July 2023

President Message

Dear Colleagues

It may be summer but the work of our small but mighty chapter continues! Thank you especially to our delegates, and federal affairs liaison who are headed to Washington DC this month.

Despite the many challenges faced in healthcare - access to care, burnout of providers, administrative burden, fair payment, DEI and more, there continues to be much progress. I always appreciate the quote from Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much’. Whether you are member or not, I hope you will lean into supporting our initiatives that support our profession.

Be sure to save the date – for the 2023 Annual meeting AND Celebration on November 9th!

Enjoy the summer –

Best, Michelle

APTA RI

Save the Date

Registration and sponsorships will be available soon

APTA CT

Physical Therapist Management of Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease: A clinical conversation on the implementation of CPG recommendations into practice

August 16

Golf Tournament

Sept 19

APTA NH

Blood Flow Restriction

Sept 9

APTA MA

Role of Physical Therapists in Palliative Care

August 8

Accessing and using assistive mobility devices: Experiences of end users

August 9

Payment and Legislative Updates

Important United Health Care Policy Update

United Health Care announced a Therapy policy update effective July 1^st requiring plans of care be certified (signed and dated) by a referring provider or "appropriate specialist". Additionally, the policy requires all treatment visit notes to include the "start and stop time in treatment". The policy applies to UHC Commercial benefit in all states. Lastly, the physician referral requirement has been dropped. ATPA Private Practice is aware of policy conflicts with Optum policies and is working together with APTA for clarification to advocate for removal of these arduous changes.

See Additional Policy Details Here (Adapted from recent PPS Notifications)

We are happy to announce that the 2023 RI Legislation passed SB101 allowing PTs to continue ordering radiographs (x-rays) until Dec 31 2025.

Click below for the full legislation:

SB101 | Rhode Island 2023 | AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- PHYSICAL THERAPISTS (Extends authority of physical therapists to order x-rays until December 31, 2025.) | TrackBill

APTA RI is continuing to accept participants to participate in this research regarding imaging ordering:

A Multifactorial Analysis Of Physical Therapist Practitioners Ordering Radiographs

Recording: Basics of Musculoskeletal Radiology and Imaging Short Course

This course was held on April 9, 2022

To receive the recording of this presentation, please register and pay here.

CEHs will be available upon completion of reviewing the recording.

This course is not appropriate for PTAs or PTA students

Next week, the APTA RI Federal Affairs Liaison, Tracy Gannon will head to Washington DC to meet with federal legislators and staff to discuss future support for Physical Therapy.

Chapter / Member Higlights

Special Interest Groups

Newly elected APTA RI Board Director, Ken Vinacco met with APTA RI Special Interest Group leaders.

APTA RI supports 3 SIGs: Neurology, Pelvic Health and Early Professionals.

If you are interested in presenting at a SIG meeting or applying for a leadership role in one of the SIGs, feel free to reply to this email or reach out to Ken and we will get you connected.

Open Positions: Neurology SIG Secretary