Welcome to The Minnesota Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association
As a mission-driven and member and volunteer-led organization, the Minnesota Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association (MN APTA) leads its membership in advocating for and securing the future of the physical therapy profession.
New Medicare Conditions of Participation Rehabilitation Guidelines for Hospital-based Outpatient Settings
APTA is working diligently to convince the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to rescind and revise new interpretative guidelines (Transmittal 72) that were issued November 18, 2011 for rehabilitation services provided in hospitals. The language in the Transmittal states that rehabilitation services must be ordered by a qualified practitioner who is responsible for the care of the patient and who has medical staff privileges to write orders for these services. The policies set forth in this Transmittal are far-reaching as they apply to both inpatient and outpatient hospital based settings and apply not only to Medicare beneficiaries but to all patients who receive services at the hospital.
As stated in our News Now communication (http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/NewsNow/2012/1/4/CMSGuidelines/), APTA believes that these interpretative guidelines are inconsistent with current regulation and that they pose serious problems for patients in hospital-based settings. CMS has indicated that they are having internal discussions and do plan to take some action soon to address the issues raised by providers. In addition, APTA has reached out to other associations to work together for a resolution.
Resolving this issue is a high priority for APTA and we will keep members updated as soon as more information is available. In the meantime, we recommend that hospitals work with their hospital compliance department to determine the best approach regarding the patients affected by this policy.
Celebrating 2011
Take a look at all of the great things APTA accomplished in 2011!
November-December MN Moving Forward Newsletter
Where Do You Stand on Taking Vital Signs? A Challenge to Look and Listen
Submitted by Joan Purrington, PT (APTA Member Since 1989)
What are the standards and best practices that we uphold as physical therapists? Are you assessing, monitoring, and documenting your patient’s vital signs prior to, during, or following physical therapy interventions? Read more...
DPT Student at St. Scholastica Elected Vice President of APTA Student Assembly
Submitted by Nick Gigliotti, SPT (APTA Member Since 2009)
Nick Gigliotti, a third year DPT student at St. Scholastica, was elected Vice President of the APTA Student Assembly. He was elected during the National Student Conclave held October 21-23 in Minneapolis, MN. We spoke with Nick to learn a bit more about this emerging leader. Read More...
Lt. Governor Prettner Solon Accepts Friend of Physical TherapyAward from MN APTA
This fall, Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon was awardedthe MN APTA Friend of Physical Therapy Award. Lt. Gov. Prettner was recognized for her legislativesupport of the field of physical therapy. Read More...
Member News
New Professional Spotlight
Meet Ali Fischer, SPT. Meet Ali Fisher, SPT. She has special interests in health, fitness, and disease prevention in pediatric and adult populations. Ali is a part of APTA because it helps move our profession towards being leaders in health promotion, not only rehabilitation. Read more about Ali and her thoughts on the value of APTA.
Meet Andy Wood, PT, an APTA member since 1978. During hiscareer, AndyI pioneered the health and wellness programs at General Mills. This included developing wellness programs for corporate employees, sales and manufacturing. He is a competitive cross country skier and coach for the Rochester Nordic Ski team. Andy and his wife enjoye 2 very large organic gardens on their farm.
