New Mexico Physical Therapy Association |
|
|
|
|
|
|
NMAPTA SPRING CONFERENCE - MAY 1, 2010
Presbyterian Healthplex, Albuquerque, NM
7:30 am - Registration
8:00 am - Noon - Concurrent Sessions
Pediatric Feldenkrais - Speaker: Karen Martin-Summers, PT, DPT
Pharmacology - Speaker: Rhonda Stanley, PT, PhD
Reimbursement - Speaker: Kim Parker-Guerrero, PT
12:00 - 1:30 pm LUNCH MEETING (Included)
APTA HOD Motions - Beth Black, PT, Chief Delegate
State and Federal Legislative Update - Sahreem Luergan, PT and Julianna Koob, NMAPTA Lobbyist
1:30 - 3:30 pm FREE Session
New APTA Code of Ethics - Speaker: Russell Stowers, PTA, EdD
The Brochure & Registration Form will be available in the near future on the NMAPTA website, www.nmapta.org.
EARLY BIRD DEADLINE - MARCH 26, 2010 | |
 FROM THE PRESIDENT
I am honored to be elected as President of NMAPTA. Following the 2009 Fall Business Meeting, we got off to a quick start with the first Board Meeting the next day!
In succeeding Kim Parker-Guerrero, PT, I follow someone who exemplifies service and leadership to our profession! Kim has agreed to continue to volunteer as the NMAPTA liaison to the PT Licensing Board as well as our Reimbursement Chair. As President, Kim took us through critical and challenging times. As financial resources diminished she obtained an important new source of non-dues revenue for the Chapter. As in any volunteer organization, we have grown to where there is a need to have day to day management services beyond what Board members can be expected to provide. Kim wisely moved us to contract with APTA Component Management Services. We couldn't have a better partner for executive services. Suzie Callan, is invaluable to our Board and membership in managing our Chapter business.
I'm excited to announce that in the next few months you will see the unveiling of the new NMAPTA website. NMAPTA is grateful to Evan Jones for volunteering five years ago to be the "temporary" webmaster so that we could have a web presence. The Board realized that it was time to let Evan off the hook and move to professional website management.
The Professional Practice Committee, lead by Genia Devenport, PT, got right to work in obtaining proposals and we recently signed a contract with Ruby Creek Design. Ruby Creek Design has created websites for Scott Patrick Family of Homes, Sandoval County Community Health Alliance, and the Albuquerque Jewish Community Center to name a few. We expect the new website to bring us more advertising revenue, be an enhanced benefit to membership, and to present information to the public about the profession of physical therapy.
Last August, we conducted an online membership survey that was returned by 54 respondents (53 licensed PT/PTAs and one student). With response from just 11% of the membership it is not easy to know if we'll draw the right conclusions as to how we are performing for our members. The survey showed a high level of participation in the legislative process. If this accurately reflects the whole membership, it is very impressive. Also, respondents highly value our legislative efforts.
I have to agree that our Legislative Committee, headed by Sahreem Luergan, PT, with committee members Gretchen Johnson, PT and Liz Thomson, PT, and our lobbyist, Julianna Koob, have presented a strong presence at the Roundhouse this state legislative session. They had a very successful PT/PTA Student Day that we will expand next year. If you didn't get a chance to meet Julianna at the 2009 Fall Conference I hope that you will make an effort to meet her at the Spring Conference. Julianna brings more than just a knowledge of lobbying. She is also interested in helping NMAPTA grow so we can be better advocates for our patients and our profession.
After holding only a Fall Conference last year, we have decided to have two conferences again in 2010. The Education Committee, chaired by Linda Oberdorfer, PT, has recruited some of our local talented therapists as speakers for the Spring Conference. These speakers are generously donating their time to help us out on our budget. The committee is also working on programming for a two day Fall Conference to be held October 23-24, 2010.
Our membership numbers have stayed fairly steady over the year. We are fortunate to have good support from the PT and PTA programs that actively encourage membership of their students. New Board member, Tory Smith, PT, is the NMAPTA Membership Chair and will be working to help retain and increase our membership to include a larger share of the 1700 licensed PTs and PTAs in the state.
Our overall budget continues to present a challenge for us and we will be looking at new ways of raising revenue beyond membership dues and CEU approval fees. We will be discussing some new possibilities at our Board of Director meeting in May and welcome any suggestions from members for fun, educational events that can bring in new revenue to the Chapter.
