As this year comes to a close, I'd like to reflect on a most productive, busy and emotional past 12 months. Final grades have arrived this morning for the fall semester of the DPT program. My capstone project will begin very soon. After narrowing down my choices to two patients, this week I came across two more interesting patients who are ...

Rapid change is necessary to stay afloat in healthcare these days. From staffing optimization to unifying rehab across the South Broward Hospital District and becoming the Rehabilitation Institute of South Florida (RISF), we're experiencing exciting and, at times, nerve-wracking changes. This brings with it major renovations, including possible ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...