President’s Message (May, 2022)
A Message From the President
It was wonderful to spend time with so many of you at the recent APTA Indiana Spring Meeting on Saturday April 30. We had a morning of inspiring presentations, based around the theme of innovation. Drew Contreras, PT, DPT, APTA Vice President of Clinical Integration & Innovation, spoke on Finding Innovation in the Physical Therapy Profession, and John Kiesel PT, DPT, Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, provided a great session on Naloxone Administration and Physical Therapy Roles in the Opioid Public Health Crisis. Both these presentations were so relevant and brought home the role that our profession has here in Indiana in the health and wellbeing of our patients and clients.
This year, the APTA Indiana Fall Conference will be held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, October 21-22. We are continuing with the theme of innovation from our Spring Meeting. Conference proposals are currently being accepted through May 20. As we look forward with our profession, are you providing services that are forward thinking, tracking payment and practice patterns with a different lens, etc…? If so, we would love to have you submit a proposal for the conference. Please click HERE for more details.
A common question I get, and I am sure that many of you also hear, from potential APTA Indiana members, is “what is APTA doing for me” or “what value is there for being a member”? In 2020, the APTA Indiana Board of Directors (BOD) decided to hire an individual who would solely address member practice and payment questions and concerns. Andrea Lausch, PT, DPT, has been hard at work for you, the membership, since May 2020. As a practicing physical therapist, in addition to the role of APTA Indiana Practice and Payment Specialist, Andrea noticed that Canalith Repositioning Therapy–CPT 95992 was not a covered code by Medicaid. So, she requested CPT 95992 be added to the fee schedule and submitted a summary of research to support it being included. Andrea just heard last week that this code was added to the Medicaid covered codes. Thank you, Andrea, for all the work you do to advance payment and practice within Indiana.
A huge thanks to Valerie Strunk, PT, DPT, for stepping into the role of Chair of the State Legislative Committee. Valerie has been a member of this committee for several years and has a real passion for advocacy at both the State and Federal levels, in addition to her elected position as a Delegate to the APTA House of Delegates. Another great thank you to those who are running for APTA Indiana BOD positions. Please take a moment to review the slate below and vote when the ballot is sent to you in the next few weeks. Every one of us has talents we can use to promote our profession. Consider volunteering in a capacity that is an area of passion for you. Click HERE to see open volunteer options. You will be surprised how much you get back from the experience!
One fun way to get involved and also support the APTA Indiana Political Action Committee (INPTPAC), is to support the Golf Outing on Friday, June 3, at 1 pm. This is the PAC’s primary annual fundraiser. When we support our PAC, we drive our ability to continue to move the needle with the practice of physical therapy within Indiana. For more details on how to register your team or provide sponsorship, please click HERE.
Emily Slaven, PT, PhD
President, APTA Indiana
slavene@uindy.edu