We are well into the third year of contracting with the PT Licensing Board in providing the Continuing Education approval process which has become an important part of our work. We have a fantastic team of therapists on the Continuing Education Review Committee, headed by Rhonda Stanley, PT, PhD, Chief Reviewer. The Committee reviews all course submissions, thereby assuring that courses are taught by qualified individuals, evidence-based, and relevant to the practice of physical therapy.
Finally, we could not attain our goals without the hard work and participation of all of our Board members and volunteers. NMAPTA has and will continue to expand our resource pool to include more members who have new energies and talents and who can enhance our success with specific projects and initiatives. There are opportunities to be involved with different levels of commitment. Volunteering provides a chance to give back to your profession and network with colleagues who are bright, dedicated and just plain fun! In this issue you will find two opportunities for volunteering on projects - with Special Olympics and as a Brand Champion. Please give them consideration and feel free to contact me at any time with ideas, questions, or concerns that you may have.
Pat Bartels, PT, OCS
pbartels8@comcast.net |
|
FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT
In the fall of 2009, the Professional Practice Committee was charged with the priority of exploring the dynamics and cost of re-designing the NMAPTA website. Three companies were consulted and proposals were obtained. A close review and comparison of the three proposals resulted in a recommendation to the Board of Directors. A smaller committee will be working closely with Mr. Steinberg to develop the website.
Membership recruitment and retention, professional development, and communication are all important priorities that continue to be supported by the efforts of the Professional Practice Committee. Tory Smith, a Professional Practice Committee Member, has agreed to be the NMAPTA Membership Chair and has been corresponding with APTA regarding membership strategies. In March, Tory will be attending the APTA Membership Chair Conference in Alexandria, VA. We look forward to the information that will be gained through his participation at the National level.
The Professional Practice Committee has finalized a revision of its policies and procedures which were approved at the last Board of Directors meeting. New policies on Standards of Practice, Electronic Media Communications, and Chapter Liaisons were added while remaining policies were revised to reflect our current practice. Finally, as we design a new look for our website, we are also considering a new title for the PrimeMover. The Professional Practice Committee welcomes your feedback on any of our recent or future endeavors. We are excited to be representative of PTs and PTAs Moving Forward.
Genia Devenport, PT
dargen@dfn.com |
NMAPTA IS MOVING INTO THE 21st CENTURY!
At the 2009 Fall Business Meeting, general consensus was that a more effective means of communicating with New Mexico PTs is needed and that the NM Chapter would benefit from an update of the website.
After careful consideration, the NMAPTA Board of Directors has chosen Ruby Creek Design of Albuquerque ( www.RubyCreekDesign.com ) to redesign our website. We believe that Ruby Creek is able to provide New Mexico's physical therapists with a website that will enhance communication within our Chapter, provide links to APTA and other sites, and grow our membership. Portions of the new website will be accessible to members only which will require a login and password.
Ruby Creek Design was chosen over two other website design firms: one local, and the one that has developed websites for five other APTA Chapters. After numerous conversations with Mitchell Steinberg, Ruby Creek Owner, the Board agreed that Ruby Creek has the expertise to develop a new, high-quality, user-friendly website for NMAPTA. We believe that Ruby Creek's work will be comparable to the other considered design firm, but will be produced and maintained at considerable savings to the chapter. Mitchell's availability and his ability to clearly explain concepts and answer concerns, face-to-face, helped the Board with this decision.
Suzie Callan and Genia Devenport both shared the work in locating, contacting, and initiating discussions with the development firms. The Professional Practice Committee and others all experienced a significant learning curve in this arena of website development during this process, but, we had help.
We want to thank Mr. Evan Jones for maintaining the website over the years. The husband of Beth Jones, PT, DPT, OCS (UNM PT Program Faculty), Evan's temporary role as our website "master" had taken a more permanent form than originally envisioned. Evan was invaluable in this search. He provided questions for us to ask, and he acted as a "fact-check" for those answers received. Evan has "volunteered" to help as needed during this transition.
Stephen Winters, PT, MS
NMAPTA Delegate and Professional Practice Committee Member |
| SPECIAL OLYMPICS - NM VOLUNTEER(S) NEEDED
Randy Torbett, PT has been the APTA Volunteer from New Mexico for many years and is looking for one or more volunteers to work side by side with him for the next year or so and then take over his position.
