2021 General Business Meeting Recap

March 9, 2021 - The Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy hosted its annual General Business Meeting on Monday, March 8, 2021 to provide the membership an overview of the 2020 year's performance, recognize physical therapy professionals. We have included segments of the meeting below for on-demand viewing. Congratulations to all award recipients and thank you to all of our amazing volunteers for making 2020 a success! Thank you for your dedication, devotion to the mission and for all that you do for our physical therapy profession. 

• Q. I want to run for the Director of Education position in the next 10 years. Can I serve on the Board and teach for the Academy?  A. The current policy stands that board members can co-instruct up to 4 CAPP courses or solo-instruct up to 2 CAPP courses. Academy policies are live documents that can change in future years. The Academy has charged the Governance Committee and Education Management Task Force to revisit the policy and provide a recommendation to the Board in Summer 2021. Please revisit our policies when you consider running to ensure you are eligible. We are in the process of examining this more closely through updating our policies and procedures.
• Q. What is involved in the new House of Delegates positions? A. Instead of having only one Chief Delegate, the Academy (effective 2021) now has 3 delegate positions all up for election this year. We have the Chief Delegate, Delegate and Alternate Delegate positions. To learn more about the positions and their involvement in the house, please visit: https://www.apta.org/apta-and-you/leadership-and-governance/house-of-delegates
• Q. Will the Academy consider creating/ revitalizing a Male Health SIG? A. Yes, we are in the process of revitalizing the Male SIG with a former Male SIG member, Daniel Kirages. We are currently working on devising objectives in the Committee Charge before Board approval.
• Q. Does the Academy plan to bring back in-person courses? Yes, the Academy is gradually reintroducing in-person courses in 2021 as presented in our Announcements however we will continue to also offer webinar and hybrid courses. According to our survey results, it was evident that transitioning to webinar/hybrid courses has saved our course attendees money on travel/lodging/taking off work to take courses which they appreciated. Some very much missed in-person courses so we will have webinar/hybrid and in-person courses in 2021.
• Q. When will the new Pelvic Health Physical Therapy Level 3 courses roll out? A. Fall 2021 - Pelvic Health PT Level 3 Pediatric Health and Pelvic Health PT Level 3 Male Health. Spring 2022 - Pelvic Health PT Level 3 Neuro Health. We are seeking course hosts! Each course will be 2 days long. If interested in hosting, please visit our host application form.
• Q. Is the Academy willing to develop a pelvic health board certification or change the name of the WCS? A. The Board-Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist is not administered nor facilitated by the Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy.  The Academy has surveyed members regarding changing the WCS name, WCS recipients are split on the name 1) Many want it to remain the same especially those treating beyond the pelvic floor and 2) Some want it changed because they specifically specialize in pelvic health. At this time, the Academy has no plans to change the WCS name.
• Q. Will the WCS study guide be updated? It seems outdated. A. Yes, we plan to get it updated in 2021. In fact, we are seeking volunteers to help us revise our current WCS study guide. If interested, we encourage you to apply at www.aptapelvichealth.org/volunteer.
• Q. There’s a lack of inclusivity of men in the Academy. What will the Academy do to make them feel included? (courses, membership, etc) A. The Academy plans to launch the Male SIG in 2021 with hopes to have this SIG address the issue of inclusivity of men in the Academy and the profession. Academy is exploring ways to remove/reduce barriers for men and women taking pelvic health courses who need female models (pay out of pocket for the models). Sponsoring the hiring of female models for courses is a large expense which has been a barrier for the Academy in its former financial health. The Academy is seeking ways to help increase access but also operate sustainably. We look forward to seeing what solutions the Male SIG will bring forth and how we can incorporate more inclusivity in our 2022-2025 strategic plan.
• Q. How does the section feel about telehealth as a future option for treating patients. How to best bill or utilize it? A. The Academy created a telehealth/COVID-19 hub of resources. The Academy is considering adding “telehealth” as an option on PT Locator for practitioners that solely do telehealth or partially offer telehealth services. The Director of Practice participates in APTA Telehealth calls with other APTA components and shares information on our website as it becomes available.
• Q. Have we heard any feedback in regards to the biofeedback codes that were added last year and are there any updates on billing "biofeedback"? A. There are no updates on the biofeedback codes in 2021. You should bill for what you do. For example, if you are using biofeedback for neuromuscular re-ed then you need to bill neuro re-ed, if using with their ex bill ther-ex. If you’re doing only biofeedback and your documentation shows only BF readings then bill biofeedback. However, I find most of us are using BF as a “tool” in other treatments. Your documentation supports your billing as always.
• Q. In what ways will the Academy support advocacy initiatives?  Will the Academy push forward any advocacy efforts (4th trimester, healthcare inequalities)? A. The Academy attends the annual PT Day on the Hill and sends House of Delegates representatives to represent the membership voice. The Academy has a Federal Liaison who participates in APTA Federal Affairs calls and events. The Academy is developing the 2022-2025 strategic plan and has scheduled to have discussions regarding advocacy inclusion in our future plan. The Academy does not currently have an Advocacy/Practice pillar. The Academy will be exploring how it can better advocate for physical therapy professionals and patients. In early 2021, the PPSIG hosted a webinar on 4th Trimester Advocacy and how it was implemented in PA. The Academy understands the importance of advocacy in our profession, and is looking at new ways to guide members at both the national and state level. The Board will continue to discuss as it forms its new strategic plan.
• Q. Do we still have liaisons to other organizations such as AUGS, ICS, ACOG? A. The Academy sees this as an area of improvement. We need stronger relationships with these organizations and ensure physical therapy professionals are included in conversations and cross-industry collaboration opportunities. In the past, the Academy built relationships with AUGS and ICS however is eager to develop those relationships further and develop a relationship with ACOG through patient education resource collaboration efforts and other ways.