February 21, 2013 – 10:24 pm
The APTA recently announced the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized provisions in the Affordable Care Act. The provision ensures that health plans offered both in individual and small groups must offer a core package of items and services. Rehabilitation and habilitation services and devices are a part of the essential health benefits (EHB) outlined.
The APTA was very involved in the process and helped define how EHBs should be defined.
Along a similar front, Kaiser Health News recently reported Federal Government will be running new health insurance marketplaces in at least 26 states.
Want to learn more about how the Affordable Care Act and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) may impact physical therapy? Listen to our podcasts on the topic.
February 18, 2013 – 10:06 am
Source: National Cancer Institute, Rhonda Baer (photographer)
The side effects from cancer treatment can be debilitating. NPR recently featured Dr. Julie Silver and her own personal experience with the extreme fatigue, weakness and pain she experienced after cancer treatment. Not satisfied with the options available to her, she started the STAR program – a program designed to provide cancer survivors with rehabilitation program.
We’ve also been fortunate to feature the STAR program on PT Talker. Wendy Price, PT, MS, owner of Healthcore Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio, and one of the first practices to implement the Oncology Rehab Partner’s STAR (Survivorship, Training and Rehab) Program shared details about the program on PT Talker. If you missed the original podcast or if it’s been awhile since you listened to it, you can listen to the full podcast here.
New requirements for improving cancer care and providing better access to rehabilitation therapy were recently made available from The Commission on Cancer. Get the new standards here.
February 13, 2013 – 5:47 pm
According to a study recently published by The Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of total knee replacement surgeries have increased by 165% over the last 20 years and could reach nearly 3.5 million total knee replacement procedures a year by 2030. To discuss the impact of knee replacement surgeries on physical therapy, Joseph Zeni, PT, PhD, Assistant Professor at the University of Delware recently joined PT Talker.
The reason behind the growth is the aging population and people wanting to stay active longer. Zeni has been involved in a number of studies that examine outcomes after knee replacement. One study found individuals with total knee replacement had weight gain following knee replacement. Another study looked closely at outcomes after knee replacement and found that despite knee replacement, many individuals continued to be sedentary. He sees a greater need for educating patients following their operation and believes physical therapists can play a bigger role in this area.
Take a moment to listen to the full podcast now and to find some of the studies discussed in the podcast, click here.
February 13, 2013 – 4:39 pm
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