PT Sunset Bill Is Introduced In Colorado House

AURORA, Colo. (Feb. 23, 2024) — The Colorado House of Representatives on Wednesday introduced the PT Sunset (HB 24-1327). The introduced bill reflects the recommendations by DORA which include 1) continuation of the practice act for 11 years and 2) allowing PTs to prescribe Durable Medical Equipment.

APTA Colorado has been working hard to lobby members of the House Health and Human Services Committee to share the value you bring to your patients. The association will be requesting amendments in the first hearing that include: 1) DPT/SPT title protection 2) medication reconciliation 3) modernize tests and measures 4) clarify wound care for PTAs 5) remove that PT technician is the same as a PT 6) change language to gender neutral and 7) modernize language around “foreign trained.”

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Join the Movement: Record Your Video to Support the Change.org Petition Against Life Time Fitness' Use of DPT Trademark

AURORA, Colo. (Dec. 22, 2023) – In a significant push for community engagement and advocacy, supporters of the Change.org petition urging Life Time Fitness to cease the use of the DPT: Dynamic Personal Training trademark are now encouraged to amplify their voices through video testimonials. Real stories and personal appeals have the power to make this cause harder to ignore, and your participation is crucial in this pivotal moment. 

Change.org emphasizes the impact of personal stories in driving successful campaigns: "Real voices make petitions harder to ignore. Sharing why you care in a compelling video increases the chances of success." In line with this, we are calling on all supporters to "Amplify your signature by adding your voice!" 

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APTA Colorado Meets with Insurance Giant Cigna and Contractor, ASH, Over Benefits-Management Concerns

AURORA, Colo. – Dec. 17, 2023 -- Representatives from managed healthcare and insurance giant Cigna and its benefits-management contractor, American Specialty Health (ASH), met recently with APTA Colorado leaders to address various operational and communication concerns raised by APTA Colorado members.

 [Separately, APTA Colorado distributed information to assist Colorado PT clinics and clinicians in successfully working with ASH.]

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Beginning Sept. 1, Coloradans at Risk of Losing Preferred PT Providers

CONTACT:  Don Knox, APTA Colorado, 720-272-0961

AURORA, Colorado – July 27, 2023 -- Thousands of Coloradans could lose their preferred choice of physical therapy providers because of an insurance company's expanded use of a benefits management contractor, the professional society for physical therapists says.  

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APTA President: 'Undervalued, Underpaid' PTs Must Seek New Payment Models

American Physical Therapy Association President Roger Herr, PT, MPA, told physical therapists and physical therapist assistants gathered in Washington, D.C., today that PTs are "undervalued and underpaid" and are playing defense "when we should be playing offense."

Herr used his presidential address to tell PTs to seek new payment models "beyond the fee schedule and insurance-based models that have dominated our practice and created a dependence that is unsustainable for our next generation."

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Featured Member Profile: William (Bill) McGehee

APTA Colorado Featured Member Profile Blog Series 

APTA Colorado is excited to announce our Featured Member Profile, a blog series dedicated to introducing you to APTA Colorado members and sharing the incredible work physical therapists are doing throughout our state. If you are interested in being featured in the future, please click here to learn more

Fast facts about our latest featured member! 

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New Settlement in the Jimmo Case

On February 1, 2017, a judge in the so-called Jimmo case ordered the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to enter into a Corrective Action Plan (CAP). The CAP requires CMS to provide more education about the addition of a coverage standard for maintenance therapy. That is, CMS is required to provide additional education to providers regarding the fact that improvement is not required in order to be eligible for Medicare coverage for skilled care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), home health agencies (HHAs), outpatient therapy centers and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals.

The latest ruling is based on a ruling in the Jimmo case on August 17, 2016, in which the Court found that CMS did not comply with part of the Settlement Agreement entered into in 2013 that required CMS to engage in a nationwide education plan regarding the revised standard of coverage. Advocates for Medicare beneficiaries in the case claimed that the educational campaign conducted by CMS "was so confusing and inadequate that little had changed." They concluded that the educational campaign to date had not been "adequate, timely, or complete." 

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