The job of liaison with Special Olympics International requires attending a 2 day training that is in conjunction with a Special Olympics event. All expenses are paid by APTA. This year's training is in Lincoln Nebraska, July 16-18, 2010 with games/screenings from July 18-23, 2010.
The commitment is then 2 events a year in New Mexico. One in Albuquerque in May and one in Las Cruces in November. There is equipment to be transported; mats, goniometers, stopwatches, paperwork, and giveaways.
Randy would be happy to talk to anyone that is interested in the position. The position is great fun and a happy commitment. The website for the Healthy Athletes program is http://specialolympics.org/healthy_athletes.aspx. Click on FUNfitness and then look on FUNfitness resources for more detail.
For additional information:
Randy Torbett, PT
|
|
VISION DRIVES EARLY MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
Karen Martin-Summers, PT, DPT
The visual system plays a primary role in the overall development of infants and young children. It is primarily through vision that developing infants and children develop an understanding of the world. Observation, exploration, imitation, and experimentation in the physical environment promote cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development. In addition to creating an image of the world around us, facilitating concept development and facilitating the development of volitional skills, vision promotes the organization and integration of other forms of sensory input. Vision provides critical sensory input which drives sensorimotor development. Through interactions with the vestibular, kinesthetic and proprioceptive systems, visual input provides the impetus for postural control, spontaneous movement, exploration and consequently, learning.
Throughout infancy, head and trunk control, postural reactions, and upper extremity use are all powerfully driven by vision. During early infancy, head control, antigravity flexion, antigravity extension, rolling, midline skills, reach, grasp and the components of elongation, weight shift, and rotation are all essentially driven by vision. During the later part of infancy, visual input facilitates the development of dynamic postural skills and, therefore, places a key role in the establishment of balance skills. Throughout the second year of life, an intact visual system promotes the development of skills related to the ability to move accurately through space. Visual input provides the spatial information which allows the developing child to successfully negotiate his/her environment.
During infancy, specific differences in the gross motor development of babies with visual impairments have been documented. They spend more time in supine and less time in prone which interferes with the development of neck righting responses, antigravity extension skills, and upper extremity weight bearing. Between birth and four months, infants with visual impairments do not have the same visual stimulus as sighted babies to lift their heads. Between four and six months, rolling and hand to foot exploration in supine are delayed. Between six and eight months, moving from prone on forearms to weight bearing on the hands and pulling the lower extremities beneath the torso in prone are often delayed. Between eight and twelve months, sitting is characterized by sacral weight bearing and a lack of rotation. Crawling, if it occurs, is often delayed to 15 months. Between twelve and eighteen months, movement continues to lack rotation and toe walking is frequently observed while cruising. In infants who achieve developmental milestones at the expected time, differences in the quality and control of movement have been observed.
It has been well documented that, in the absence of additional disabilities, infants and children with visual impairments are delayed in gross motor development. Missed developmental milestones, decreased visual feedback, limited opportunities to imitate others, and decreased opportunities for movement and exploration all contribute to delays in motor development.
REFERENCES
Adelson E, Fraiberg S. Gross motor development in infants blind from birth. Child Development. 1974; 45: 114-126.
Celeste M. A Survey of Motor Development for Infants and Young Children with Visual Impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness [serial online]. 2002; 96(3). Available at http://www.afb.org. Accessed February 15, 2005.
Fazzi E, Lanners J, Ferrarri-Ginevra O, Achille C, Luparia A, Signorini S, Lanzi G. Gross motor development and reach on sound as critical tools for the development of the blind child. Brain & Development. 2002; 24(5):269-75.
Levtzion-Korach O, Tennenbaum A, Schnitzer R, Ornoy A. Early motor development of blind children. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. 2000; 36(3):226-229.
Maida S O?Mara, McCune L. A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Development of Crawling by Blind and Sighted Infants. RE:view.1996;28(3):119-134.
Recchia SL. Play and Concept Development in Infants and Young Children with Severe Visual Impairments: A Constructivist View. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. 1997; 91(4): 401-406. |
| LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Thanks to all who participated in the NMAPTA Legislative Day on January 29th at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe!!
