MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com - A part of the 1T - the "One Thing" you need for PT practice.

Educational Programs' #1 Customer

I got this most unusual request (tounge-in-cheek) today from Dr. Julie Whitman at Regis University, essentially a survey asking for some perspectives on what employers' needs might be when it comes to equipping physical therapists with the best possible education, the results of which will inform their upcoming strategic planning. An educational program asking employers for their opinion? What a concept (again tounge-in-cheek)! Most educational programs have absolutely no appreciation for the fact that employers are their #1 customer and instead arrogantly think that the academic ivory tower knows best, never mind the fact that many faculty in PT academia have never themselves practiced or only in their very distant past (please no one share the results of this survey with me if it's out there lest it ruin my New Year.).

Kudos to Regis for asking it's #1 customer how it might best serve their needs.

Happy New Year to everyone!

John

It Takes More Than One Voice

Peter Schrey created a petition for all of us to think about and potentially sign. 

Those of you who practice in a direct access state have to sometimes think about how it is that patients come to you.  I definitely know that how those patients come to you definitely can't be due to any real efforts on behalf of the American Physical Therapy Association. 

I believe Peter is on the right track.  I mean, the topics chosen by the APTA have been discussed here the last couple of years and obviously the efforts to educate the public aren't changing anything with regard to our practice... nope, not a single patient with thumb pain... nope, not a single parent calling me up for a consult visit on the fit of a backpack or the weight of the backpack... nope, not a single phone call on whether the bicycle is adjusted correctly... nope, no requests for anything on couch potato exercises....

With any good marketing, there should be goals set and behaviors measured to ensure the message IS getting out and making an impact on the target population.  What do I want for 2008?

1)  10 patients (that don't know me) with low back pain saying, "Can you believe I had to ask my physician for a referral for physical therapy?  Why didn't the physician suggest it?"

2)  75% of patients referred for physical therapy services within 2-3 weeks of onset of back pain that isn't resolving (with no narcotics prescribed and no unneccessary diagnostic testing performed).

Will I actually sit back and measure those goals?  Not with #1, but I can with #2, somewhat.

So, if you'd like to make a little noise and hopefully be heard, check out Peter's petition:  The Petition

Thoughts for the New Year

If there has ever been a more simple way to describe the plight of the worst of worst PT, this post says it all.

Here, here to high quality PT in 2008 that elevates the PT profession, health care system, and the consumers we serve.

Happy New Year from EIM!

John

The Grinch is a physical therapist!

Many grandchildren will have to simply do without-PT’s have stolen all the Wii’s!

Happy Holidays to all.

Larry@physicaltherapist.com

Closing out 2007!

Evidence in Motion would like to extend our sincere thanks for the loyal committment of the rapidly growing EIM family during 2007! Your numerous emails, blog comments, and avid participation on MyPhysicalTherapySpace are an immense encouragement to our profession's future in the abstract sense, but to us individually in a much more personal way. It is very clear that given the disaster of the current US health care system, particulary with respect to the management of musculoskeletal conditions, physical therapists will hold an increasingly important role in the delivery of health care in 2008 and beyond. As we have said from the beginning, our best days remain ahead because of passionate PTs who give a rat's rear end about the outrageous costs of managing musculoskeletal conditions (back pain still getting worse), the health and well being of the individual patient sitting in front of you, and elevating of the profession of physical therapy in general. We look forward to continue "stirring the pot" with you in 2008.

To recount just a bit of 2007, it was an incredibly busy year at EIM. We launched the EIM Orthopaedic Residency and Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy Fellowship, started the Evidence Express, hired a full time CEO in George "Pacman" Burkley, and acquired a great occupational health care company in Fit for Work (Tom and Keith, you are still OTs, but we will forgive you:)), among numerous other activities too numerous to mention here. One of the highlights of 2007 was the re-organization of our professional association, which we think is moving into positive territory. John Barnes, thanks for your leadership. We look forward to working with you.

As a token of our thanks, enjoy a little EIM "Elf Yourself" at our expense.

We wish you and your families a joyous and blessed Christmas and Happy New Year! Stay tuned for great days ahead in 2008. Don't hesitate to let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

George, John, Rob, Larry, and Tim

Ghost of Christmas Past

Enough said.

Perhaps the publication date should have been Dec 1, 1967 instead of 2007.

