President’s Message
(July 02, 2021)
Members of APTA Indiana:
As we head into the Holiday weekend, I hope that many of you will be able to take time to relax, perhaps travel some, and enjoy time with family and friends. In reading back through my July 2020 Message from the President, it was a very different message, where travelling and socializing was not encouraged. The workplace was also very different. For those in outpatient settings, personal interaction with patients was limited and telehealth was widely used. For those in the trenches in the hospitals, you were involved in the care of many more critically ill patients. In the academic setting, there were endless zoom classroom sessions. For sure, this past year has tested our personal and professional resilience in ways we could not have imagined. During this time, your APTA Indiana membership has mattered, as significant activity has occurred, impacting the care we provide to our patients and clients.
Recently, the APTA Indiana Practice & Payment Specialist, Andrea Lausch, PT, DPT, and leadership from APTA Indiana and APTA, met with executives from Anthem regarding the AIM Program. Many of you have experienced challenges with the Anthem AIM approval process. We were able to express these concerns and talk about solutions that would enhance our ability to better serve our patients. Please click HERE to learn more about this meeting.
On July 1, the Physical Therapy Compact became law. Over the next 12-18 months, the PT Compact Commission will work with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency to establish the process by which compact privileges will be issued here in Indiana. As we learn more, details will be shared.
Over the past few weeks, there has been tremendous APTA Indiana Political Action Committee (PAC) activity. On June 16, a fundraiser was hosted for Senator Messmer at TopGolf. This event raised $3,200 and was a great opportunity to meet with Senator Messmer and thank him personally for all that he has done over the past two years, authoring legislation that has been instrumental in changing physical therapy practice in Indiana. Last Friday, the third APTA Indiana PAC Golf Outing was held at The Legends Golf Club in Franklin. It was a fun afternoon with an increase in teams attending from previous years, raising over $7,500 to go toward the PAC. A huge shout out to Brad Shupe, PT, DPT and the PAC Committee, including Kevin Herald, PT, Gabby Veldman, PT, DPT and Bryce Showers, PT, DPT, for all of their work in helping to organize this event. These funds go directly to supporting those legislators who support our profession.
We are excited to be able to have in person events this fall. More details will be coming soon on both of these events.
- October 23 – APTA Indiana Student Conclave
- November 5-6 – APTA Indiana Fall Conference
Wishing you all a restful and safe Fourth of July.
Emily
Emily Slaven, PT, PhD
President, APTA Indiana