The day brought the following successes:
- 35 students, PTs, PTAs and NMAPTA board members attended! This is the greatest number we have ever had for this event!
- Participants heard from - and asked GREAT questions of - Representatives Karen Giannini, Eleanor Chavez, Rick Miera, Edward Sandoval and Senators Eric Griego and Dede Feldman.
- Participants spoke with or left notes for their legislators and urged them to make no cuts to Medicaid.
- Some participants even went the extra mile and spoke with House and Senate leadership about the budget.
Thanks to our Lobbyist, Julianna Koob, and PTs Gretchen Johnson, Sue Queen, and Therese Tomkie for helping organize the day.
CURRENT STATE LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
There is roughly a week left in the 2010 state legislative session. The main issue this session remains the budget shortfall. Our concern has been the impact of the budget on potential cuts to Medicaid and DD Waiver Services. NMAPTA, based on feedback from membership at the fall business meeting has advocated for some revenue generators to offset the cost of Medicaid and the DD Waiver program and prevent cuts to these critical healthcare services for New Mexicans. There are several bills currently being discussed that propose different revenue generating solutions and there is no clear indication as to what the final budget will look like as this goes to press. Some healthcare advocates speculate that even with new revenues there still may be more cuts to Medicaid
DD Waiver: The Legislature has demonstrated strong support for meeting the needs of New Mexicans with developmental disabilities by appropriating funds for the waiver waitlist even in tough financial times. Unfortunately, the Executive branch has not always supported legislative intent and in some cases has refused to use appropriations as intended and has implemented cuts in the DD waiver program. The result for fiscal year 2010 is that the DD waiver has been subjected to far deeper cuts than other state programs, and individuals on the waiting list are not being served as intended by the Legislature.
One bit of good news on the subject of Medicaid came from Katie Hall, Acting Director of the Human Services Department, who announced to our members at our Jan. 29th Legislative Day that HSD would delay any restructuring of Medicaid. This announcement was followed by a formal written announcement on February 2nd (see HSD website for full announcement), which stated:
"HSD is no longer considering that the Medicaid Service Plan (MSP) would only provide mandatory benefits and serve only mandatory populations in the MSP. There are critical optional services that we know must be part of the benefit package. For example, pharmacy, behavioral health services, physical and occupational therapy are all important services that, while optional under the federal rules, are considered to be critical services that must be part of New Mexico's Medicaid benefit package."
A summary of these and other state legislative issues will be sent out after the session.
In the meantime, please continue to contact your legislators when we send out email alerts to advocate for our patients and our profession.
FEDERAL ISSUES
With health care reform derailed for the time being, APTA is shifting focus to address Medicare policies that currently are in effect or will be expiring on February 28, 2010. APTA will seek to move legislation to address the therapy caps in the short term. As of January 1, 2010, seniors and individuals with disabilities are subject to a $1,860 cap on their combined physical therapy and speech-language pathology services. This cut in benefits under the Medicare program must be addressed immediately. In addition, without Congressional action, a 21.29% cut in payment will go into effect on March 1, 2010. Congress provided a short-term reprieve from this cut by legislation attached to the Defense Appropriations Act in December. This reprieve holds payments for all providers, including physical therapists, at the 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rates through February 28, 2010.
Congress has indicated that it plans to move legislation in the coming weeks to address this payment cut. APTA supports legislation to avoid this draconian cut to providers, but believes it cannot be done without addressing essential beneficiary and patient issues, such as the therapy cap. In addition, APTA supports the extension of rural payments updates and reversing the cuts to rural providers that went into effect on January 1. We hope Congress will move a Medicare bill by March 1 that not only addresses payment cuts but ensures patient protections and eliminates policies that limit access to Medicare benefits, including physical therapy services.
Physical therapists will need to advocate on behalf of their patients in the coming weeks. Please consider e-mailing, calling, and visiting your members of Congress now to communicate the importance of legislation to prevent the cuts and remove the caps. You can use APTA's Legislative Action Center at www.apta.org/LAC to contact your member of Congress. In addition, sign up for legislative alerts and information bulletins at www.apta.org/PTeam. Physical therapists and their patients need to tell policymakers loud and clear that Congress should repeal the cap once and for all.
Thanks for all your efforts.