 

Larry@physicaltherapist.com

Moneyball Medicine

We are great fans of economics at EIM.  Take a look at this post and let us know your thoughts.  From an economic standpoint, they make a great point.

 

Larry@physicaltherapist.com

Check Out the Upcoming EIM Courses!!!

Check out upcoming Evidence in Motion courses currently open for registration! Learn more about MyEIM and our new Articulate course format!

Download WhatIsMyEIM.pdf

Download ArticulateFormat.pdf

***Indicates course open for internal registration only. Contact facility POC listed on website.

Evidence-based Examination and Selected Interventions for Patients with Lumbopelvic Spine and Hip Disorders

Jan 26, 2008***
St. Louis Park, MN (USA)

Mar 29-30, 2008
Portland, OR (USA)

Mar 29-30, 2008***
Evansville, IN (USA)

Apr 5-6, 2008
New Braunfels, TX (USA)

Apr 5-6, 2008***
Greenville, SC (USA)

Apr 5-6, 2008***
Coeur d' Alene, ID (USA)

Aug 15-16, 2008***
Davenport, IA (USA)

Evidence-based Examination and Selected Interventions for Patients with Cervical Spine Disorders

Jan 12-13, 2008***
New Milford, NJ (USA)

Mar 8-9, 2008
Birmingham, AL (USA)

Jul 26-27, 2008***
Evansville, IN (USA)

Aug 1-2, 2008***
Greenville, SC (USA)

Aug 1-2, 2008
New Braunfels, TX (USA)

Evidence-based Examination and Selected Interventions for Patients with Upper Extremity Disorders

Sep 27-28, 2008***
Evansville, IN (USA)

Oct 4-5, 2008
New Braunfels, TX (USA)

Oct 4-5, 2008***
Greenville, SC (USA)

October 4-5, 2008***
Green Bay, WI (USA)

Evidence-based Examination and Selected Interventions for Patients with Lower Extremity Disorders

Feb 2-3, 2008
New Braunfels, TX (USA)

Feb 2-3, 2008***
Evansville, IN (USA)

Feb 2-3, 2008***
Greenville, SC (USA)

Evidence-based Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging as an Adjunct to Treatment in Patients with Lumbopelvic Disorders

Aug 16-17, 2008
Burlington, NC (USA)

An Evidence-based Approach to Functional Evaluation and Exercise Interventions for the Older Adult

Apr 18-19, 2008***
Columbus, OH (USA)

We encourage early registration to insure a seat. Extensive hands-on lab sessions are included.  Visit us on the web at www.evidenceinmotion.com to get more details, learn about other 2007 course dates and locations. Register online today!

Feel free to email us at courses@evidenceinmotion.com if you have any questions or need additional information. Consider passing this post on as an email to your colleagues who might benefit from this information. Hope to see you at an Evidence in Motion course in 2007! We sincerely thank you for joining with us to translate evidence into practice.

The Evidence in Motion Team

The Health Care Boulder

How long will it take us to figure out that the problem of 21st century health care is largely overutilization (except for the poor, who have no coverage, and this is another issue) and poor quality? At least for musculoskeletal conditions, which account for huge and rising costs among payers, unnecessary imaging and pharma are the #1 and #2 contributors to these costs. Hmmm....if you see a physical therapist first, we won't order images nor prescribe you drugs, bypassing the huge cost centers of primary care and speciality clinics like orthopaedics and neurology. If we happen to provide high quality care, great...but frankly patients and the health care system are still better off even if we provide average care. If Jack Wennberg is right, common sense won't prevail anytime soon. This would be a great read over your Christmas break. I hope he is wrong. Push the health care boulder further uphill next year by telling everyone you know to seek care from a physical therapist first the next time they experience an epsiode of low back pain. We just might find the boulder nudged a bit further towards Vision 2020, which is fortunately perfectly aligned with the best interests of the US health care system.

John

The Fee Schedule and the Cap

The update on the matter:  The Alert

I emailed my senator last week and then phoned his office yesterday.  I couldn't get any news on the above matter.  I think I might attempt to become a bit more active next year and get to know my senator a bit.  I wonder if the senator would let me shadow him and allow me to ask him questions to more fully understand him, his role and how he makes decisions?  The only thing I know about legislation and laws can be found here:  Just a Bill  (If I shared that with him, maybe he'd be inclined to educate me!)  In exchange, I wonder if the senator would be interested in spending some time in a small clinic?