Seeking Candidates to Serve in 2017
Positions up for election in 2016 (to start on January 1, 2017) include: Vice President, Delegate, and two Nominating Committee Members. For more information, contact Executive Director
Cindy Sliwa. There is support and training for these positions, so don't be intimidated - this is a great way to network and make a difference in your state!
Payment & Policy Committee News
BCBSVT indicated that they are interested in hearing more about the new PT Outcomes Registry. Committee chair Julie Adams has had a demonstration call with APTA and is in the process of setting up a demonstration for BCBSVT. BCBSVT is very interested in outcomes-based payment but is also interested in finding "one measure that all PTs can agree on" (obviously challenging). If BCBSVT has reached out to other PTs/organizations with this same question, please notify Julie Adams.
June 2016 House of Delegates Report
The APTA House of Delegates (HOD) this year was located at the Gaylord Opryland conference center in Nashville, TN, just prior to the NEXT conference. In attendance and representing Vermont were Jeannie Cushman (President), Susan Arbogast (Chief Delegate), Emily Lourie (Delegate), Joanne Patten (PTA Delegate), and Jillian Tanych (Student Assembly Secretary). There were leadership development meetings prior to the house, which helped disseminate information and work being done by APTA on issues important to components, including payment reform, new CPT coding being developed, the newest marketing campaign to choose PT over opioids for pain management, and membership development (especially among millennials). During pre-house meetings it was revealed that long-time APTA staff member Justin Moore, PT, has been selected as the new CEO for APTA.
Susan was moderator for one of the candidate interview rooms as the various candidates for national office were asked questions (with Emily asking questions for the Vermont delegation) to determine their qualifications, skills, and readiness to serve in each capacity for which they were nominated. Monday evening elections were held for national offices and the results were as follows:
- Roger Herr, PT, MPA, was elected secretary.
- Stuart Platt, PT, MSPT, was re-elected vice speaker.
- Carolyn Oddo, PT, MS, FACHE, and Sue Whitney, PT, DPT, PhD, NCS, ATC, FAPTA, were reelected director, and Kip Schick, PT, DPT, MBA, was elected director.
- Holly Clynch, PT, DPT, MA, GCS, and Chris Petrosino, PT, PhD, were elected to the Nominating Committee.
These terms became effective at the close of the House of Delegates on Wednesday. Tuesday the House opened and began the work of deliberating and deciding on the policy and direction of the association. For full details on motions, discussions, and final motion language after the house please refer to the APTA HOD minutes once they are released at www.apta.org.
There were 19 RCs taken up by the HOD this year, two of which were developed during the pre-HOD days. This was the most efficient HOD to date with the body of the house able to get through 18 RCs on the first day; this was partially due to the implementation of year-round governance, which allowed delegates and components to thoroughly understand the development of motions long before the HOD. I will report primarily on highlights of the motions passed or not from the post-house packet and will include occasional excerpts, please note this is draft language only, and I will attempt to give some commentary on the implications of each motion and discussion surrounding them with ** and italics below each motion.
RC 1-16 RESCIND: HOUSE SESSION AND ANNUAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULING (HOD Y06-94-28-43)
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED
That House Session and Annual Conference Scheduling (HOD Y06-94-28-43) be rescinded.
** This motion was housekeeping to eliminate and outdated policy which is no longer needed.
RC 2-16 AMEND: THE ASSOCIATION'S ROLE IN ADVOCACY FOR PREVENTION, WELLNESS, FITNESS, HEALTH PROMOTION, AND MANAGEMENT OF DISEASE AND DISABILITY (HOD P06-15-22-14)
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED
That The Association's Role in Advocacy for Prevention, Wellness, Fitness, Health Promotion, and Management of Disease and Disability (HOD P06-15-22-14) be amended.
RC 3-16 AMEND: PHYSICAL THERAPISTS' ROLE IN PREVENTION, WELLNESS, FITNESS, HEALTH PROMOTION, AND MANAGEMENT OF DISEASE AND DISABILITY (HOD P06-15-23-15)
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED
That Physical Therapists' Role in Prevention, Wellness, Fitness, Health Promotion, and Management of Disease and Disability (HOD P06-15-23-15) be amended.
** These two motions (RC 2&3) amended a previous motion on wellness in society to include promotion of community design to help facilitate active transportation in communities.