Sahreem Luergan, PT
NMAPTA Legislative Chair
sahreeml@yahoo.com
|
UNM PT PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP AWARD WINNERS
The UNM PT Program Scholarship Awards are supported by NMAPTA and the contributions of alumni and faculty. They are awarded to second year students selected by UNM PT Program faculty.
The Elizabeth Barnett Scholarship award is in honor of the first director of the UNM PT Program and given to support a student in their full-time clinical affiliation.
Caryl Acuna, SPT - 2009 Recipient
The Fred Rutan Scholarship Award is in honor of the UNM PT Program Director who always set a high standard for professionalism and involvement in APTA. The award goes to the student who demonstrates outstanding leadership and scholarship within the physical therapy program.
Jessica Castellano, SPT - 2009 Recipient
We look forward to having these two outstanding individuals represent our profession and become active participants in NMAPTA. CONGRATULATIONS! |
|
REIMBURSEMENT NEWS
As we all know, these are challenging times in regard to what is happening in the healthcare arena, especially in the area of reimbursement. On the national level, Congress continues to try to hammer out a healthcare reform bill, while on the state level, our Legislature is still in session discussing important issues like possible Medicaid cuts. I attended APTA's Reimbursement Conference in December and we all agreed that it was very important that our members engage in these discussions so that we are part of the decision making process. I will be speaking at our Spring Conference in May regarding reimbursement updates, but here are a few highlights:
MEDICAID ISSUES -At press time, the New Mexico legislature is still in session discussing the state revenue deficit and how to balance the budget. This will impact Medicaid funding, especially since there are differences in how the Senate and House plan on addressing the shortfall - by raising taxes, cutting programs/expenditures or both. It could be worse in 2011 without the stimulus funds that helped fund state Medicaid programs in 2009. APTA continues to support state and federal actions that retain PT as a mandated service under Medicaid (HOD P06-03-21-17). NMAPTA issued a position paper to underscore our efforts to be part of any restructuring or changes in the program.
MEDICARE - Go to the TrailBazer J4 Medicare Web site at: www.trailblazerhealth.com for the latest information. The Physical Therapy Local Coverage Policy should be final by April 2010.
Therapy Cap - For 2010, the Therapy Cap amount is $1860 for PT and SLP combined with no exceptions process for 2010. Senator John Ensign (R-NV) introduced two pieces of legislation that would extend the therapy cap exceptions process for one year (S. 2987) and two years (S. 2988) so please contact your legislator to ask for their support of these bills.
Cardiac/Pulmonary - Current guidelines implement new statutory benefits for cardiac rehab, intensive cardiac rehab, and pulmonary rehab. See the website for more information.
TRICARE - TRICARE will not pay for services furnished by physical therapist assistants in private practice settings. PTAs are not included in the list of "authorized individual providers"under TRICARE. TRICARE will pay for services furnished by physical therapist assistants in institutional settings (i.e. hospital, SNF). The institutional setting is identified as an authorized institutional provider.
DRY NEEDLING - There have been several questions regarding PTs doing dry needling. APTA staff referred us to our individual state licensure act. In New Mexico, PTs can perform dry needling but as with anything, clinicians need to demonstrate training and competency in this area and not say they are performing acupuncture. On 3/21/00 the New Mexico Physical Board sent a letter to a licensee with the following clarification "After review of the documentation regarding your training in dry needling for trigger point therapy, the Board decided to close this case because there was no evidence presented of any violation of the NM Physical Therapy Act. The PT Act does not prohibit dry needling". It appears that most PTs are performing it in cash-based practices. For coding purposes, use an unlisted code, not the manual therapy code.
Kim Parker-Guerrero, PT - NMAPTA Reimbursement Chair |
STATE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FORUM OFFERS LESSON IN PREPAREDNESS
"Expect the unexpected" was a common recommendation made by speakers at APTA's 2009 State Government Affairs Forum. Hosted in Phoenix by the Arizona Chapter, this year's forum attracted more than 150 attendees - a new record - from across the country to discuss issues that chapters are facing in their state houses and to share the lessons learned from experience.
Being prepared for the unexpected in state legislative affairs is not only a good idea, it's critical. Chapters cannot afford to be caught off guard when there is so much at stake. Recognizing that chapters need information and support, APTA's State Government Affairs Department coordinates this annual forum so that chapter members, staff and lobbyists can network with colleagues and enhance their awareness of both ongoing and emerging issues.
