April 18, 2026

The Mirro Center for Research and Innovation
Fort Wayne, IN

Subject: Improving the Financial Success of Your Physical Therapy Practice and Department

Speaker: Rick Gawenda, PT

Course Description:

Since 2011, reimbursement has decreased over 40% for outpatient physical therapy services due to inflation. It is more important now for physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) to have an accurate understanding of CPT codes and billing. In addition, it is important for physical therapy practice owners to master the skills needed in contract negotiations and renegotiations.

This course will teach participants what interventions are included within each CPT code, the difference between Medicare’s “8-minute rule” and the American Medical Association (AMA) “substantial portion” methodology. Billing scenarios will be utilized to ensure PTs and PTAs bill correctly for their services to all insurers. Lastly, the course will teach participants what language is favorable to include in insurance contracts and how to leverage key performance indicators to increase your reimbursement rate.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

1. Describe and understand how to select the correct CPT code(s) based on the intervention(s) provided.
2. Charge correctly for the services you provide under outpatient therapy benefits for Medicare and non-Medicare insurance carriers.
3. Identify language to include and language to exclude in an insurance contract.
4. Discover practical strategies on how to use your Key Performance Indicators to secure insurance contract fee schedule increases.

About the Speaker: (please include the attached pic)

RICK GAWENDA, PT, is a licensed physical therapist with 34 years of experience and currently serves as the founder and President of Gawenda Seminars & Consulting, Inc. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, in 1991.

He has provided valuable education and consulting to hospitals, private practices, skilled nursing facilities, and rehabilitation agencies in the areas of CPT coding, ICD-10 coding, billing, documentation compliance, revenue enhancement, practice management, denial management, and remote therapeutic monitoring as they relate to outpatient therapy services. Mr. Gawenda has presented nationally since 2004 and has provided over 1000 on-site seminars and webinars.

In addition, Mr. Gawenda is retained by attorneys to serve as an expert in regards to legal or physical therapy state board issues regarding documentation, billing, supervision and utilization of support personnel and compliance with insurance rules and regulations as well as physical therapy state board requirements.

Mr. Gawenda is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and Michigan Physical Therapy Association (MPTA). Mr. Gawenda is a Past President of the Section on Health Policy & Administration of the APTA. Mr. Gawenda is also the Chair of the Payment Policy Committee of the Private Practice Section of APTA.

Mr. Gawenda is also the author of “The How-To Manual for Rehab Documentation: A Complete Guide to Increasing Reimbursement and Reducing Denials” and “Coding and Billing for Outpatient Rehab Made Easy: Proper Use of CPT Codes, ICD-9 Codes and Modifiers”.

Schedule:

• 8-9:30 am – APTA Indiana Board Meeting
• 9:30-10 am – Registration
• 10 am-12 pm – Presentation
• 12-1 pm – Lunch
• 1-3 pm – Presentation

Participants will receive a certificate for 4 Category I Contact Hours at the end of the Spring Meeting.