RC 4-16 AMEND: CONSUMER PROTECTION THROUGH LICENSURE OF PHYSICAL THERAPISTS AND PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANTS (HOD P06-14-08-18)
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED
"That Consumer Protection through Licensure of Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants (HOD P06-14-08-18), Principle II. State Regulatory Designations for the Physical Therapy Profession, Section A. Designation "PT," "PTA," "SPT," and "SPTA," be amended by substitution:
Highlight "APTA supports the recognition of the regulatory designation of a physical therapist or a physical therapist assistant as taking precedence over other credentials or letter designations. To promote consistent communication within and external to the profession of in the presentation of credentials and letter designations, the association shall recognize the following preferred order:
1. PT/PTA (the regulatory designation)
2. Highest earned physical therapy-related degree
3. Other regulatory designations
4. Other earned academic degree(s)
4. American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties certification credentials in alphabetical order
5. Other credentials external to APTA
6. Other certification or professional honors (e.g., FAPTA)
All other designations, such as American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties certifications, credentials external to APTA, and other certifications or professional honors, should not use acronyms or abbreviations but should, if used, be written out. In the case of stationary, business cards, signage, advertising, or signature lines, such descriptions should be placed below the line containing the name and letter designations specified in 1 through 4 above. The option shall exist for either writing out Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association or abbreviating it as FAPTA."
**This motion has to do with the ways PT's represent themselves and their licensure, education, and certifications when writing or signing their name. I have included much of the language to give you a template. Basically the APTA now recommends that all other designations beyond regulatory designation, highest earned PT degree, other regulatory designations, and other academic degrees, should be written out, please see APTA website for style guide.
RC 5-16 CHARGE: EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN REGARDING DESIGNATIONS
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED
That the American Physical Therapy Association implement a membership campaign to encourage profession-wide compliance with the newly adopted language and style changes in state regulatory and other designations as adopted in RC 4-16 Amend: Consumer Protection Through Licensure of Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants (HOD P06-14-08-18).
** This motion would promote to APTA members the recommendations and style guide for PT representation from RC-4
RC 6-16 CHARGE: RECOGNITION OF BOARD CERTIFICATION BY AMERICAN BOARD OF PHYSICAL THERAPY SPECIALTIES - PACKET II
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED
"That the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) implement steps to accomplish purpose #5 of APTA's clinical specialization program as stated in Clinical Specialization in Physical Therapy (HOD P06-06-22-15): "Assist consumers, the health care community, and others in identifying certified clinical specialists in each specialty area."
Proviso: "Others" shall include physical therapists.
**This motion charges the board with implementing ways to promote recognition of board certified specialties among the public, PT's and other health care providers.
RC 7-16 ADOPT: DEFINITION OF PROFESSIONAL SCOPE OF PRACTICE - PACKET II
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
REFERRED TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Excerpt-> "That the following be adopted:
DEFINITION OF PROFESSIONAL SCOPE OF PRACTICE
The physical therapist's professional scope of practice includes the management of individuals, communities, and populations to optimize movement, thereby improving health and quality of life. This scope is grounded in contemporary education, best available evidence, and ethical conduct. Dynamic in nature, the professional scope of practice is responsive to innovation and collaboration, which enables physical therapists to transform practice, policy, and society."
**This motion attempted to define scope of physical therapist practice. The concept was to change the way of thinking from a list of interventions PT's perform, to a more broad definition which includes the whole of what PT's do and what their practice is founded on such as current evidence and management of the movement system. There was much debate on the language used, and much information was given to the board who agreed to take this motion on and further refine it before presenting it to the house again next year where it will hopefully be perfected and adopted.
RC 8-16 ADOPT: ONCOLOGIC PHYSICAL THERAPY AS AN AREA OF SPECIALIZATION
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
That oncologic physical therapy be approved as an area of specialization, and that it be added as an approved specialty area to Clinical Specialization in Physical Therapy (HOD 06-06-22-15).
** Oncology is now the newest board certified specialty as presented by the Oncology Section.
RC 9-16 CHARGE: ANALYSIS OF AMERICAN BOARD OF PHYSICAL THERAPY RESIDENCY AND FELLOWSHIP EDUCATION STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND ACCREDITATION PROCESS - PACKET II
WITHDRAWN
** This motion attempted to address the difficulty some residency and fellowship programs were having with the accreditation process. During the time this motion was being created there has been an ongoing independent study on the current residency and fellowship accreditation process which investigated these issues and brought to light other questions which need to be addressed prior to the further development of new programs such as whether residency or fellowship would be required for board specialization and how many students would pursue this and need accommodation in a program for such. I expect we will see more on this in the future.
