Greetings from Delta seat 12D – SJC to DSM
By Sandra Norby, PT, DPT
I am headed back to Des Moines, Iowa, after a full and enriching week of physical therapy meetings.
The week began with a short drive to Kansas City for the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Legislative and Payer forum, where I represented the Private Practice Section (PPS), and listened to our member volunteers and APTA Payment Policy Committee present to insurers and legislative chairs the results of the Milliman Study. I’d like to recognize Craig Johnson, PT, MBA, Rick Katz, PT, DPT, MA, Holly Johnson, PT, DPT, and Kelly Sanders, PT, DPT, ATC, for presenting, along with Juliet M. Spector FSA, MAAA, from Milliman. We invested $107,000 in this project, and the white paper is available on our website. In Colorado, a toolkit will be presented on how to use the outcomes that favor direct and/or early access to physical therapy for lower back pain.
In Washington, D.C., I represented PPS at the APTA Large Practice meeting along with past president Terry Brown, who facilitated a seamless baton handoff. Thank you, Terry!
Then off to New York City for the 3rd annual Women in PT Summit—leadership and the challenge for diversity were themes covered. The presenters were fully transparent regarding their journeys. Dr. Emma Stokes, PT, and president of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, validated my life as a leader, and that felt pretty awesome. Thank you, Emma!
The week ended at the California APTA meeting, where I explored membership through data and discussed the challenges and needs of PPS/ APTA members, students, and former APTA members. Those topics led to sharing our PPS 2018–2021 Strategic Plan and its three pillars: Advocate, Educate, Connect.
Having a strategic plan in place is pivotal for how your Section leaders decide on where to invest your dollars. We use a facilitator and invite members to join us on this endeavor that your board takes great responsibility for.
Enjoy the articles in this month’s Impact magazine.
