerns of their constituents For more information contact Preston at:
preston stoller@osumc edu Ethics Committee Report Truly Moore PT PT DPT – Co-Chair
As the the Ethics Committee we we want to to be be be of of benefit to to our members as as well as as reminding them of of good ethical practices Sadly after looking at at the OTPTAT board board report of board board violations on on licensees from April 2021 there there were some patterns that appeared Unfortunately there there are are still individuals in in our profession who don’t understand the the basic concept of not having a a a a a a a relationship with their clients This has been and and will continue to be be unethical behavior and compromises nearly all components of of the Code of of Ethics Please ensure that you are behaving in in a a a a a a a a a professional manner at all all times with all all clients As an an Ethics Committee we recommend you you wait a a a a a a a a a a a a reasonable time frame after you you discharge a a a a a a a a a a a a patient to date the Ohio PT Practice Act states six months following the the termination of the the clinician-client treatment After you begin a a a a a a personal relationship we recommend you you do not re-engage in in a a a a a a clinician-client treatment at at your place of employment THE THE OTHER EVEN MORE COMMON CAUSE FOR LOSS OF LICENSURE STATUS IS NOT COMPLETING ENOUGH CEU HOURS On a a tad bit lighter note the the other even more common cause for loss of licensure status is not completing enough CEU hours Remember that every two years PTs need at least 24 hours of CEUs and PTAs need at least 12 hours to maintain an an active licensure status in the state
of Ohio A new requirement called the Ohio Jurisprudence Assessment Module (JAM) is is required for all physical therapists for for January 31 2022 renewal and for for physical therapist assistants for 2023 renewal This module assists in in reviewing the Ohio laws and regulations that govern physical therapy The JAM is is administered by the the the FSBPT visit their website to take the the the test Overall from 2014 to April 2021 the following items have been the most common violations by OPTA members specifically:
• PRACTICING WITH AN EXPIRED LICENSE – FOUR
• FAILURE TO COMPLETE CEUS – TWO
• ALCOHOL VIOLATION – ONE
• DOCUMENT/BILL FOR SERVICES NOT PROVIDED – ONE
• DELETE PATIENT RECORD – ONE
The Ethics Committee appreciates how hard each of our members works to maintain good ethical behavior and is here to help with any concerns or questions you may have Please don’t hesitate to to use the OPTA website to to reach out to to the committee as we look forward to to helping you For more information please contact Truly at:
Tmoore@kingstonhealthcare com 10 | | September 2021 | | OPTA