RC 10-16 CHARGE: ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF PHYSICAL THERAPIST PRACTICE AND RESEARCH - PACKET II
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED
"That the American Physical Therapy Association pursue strategies to encourage research publications, clinical practice guidelines, and payment policies to accurately reflect the available evidence rather than represent physical therapist practice or physical therapy research as a single or limited set of interventions."
** This motion would encourage publications to more accurately represent "PT" as "the practice of physical therapy" vs "PT" as a "limited set of interventions" which may or may not be the standard of care. For example to say that "Ultrasound is not effective in this population," vs. "Physical therapy is not effective in this population."
RC 11-16 CHARGE: EVALUATION AND PLAN TO ADDRESS STUDENT DEBT IN PHYSICAL THERAPY - PACKET III
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSES UNANIMOUSLY
"That the American Physical Therapy Association evaluate existing and emerging data available from internal and external sources, such as the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy and the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, to identify potential effects of student loan debt upon the physical therapy profession, and develop a plan with feasible options to address the identified issues with implementation initiated no later than June 2018."
** This was a motion which during development throughout the past year caused APTA to begin work on helping support PT students in managing debt through resources and education on their website which had been lacking or outdated prior. The Student Assembly, including our own Jillian Tanych, who worked hard with the Michigan delegation to craft this motion to make sure that the student loan debt crisis among physical therapy students would be recognized in how it is affecting the lives and choices of students across the country and how that might impact our association and profession, as well as facilitating the involvement of the APTA to assist students in unique ways to manage this crisis.
RC 12-16 CHARGE: PLAN FOR ACHIEVING PRACTICE AUTHORITY FOR ORDERING AND PERFORMING IMAGING STUDIES - PACKET II
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED
That the American Physical Therapy Association develop and promote a plan to achieve practice authority for ordering and performing imaging studies across practice settings.
** This motion is building on the ability and definition of "Diagnosis by Physical Therapists" which holds that PTs should order appropriate tests when indicated, including but not limited to imaging and other studies. There was much discussion that this is already happening in clinics where PT's perform diagnostic US, and also in the military where PT's order X-rays and MRI's regularly. One of the barriers thus far has been the "authority" to do so by hospitals, and sometimes payers. This motion would implement a plan to achieve this authority and implement more efficient care for our patients.
RC 13-16: ELECTION TO HONORARY MEMBERSHIP IN THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION: RICHARD L. LIEBER, PHD
Required for Adoption: 2/3 Vote
PASSED
Except-> "Resolved, That Richard L. Lieber, PhD, be elected as an Honorary Member of the American Physical Therapy Association."
RC 14-16 CHARGE: CONSIDERATION OF BOARD-ADOPTED POLICY FOR THE PROFESSION - PACKET II
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED
"That the American Physical Therapy Association review all current Board of Directors (Board) documents, now found at http://www.apta.org/policies/, separating those that are operational and that concern Board, staff, or association operation. All remaining documents that relate to the profession shall be rescinded or presented, with or without amendments, to the House of Delegates (House) for action no later than 2019 House. If, or as, adopted by the House, they shall become documents of the House."
** This motion is to make the board documents more clear to those looking for policy and positions vs. operational policies for the board of directors to make things more streamlined.
RC 15-16 CHARGE: PRESERVING AND ACCESSING THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE HISTORIES OF THE PHYSICAL THERAPY PROFESSION AND ASSOCIATION - PACKET II
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote
PASSED
"That the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) commit to the preservation of the histories of the physical therapy profession and the association and to making appropriate historical information accessible to society in preparation for the APTA centennial celebrations by developing and implementing short-term and long-range plans to preserve and display these and future histories."
** This motion was in response to the idea of creating a virtual museum of the APTA for the upcoming centennial. It was determined that even preserving this information in a digital manner would be a task in itself, and thus the above charge was created to help preserve our associations' history.
RC 16-16 AMEND: BYLAWS OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION TO CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF A POST-PROFESSIONAL STUDENT
Required for Adoption: 2/3 Vote to Consider; 2/3 Vote to Adopt
PASSED
Excerpt-> "(2) Physical Therapist - Post-Professional Student: Be a Physical Therapist member who is enrolled in a post-professional masters or doctoral program, or APTA credentialed post-professional residency or fellowship program, or a postdoctoral research fellowship, and meets the Membership Qualifications Prescribed by the Board of Directors."
