Pleasing the leadership of the American Physical Therapy Association and PTs and PTAs everywhere, the Senate yesterday passed HR 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act. ''We are thrilled that the Senate took action yesterday and passed [the bill],'' said APTA president R. Scott Ward, PhD, PT, in a statement. ''The senators ...

SAN ANTONIO—PT 2008 kicked the conference off right last night with a stimulating opening ceremony. APTA President R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD, welcomed the overflowing audience of PTs to San Antonio. He had nothing but praise for the 7th largest city in the country, a city that, in his words, exudes ''world-class cuisine, offers opportunities for fun ...

ADVANCE for Physical Therapists & PT Assistants created a page on the popular social networking site Facebook. This brand new PT community is just for you. Share your photos/videos, talk with other PTs through our discussion boards and check in for the latest news and announcements from ADVANCE. Join the group and become a fan today!  

Every Child Left Behind As a school-based therapist, I see many changes since I was in elementary school. It seems the only thing that has remained are the shelter drills, and  even they disappeared for a while! No Child Left Behind, which was enacted in 2001, is a standards-based education reform law. Success will be due to the high ...

APTA's annual conference officially kicks off in two weeks-and it's safe to say the ADVANCE staff can hardly wait to get to San Antonio! We've already researched key speakers, debate issues, educational topics, local ''lone star'' attractions and, of course, where to find the best barbeque. During our time in Texas, our Web coverage will stay ...

I recently read an article on CNN that described how amputees are benefitting from an unusual painkiller: mirrors. In the story, Army Sgt. Nick Paupore was traveling in a Humvee in Kirkuk City, Iraq, when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle. The blast ripped out part of Papore's leg (including an artery), and left him with less than two pints of ...

When was the last time you educated a consumer, who was not a patient, about the profession and what physical therapy can do for them?  Are you actively marketing yourself or the profession for more than just rehabilitation?  Do you perform any public relations activities directed towards the general consumer in anyway?  I am led ...

I recently saw an item in the news where a reporter was interviewing an obviously excited resident of a retirement home. The reporter was doing a story on the elderly and their use of a video game system called the Wii made by Nintendo.  Video games played on devices, such as the Microsoft Xbox 360 or the Sony PlayStation, are typically ...

I'm a big fan of talk radio.  So when the topic is healthcare related my ears perk up.  On a recent show the topics was a discussion about why Medicare is going broke.  One of those reasons was the belief that everyone is entitled to any and all available medical care no matter what cost at all times.   The show went on to ...

Just last week actor Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, found out exactly what happened to their twin babies mere days after they were born. They have recently made headlines because they are infuriated to learn of the details surrounding the medical error months after the initial incident. A preliminary report detailed that the Quaid's ...