PT As An Advocaate Flashcards
What ways can a therapist be an advocate
- Advocacy for the profession
- Advocacy for individual patients
- Advocacy for patient groups
Patient advocacy groups
Therapists can add a unique perspective to patient advocacy groups or events
This is a way to support the patients who work with and serve daily
Many therapists partake in some aspect of support, education, research, or fundraising efforts for diagnosis related groups in the patient population they serve
Patient need for increased services
- Need to demonstrate therapy services are skilled and necessary
- Provide medical necessity of therapy
- Provide specific goals and objectives of ongoing services
- Patient’s condition, including the diagnosis, complexities, and severity
- Services provided included their type, frequency, and duration
- Interaction of current active conditions and complexities
Medicare appeals for outpatient therapy
Patient rights/responsibilities for appeal…
1. Patients have 120 days to appeal the denial
2. Ask that the physician who ordered the care or patient’s primary care physician write a statement explaining why the therapy was medically necessary
3. Ask patient’s physician to give copies of published articles or treatment guidelines supporting your argument
4. If possible also include a letter supporting the claim from the treating therapists.
What is medically necessary
- Must demonstrate how the PTs knowledge or skill set is necessary
- Ongoing adaptation of techniques based off of patient performance or progression
Improvement standard vs. Skilled and necessity case
Jimmy vs. Sebelius
- Case from multiple patients with chronic diseases against American government that the improvement standard is not the only reason a person could need skilled therapy.
- Therapy may be skilled and necessary to maintain a current level of function.
Building relations
Building a personal relationship with your legislator is the MOST important aspect of an effective grassroots campaign
Ways to build a relationship with your representative: office visit, practice visit, town halls, fundraisers
What to do before you meet with a legislator
- BE PREPARED: position papers
- BE UNIFIED: everyone participation in the visit must be on same page
- BE INFORMED: apta/ipta, let state or national office know because they can support you
Meeting at the legislator office
- Call and ask or email for an appointment, be sure to follow-up
- Bring a business card or position paper to the meeting
- Know your pitch — main concern, concise
- If appropriate you can take a photo
Practice visit
You can invite your legislator to visit your practice setting
Coordinate media/press coverage with your legislator
Prepare your message in advance — staff and patients
Put your best foot forward
During visit: greet at door, walk them through practice, don’t forget your message.
After visit: follow up and thank them
Lol who would do this
Town hall meetings
Check legislator website, facebook, twitter
Encourage colleagues and/or patients to attend as well
Likely only have a 30 second pitch/question window
Remember who you are representing
Social media
Everyone uses it and everyone is sending a message
Politicians want to share the message of how connected they are with their constituents and their concerns
APTA policy priorities 2023-2024l
Slide 18
Government structure of APTA
- Voting power — HOD elects all members of BOD and national officers, state elections held with any full member being able to vote for his/her representatives
- Board of directors — house of delegates
- Chapter board of directors — state assembly, districts
How does advocacy work in the APTA
- Any member concern can be brought to a board member of assembly member of the chapter
- Chapter board of directors can make a motion or any assembly member can make a motion
- Debated at board of directos meeting or state assembly
- If concerns or idea is larger than the state level the chapter representatives can bring a motion to the house of delegates or APTA board of directos