The forum opened with an update from APTA State Government Affairs staff on the state legislative issues APTA chapters faced in 2009 and anticipate in 2010. This was followed by a discussion of health care reform including an up-to-the-minute briefing from APTA's Vice President for Government and Payment Advocacy, Justin Moore, on reform efforts in Congress, and an open forum with APTA's Government Affairs Committee on the association's federal health reform priorities. Two Arizona state legislators - Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Rep. Nancy Barto (R) - presented opposing viewpoints on the direction health reform should take. On the state level, the Health Care Home model of primary care being implemented in Minnesota was described in its current point in development by Minnesota chapter member Kathleen Picard.
Kentucky chapter member Dave Pariser informed attendees about the outcome of a recent legal proceeding pursued by the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy. The Board took legal action against an orthopedic practice that offered "P.T. services" provided by an athletic trainer and billing 97001 and 97002 CPT codes; however a ruling by the Kentucky Supreme Court went in favor of the orthopedic practice. This discussion of statutory protection of the term "physical therapy" revealed how exemption clauses in statute can expose the risk of threat to term protection.
In support of chapters' efforts against the ongoing attempts by chiropractors who seek to make manipulation unlawful for physical therapists, the work of the APTA Manipulation Task Force was highlighted by the task force's chairman, Ken Olson, and Bob Rowe, President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT). The multi-faceted approaches of the task force serve to help defend the scope of physical therapy practice and promote thrust manipulation training.
Wisconsin chapter member Bill Boissonnault shared the results of that chapter's physical therapy workforce survey which looked at the various practice settings as well as geographic areas within the state. APTA's Research Department's support in addressing workforce issues was discussed by department director Marc Goldstein, and assumptions about causal factors were explored. Various solutions such as increasing class sizes in PT and PTA programs were critiqued and each state was challenged to collect employment data on all licensees.
Three workshops were held that highlighted potential areas of legislative action relating to emerging technology and scope of practice. Diagnostic sonography by physical therapists was discussed by Massachusetts chapter member Doug White in the context of legislation that may prohibit the use of therapeutic ultrasound by physical therapists as states attempt to define qualified sonographic providers. The workshop on animal rehab, presented by Nebraska chapter member Kirk Peck, raised issues around the regulation of physical therapists and others who provide these services including scope of practice and term and title protection of physical therapy. Vic Vaughan of the Connecticut chapter discussed his chapter's experience in protecting the use of low-level lasers by PTs in that state. This workshop highlighted the need for chapters to examine related and little known statutes that impact physical therapy scope of practice as newly developed technologies emerge.
Being prepared and vigilant as chapters seek elimination of referral for profit is more important than ever. While chapters research and debate legislative and legal approaches to address this issue, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) is actively pursuing a strategy of inserting language into physical therapy practice acts that would guarantee a physician's right to own a physical therapy practice.
Once again, this year's forum included a half day of programming specifically on the issue of referral for profit, with an update on recent activities of APTA's Referral for Profit Committee and case studies of two approaches to this issue being pursued on the state level. Iowa member Kevin Rippey discussed his chapter's efforts to curtail physician referral for profit through the rulemaking process, which Richard Wright discussed his Washington lawsuit against a physician owned physical therapy practice. These differing approaches and their risks were examined and followed by small group discussions and an open forum.
In light of the notion that referral for profit affects the practice of physical therapy in all settings beyond private practice, participants generated ideas and strategies to increase awareness of RFP among members and non-members. Compliance issues were identified that expose PT practices to the same criticism by regulators as are being leveled against POPTS and our own practice and referral arrangements were examined as they relate to referral for profit.
NMAPTA had two representatives at the meeting in Phoenix. Next year's forum will be in Portland Oregon. Much is at stake and it pays off to be prepared!. And consider attending next year's forum in Portland, Oregon or sponsoring a student or another member to attend. Much is at stake and it pays off to be prepared!
Gretchen Johnson, PT
NMAPTA Legislative Committee
Kathleen Picard, PT, contributed to this article. She is vice president of OSI Physical Therapy in Stillwater, MN, and can be reached at kpicard@therapypartners.com.
|
NMAPTA AWARDS
Awards to recognize New Mexico Chapter Members have been a highlight of New Mexico Chapter meetings since the early 1980s. It is always heartening to reward the special efforts and achievements of our colleagues and friends who have contributed something extraordinary to the profession or community.
