After much sweat and tears this past semester, I've finally managed to finish my three online classes for my DPT with a month to spare. It was perhaps the most challenging semester so far, with a class titled ''Direct Access.'' Having worked 20-plus years for healthcare systems, I was quite comfortable with seeing patients who were required by ...

Physical therapists who haven't been paying attention to the legislative battle raging in California might want to start. As the APTA detailed in its Aug. 30 press release, ''In California, a Rough Ride for Senate Bill 924,'' the latest salvo was just fired: ''California physical therapists have been infuriated by the legislative wrangling that ...

  If you ever get a chance to talk to actors, you'll find that one of their biggest fears is being ''typecast'': always up for parts playing the same character-the good guy, the bad guy, the ''sidekick,'' the token girlfriend, the criminal, the rough-at-the-edges cop, the snob...you name it. Have too much success at one type of role, the ...

On Feb. 22, President Obama signed the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (HR 3630), noted a Feb. 24 press release from the APTA. Among other facets, this act extends the therapy cap exceptions process for the remainder of 2012. The law mandates consistent use of the KX modifier upon reaching the $1,880 therapy cap and puts in ...

An Oct. 14 press release from the APTA detailed the results of an intriguing new study in the journal Health Services Research. The study suggests ''the role of the physician gatekeeper in regard to physical therapy may be unnecessary in many cases'' and could have significant implications for the U.S. health care system. Funded by a grant from ...

We recently had a representative from the APTA speak to our class about the structure of the organization, as well as some current legislative topics that are on the radar within physical therapy. What sparked my interest most was the prospect of PT being added to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) list of eligible professionals to benefit ...

In our July 11, 2011 issue, our Management Focus story ''A More Direct Approach'' by Larry Briand, MS, PT, ATC, and Kevin Svoboda, PT, discussed how practice owners can hone their referral approaches in this new era of direct access for PTs. They brought up a point that especially got my attention. They stated, ''Some hurdles still block the ...