The first week at a different rehabilitation center has proven to catch me off guard, by giving me much to think about while I attempt to absorb the complexity of the entire situation. As the first manager of a busy rehabilitation center, I'm attempting to embrace the process of workflow that's in place. This includes trying to keep our patients ...

Pate Rehabilitation, Dallas, TX, issued a press release Nov. 28 announcing the launch of a new Spanish program as part of its evidence-based treatment and support for individuals recovering from acquired brain injuries. According to the release, ''this comprehensive linguistic and cultural approach maximizes the benefits of brain injury ...

I'm embarrassed to say it, but it wasn't until last week that I finally got a grasp of the Affordable Care Act and specifically its implications for the future of physical therapy. As part of our ''Evidence-Based Practice'' coursework, Everette James, director of the Health Policy Institute at the University of Pittsburgh, addressed our class ...

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 ...

It has been a very busy week preparing, as best we could, for the changes we're currently experiencing. Working in a hospital-based, outpatient rehabilitation center, there had never been a dollar restriction on the visits allowed through straight Medicare. Beginning Oct. 1, we've been making patients aware of the amount they've used since ...

October 1 is just around the corner from now, and with it will bring changes to the allowances of physical therapy services for our Medicare population (along with occupational and speech therapy). I'd like to think that as a healthcare professional, we've always provided services that were medically necessary. With a cap of $1880, we are ...

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 ...

The first week of summer vacation has been relatively quiet. The most excitement has been switching from satellite to digital television in my home. Timing is everything. With Tropical Storm Debby hitting Florida, satellite would have been interrupted, so digital television was a great choice. Perfect timing, especially, because the flu bug has ...

  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 ...

Whew!! What a busy week... seems I've been saying that more and more these days. As this month rolls on, I am preparing to help my health care system close one outpatient department where I work as the interim director. Thankfully, an inpatient manager has been hired and is taking over by consolidating therapists, managing schedules, working on ...