Those are two powerful words in healthcare today -- ''accessible'' and ''affordable.'' We (healthcare providers) need to be accessible and affordable to patients in order to provide care, period. Those two words don't even begin to address quality or evidence-based care, but simply allow patients the opportunity to receive care. This concept is ...

From the moment we set foot in a facility, we're on the move. We're expected to be productive throughout our day by billing patients for our services. We make it rain for the facility but aren't always recognized for it. When I see every other department in a healthcare setting, they usually take up space and use resources that cost the facility ...

If I had any doubt that patient-focused healthcare was a thing of the past, I don't anymore. Last weekend, a situation arose that showed me charging for services was more important than patient care. I work full-time at one facility and help out at another. The second facility is an hour drive away by highway. It fell to me because I'm the only ...

A friend of mine posted on Facebook today, ''I've maxed out my health insurance deductible, in-network bills are on them now.'' What an interesting state of affairs when we're tempted to congratulate someone for being unwell enough to warrant full payment for health care costs. My only fear is that we're in May. What if they hit their maximum ...

It's hard for me to believe it has been four years since I graduated PT school. I remember working as a student with physical therapists who had been practicing for four or five years and looking at them as a source of information and experience. Now that I'm on the other side of that spectrum, I still feel like I'm learning every day. As the ...

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Alexandria, VA, announced in an April 30 press release that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has signed HB 1034, granting Hoosiers direct access to evaluation and treatment by a physical therapist without a physician referral. Ensuring a patient's choice of which healthcare professional ...

An interesting article came out in the British popular press last week that states some chronic low-back pain can be cured by antibiotics. The writing is fairly clear that only certain cases would benefit from this approach and it includes links to the two scientific abstracts the article is based on: ...

Last week I described being warned not to make trouble by reporting the nurses watching the baby camera while at work. I've been thinking about that. Why would I be the troublemaker for reporting someone else doing something wrong? Shouldn't it be the other way around? You would think the person bringing it to attention would be thanked. I ...

I completed the first full week of my six-month clinical affiliation, and things are off to a tremendous start. This past week, I was assigned two patients of my very own who I'll likely see throughout their course of care on the inpatient rehab unit. It might not sound very monumental; however this is the first time that a patient has been ...

My newest thought project for this week is to better understand how physical therapist staffing is predicted for a new clinic. How does a new healthcare company or private practice facility estimate what kind of staffing it will need in a new location? My general understanding of private practice is that due to limited funds, staffing will start ...