Practice & Advocacy

A proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is drawing criticism from physical therapists (PTs) over additional requirements that PTs would need to meet to qualify as providers of custom orthoses and prostheses—and the Section on Women’s Health is making it easy for mem Continue Reading

As women’s health physical therapists, changes in health care policy always evoke the question, “But how does this apply to MY patients?” We often march to our own drum in terms of treatments and types of patients seen. This is no different for the new evaluation codes that started January 1, 2017. Continue Reading

Each year the American Physical Therapy Association selects an item for the student flash action strategy (FAS). In 2016 this initiative was used as an opportunity to education students on the activities and goals of the Physical Therapy Political Action Committee (PT-PAC) and the importance of fund Continue Reading

As Section on Women’s Health Reimbursement Committee chair, I am fortunate to attend the APTA State Policy and Payment Forum annually. For therapists of women’s and men’s health, let’s be honest–payment can be one of the most aggravating and unfamiliar aspects of our job. Indeed, this forum changes Continue Reading

Starting January 1, 2017, physical therapists will have three new evaluation codes and one new re-evaluation code. The new evaluation codes will replace the 97001, PT initial evaluation, and 97002, PT reevaluation codes. Continue Reading

I recently co-presented a half-day workshop at the 37th annual American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD) Week event in Denver, Colorado. Although AUGS PFD Week programming has traditionally been geared toward researchers and physicians, recent years have seen increased in Continue Reading

I work with several pregnant patients for sciatica, low back pain, and pelvic pain. Do I need to code for the patient being pregnant and then code for the pain and functional problems or just the pain and functional problems? Continue Reading

As you may have heard, Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) is changing how we code for physical therapy evaluations in 2017. There will be three new evaluation codes– 97X61, 97X62, and 97X63–that will replace 97001, and one new re-evaluation code, 97X64, that will replace 97002. Continue Reading

Question:  Our physical therapists do internal vaginal biofeedback and/or electrical stimulation. The electrode probes we use are $40 each, and we want to ensure we are using the most appropriate CPT codes to charge for this intervention. Do you have any advice for us? “90911” seems like an... Continue Reading

SOWH Federal Affairs Chair Gail Zitterkopf (left) and Director of Programming Sandy Hilton are among the hundreds of APTA physical therapists participating in the 2016 Federal Forum to create and support stronger PT-related legislation. Continue Reading

The new craze is all about “alternative payment models” (APM). In January 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a plan to move aggressively on its goal to transition 30% of traditional fee-for-service Medicare payments to APMs such as the Comprehensive Care Joint Replacem Continue Reading

2016 APTA Minority Scholarship winner Kimmi Edwards, DPT, calls for expanded support of minority PT students to diversify the profession. Do you have strong feelngs about whether minorities are well represented or recruited into the physical therapy (PT) profession? Continue Reading