** This motion was to include post-doctoral research fellows in the category of post-professional student, to allow these members to access the lower cost of membership other students members receive given the lower salary they receive, and the importance of post-doctoral student research and work for our profession.
RC 17-16 AMEND: BYLAWS OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION TO CHANGE THE BYLAW DEADLINE TO COINCIDE WITH THE MAIN MOTION DEADLINE
Required for Adoption: 2/3 Vote to Consider; 2/3 Vote to Adopt
PASSED
** This motion was to align time frames for motion making within the HOD.
RC 18-16 CHARGE: PUBLIC STATEMENT ON LAWS PERMITTING DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES - PACKET III
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote to be Heard; Majority Vote to Adopt
POSTPONED INDEFINITELY
"That the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) issue a public statement through its general communication mechanisms highlighting the association's non-discrimination policy and how the association is currently applying this policy to national conference location selection as posted on the APTA website."
** This motion was a consideration of whether the APTA should make a public statement on an existing non-discrimination policy given the recent discriminatory laws that have come into effect in some states. This issue was deeply divided in that we want to show support for all out members in many diverse populations and sometimes discriminated against communities, but the concern is that it would set a precedent for the APTA to weigh in on multiple social issues "of the day" and/or appear hypocritical if we continue to have a planned conference in a state with discriminatory laws which did not have the laws ratified prior to choosing that location for a conference. In the end the motion was hotly debated, but was laid to rest without a vote with the consideration that the non-discrimination policy will continue to be present and effective for the APTA without a publication of the policy.
RC 19-16 ADOPT: ENDORSEMENT OF NATIONAL EFFORTS ADDRESSING THE OPIOID HEALTH CRISIS - PACKET III
Required for Adoption: Majority Vote to be Heard; Majority Vote to Adopt
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
That the following be adopted:
ENDORSEMENT OF NATIONAL EFFORTS ADDRESSING THE OPIOID HEALTH CRISIS
Excerpt-> "Resolved, That the American Physical Therapy Association endorses the national efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the White House to address opioid abuse and dependence and the recognition of physical therapist services as an effective nondrug alternative for addressing pain."
** This motion was created to support and recognize the CDC and APTA campaign to address the Opiod overuse crisis in the US with the promotion of physical therapy intervention as an alternative form of pain management. This motion is especially important to Vermont considering the ongoing heroin problem addressed by our Governor not long ago. We hope to promote this campaign within our state as well.
I hope this report accurately sums up the many issues and discussions addressed at the HOD for 2016. I greatly enjoyed my time spent discussing important issues that shape our profession and practice with great minds and leaders from all across the country and within our association. It is always an energizing and enlightening experience every year, which leaves me with new ideas and motivation to do more within our chapter. If you are interested in being a delegate or have questions on what is involved please feel free to contact me and consider becoming a delegate for our state. If you have any questions about the above report I would be happy to talk to you as well. Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to being the Chief delegate for our state next year!
Emily Lourie, PT, DPT
Vermont Chapter APTA Delegate
Hello from the Ethics Chair and Chief Delegate
This year I will finish my term as delegate (for 2 years) and Chief Delegate (for another 2 years) to the APTA House of Delegates (HOD). Although the HOD was not particularly busy regarding the quantity of motions heard, the discussion was rich and informative. Lengthy philosophical discussions took place that will impact the direction our profession takes not only on practice issues but on social issues. As I step down from my position as Chief Delegate this year I will remember that the most rewarding part of my role was the interaction I had with the highest level of leadership in APTA. All of these Physical Therapists truly care about our profession and bring timely issues to the House of Delegates every year. If you are interested in serving in our Vermont delegation, please contact me, Emily Lourie (Chief Delegate-elect), or any member of the board of directors of VAPTA. We would be happy to answer your questions and hopefully encourage you to be slated as a candidate for delegate in our fall election.
In addition to serving as the Chief Delegate I also serve as the chairperson to the VAPTA Ethics Committee. I am happy to report that we have very, very few ethics complaints in Vermont. At the HOD/NEXT conference this year I attended a meeting presented by the APTA Ethics Judicial Committee (EJC). I would like to take this opportunity to let you know what transpired at that meeting.
