Stimulus Package
The APTA's PT Bulletin Online reported Feb. 20 that The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (HR 1) signed into law last week by President Obama includes many funding provisions that directly or indirectly affect physical therapy professionals. According to the Bulletin:
"The provisions include $2 billion in grants to assist health care providers, including PTs, in upgrading their health information technology (HIT) systems; $12.2 billion in funding for IDEA Part B, which more than doubles current funding; and $500 million to address health professions workforce shortages, of which $75 million is set aside for the National Health Service Corps. HR 1 also includes $1 billion for a Prevention and Wellness Fund to cover such initiatives as wellness strategies, immunization programs and health care-associated infection reduction strategies; a moratorium on a Medicaid final regulation for hospital outpatient services through June 30; and a budget increase of 34 percent for the National Institutes of Health (from $29 billion to $39 billion)."
The entire press release can be found at this link: http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Current_Issue
What are your thoughts about the stimulus package and the impact it will have, positive or negative, on the physical therapy profession?