Please keep these awards in mind throughout the year and nominate a colleague for their work through the Professional Practice Panel. The two major awards are:
Physical Therapist or Physical Therapist Assistant of the Year Award
Community Service Award
Each is awarded at the Fall Conference. Nominations with supporting statements should be received at least one month prior to the conference.
Selection criteria for the Physical Therapist or Physical Therapist Assistant of the Year Award include outstanding contributions in one or more of these areas:
- Patient care
- Education
- Research
- Communications/Publications
- Service to APTA or New Mexico Chapter
- Leadership
Selection critieria for the Community Service Award include exceptional contributions to the community in one or more of the following without remuneration:
- Teaching
- Political Involvement
- Religious Activities
- Coaching
- Community Education
The individuals receiving these awards exhibit high personal and professional standards and serve as role models to others in the profession. | |
|
MEET NMAPTA'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Hello, NMAPTA Members! I am thrilled to be working with such a great group! I have worked at APTA for six years and currently serve as the Executive Director for two additional APTA components. I receive such satisfaction from working with the members of APTA and strive to provide excellent service. I am a proud Army Wife and Mom of five great kids who keep me very busy with sports and school. We love to spend any free time that we might have at the pool and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to work with the members of NMAPTA. I look forward to interacting with you in the near future. Please know that you may contact me with questions or concerns at any time.
Regards,
Suzie Callan
|
|
APTA BRAND CHAMPION NEEDED FOR NEW MEXICO
APTA has more than 125 Brand Champions who are delivering the brand message through presentations and helping association members understand and "live" the brand. However, there is a disparity in the number of Brand Champs in various states. For example, Oregon has 27, whereas most states have only 2 or 3.
This is a one year commitment with Webinar training provided by APTA. You must agree to give at least two PowerPoint Presentations (provided by APTA) on the brand at local venues (chapter meeting, your facility, PT/PTA school) and write an article for the Chapter newsletter.
If you are interested in becoming a Brand Champion, review the job description, download and complete the Brand Champion Application, and submit it to Emilio J. Rouco, APTA director of public relations. |
|
A CHALLENGE FOR STUDENTS
New Mexico Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants have turned to The Prime
Mover for over twenty years for important information about our chapter. Until recently, these
newsletters were sent to the mailboxes of members around the state. Communication efforts have changed drastically in the past few years. Communication from the Chapter is now available online. With the exception of a few members only items, anyone in the state, the country, or around the world can see what is going on with the Physical Therapy profession in the state of New Mexico.
We identify with our new national brand of "Move Forward". It clarifies and solidifies our purpose and direction within physical therapy. Do we feel that our title "The Prime Mover " still represents us as a chapter? The NMAPTA Professional Practice Committee wants to know!! We especially want to hear from PT and PTA students!!!
Who would like the notoriety and prestige of renaming/creating the new brand that identifies us as a New Mexico PT/PTA? Anybody up for the challenge? Please submit your idea via email to newmexico@apta.org no later than Friday April 2, 2010. The winner will be announced at our Spring Meeting, May1, 2010.
Luke Worrell, PTA
NMAPTA PTA Caucus Representative |
|
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - DEADLINE JULY 1, 2010
The New Mexico Physical Therapy Association (NMAPTA) invites its members to answer the call for nominations for an elected position in the Chapter. In order for our profession and Chapter to meet the challenges of this ever-changing health care environment, members must be willing to give their time and talents to Chapter activities. Our organization needs strong, proactive leaders to guide us through the changes.
Treasurer
Director (7)
Delegate
Nominating Committee Member
All offices are for a two-year term except Nominating Committee Member which is for a three-year term. For more information about each of these open positions, please contact the Nominating Committee Chair, Wendy Bircher, PT, EdD, at bircherw@sanjuancollege.edu.
Please forward nominations and requests for Consent to Serve and Biography forms to the NMAPTA office at newmexico@apta.org or call 800/999-2782, ext. 8568.
Elections will be held at the Annual Fall Conference, October, 23, 2010. Members who will not be in attendance can vote via an absentee ballot. |
|
New Mexico Physical Therapy Association
| |
|