Historically, the EJC has held the role of implementing disciplinary action procedures that process claims against members that have violated the Association's Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist or Standards of Ethics for the Physical Therapist Assistant. On a state or federal level, each APTA chapter should notify and forward the EJC a copy of any final (fully adjudicated) public disciplinary action taken by a licensing board or government agency. It is important to note that the EJC has no ability to investigate as they do not have immunity against any legal action taken against them. This applies to individual members as well. In Vermont we occasionally have questions about how to file or "what should I do" about behavior that seems illegal or unethical. The best action to take is to file a complaint with the proper agency (eg, Office of Professional Regulation, Department of Health and Human Services, Medicare, Workers' Compensation). They can then investigate and adjudicate the case if appropriate. If you ever have a question about how to proceed, please contact the APTA Ethics Judicial Committee or our VTAPTA Ethics Chair. The following is information from APTA on the role of EJC.
Ethics & Professionalism - APTA: The emerging role of the EJC is one of education. If you read your PT in Motion magazine you know that there is often an article in the publication that gives a case scenario about ethics. Many states have their own ethics courses as well as requiring a jurisprudence exam for PT and PTA licensure.The purpose of ethics education is to discuss ethical principles as they relate to the everyday practice of Physical Therapy, discuss the rationale for the APTA Code of Ethics and the key principles involved, and discuss common legal questions and identify available state and national resources concerning legal issues. The goal of the APTA EJC is to create and provide an updated resource on information and education about ethics in the PT profession. We hope to generate discussion and questions from members about ethics/legal matters with online discussion as well as webinars. I will be posting these as they become available. If you need CCUs for the upcoming license renewal consider going to Home - APTA Learning Center and completing Professional Model 3: Ethical Compass (3 CCUs for free!) to improve your knowledge of ethics in our profession.
Thank you for your commitment to our profession and the association.
Susan Arbogast
Chief Delegate & Ethics Committee Chair
ABPTS 2017 Initial Certification Application
Deadline Approaching
The American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) is now accepting applications for 2017 specialist exams. Individuals who successfully achieve board certification in 2017 will be recognized during the Opening Ceremony at CSM 2018 in New Orleans. Applications for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary, Clinical Electrophysiology and Women's Health were due July 1, however they will be accepted through the end of the month. Geriatrics, Neurology, Orthopaedics, Pediatrics, and Sports applications are due by July 31. For more information and to fill out an application, visit the ABPTS website. If you need additional information contact the specialist certification department. Please note: the 2016 APTA House of Delegates voted to create a clinical specialization in Oncology; however, the specialist certification process is not yet in place.
Self-Reported Vital Sign Assessment in Physical Therapy
Your participation is requested in a research project to assess the use of vital signs in Physical Therapy Practice.
The survey is a brief 24-item questionnaire that takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and includes questions regarding practice behaviors, beliefs, and demographic information related to measuring vital signs. This information could serve as a framework of understanding for improving clinical practice related to the prevention of cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders in Physical Therapy Practice. If you are a licensed and practicing physical therapist, and are interested in participating in this study, please click here to access the letter of consent and survey.
Participate in the Vermont Chapter's Online Community
The Vermont Chapter's Online Community in the Hub is where you can connect with your fellow members. Here's how you subscribe to and participate in the Community (it's easy, and it's free!):
- Go to www.apta.org and log in.
- Click on APTA Communities at the top of the page; in the green Communities box, click "start now."
- As a Vermont Chapter member, "Vermont Chapter" should come up as one of the private communities to which you have access (if it doesn't, contact APTA at 800/999-2782 to verify that your membership information is correct).
- To subscribe to the online community and ensure that you receive updates, click on the My Options drop-down menu at the top of the page, then on My Subscriptions; select "Vermont Chapter" to subscribe and choose if you'd like to be notified of discussions immediately by e-mail or by weekly summary.
- Click on Vermont Chapter, then on "Vermont Chapter Discussions" (this is an archive of previous discussions). To create a new discussion, click "Add a Thread" under About this Topic (make sure to include a detailed subject line for archiving purposes). To comment on an existing discussion, click on the discussion thread, go to the specific comment box, and click Reply (in the gray box at the bottom of each comment).
Check out the FAQ doc on The Hub homepage, as well as the video tutorials. These references can also be found on 'The Hub' Support community. We hope you like it! Send an email to hubsupport@apta.org with any questions.
Join Vermont Chapter Facebook Page
Follow the Vermont Chapter's Facebook page at VT APTA to keep up with the latest information from the chapter and interact with your fellow members!
