Spring Meeting

How would your involvement in clinical research expand your practice? Each speaker’s professional development has grown from clinical practice to meaningful clinical research for people with rare disorders. Despite the term ‘rare’, there are about 7000 rare diseases that affect nearly 30 million Americans increasing the likelihood that a PT or PTA will encounter clients over the course of their practice who present with rare diagnoses. However, literature to guide physical therapy interventions and dosing in rare disorders is often limited, and presentation between patients can be highly variable. Here we will provide clinically relevant, evidence-based information from our experience in multidisciplinary clinics for the care of people with neuromuscular, musculoskeletal and mitochondrial disorders. The speakers will present on their study results from the diagnoses of Rett Syndrome, Barth Syndrome, Osteogensis Imperfecta and leukodystrophy (AMN and LBSL). The speakers will discuss how to select and apply the tools that they have come to rely on in their clinical practice and research including dynamometry, apps for postural sway, accelerometry and exercise intervention. Attendees will take away strategies to implement in their own practice for selecting evaluation tools, targeting interventions and strategies to use clinical practice to drive clinical research in patients with rare disorders.

Learning Objectives:

• Select most appropriate assessment tools for evaluating impairments resulting from rare disorders.
• Discuss the most current available literature and practical evidence regarding physical therapy treatment of rare disorders and how to apply this literature to specific cases.
• Understand the application of the available literature to cases of rare disorders that may be encountered in clinics.
• Design paradigms to conduct clinical research within clinical practice treating patients with rare disorders.

Speakers: Briana Czerwinski PT, DPT; Brittany Hornby PT, DPT, PCS; Chris Joseph PT, DPT; Jen Keller, PT, MSPT

Briana Czerwinski is a physical therapist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Briana obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology from Washington and Lee University and a doctorate of physical therapy from Duke University. She completed the Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency Program through the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the University of Maryland Medical Center in 2018. Her clinical experience includes spinal cord injury rehabilitation, developmental delay and Rett Syndrome. Her research interests involve the role of physical therapy in preventing functional decline in Rett Syndome, as well as developing an appropriate outcome measure to track gross motor function in patients with Rett Syndrome. Her professional interests include teaching (she is a teaching assistant at the University of Maryland Baltimore) and patient advocacy.

Brittany Hornby is currently a senior physical therapist in the Outpatient Physical Therapy Department at Kennedy Krieger Institute where she treats patients in addition to striving to advance research produced by the department. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA where she majored in Biology and minored in Spanish. She received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from George Washington University in Washington DC. She began working at Kennedy Krieger Institute in 2011. In 2015, Brittany completed a pediatric physical therapy residency with Kennedy Krieger Institute and the University of Maryland. Following completion of the residency, she earned a specialist certification in pediatric physical therapy. Her professional interests include fitness across the lifespan, standardized clinical outcome measures, mitochondrial disorders and teaching (she currently serves as adjunct faculty of pediatrics for the University of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science and George Washington University). Brittany also serves on the Communications Committee for the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. Her current research interests include functional ability and quality of life in patients with Barth Syndrome.

Chris Joseph PT, DPTreceived his masters from Thomas Jefferson University in 1994 and his Doctorate in 2015 from Arcadia University in physical therapy. He started his career as a staff physical therapist dividing his time between school and outpatient based services. In 1998 he moved to early intervention and in 2003 and then became the Director of Physical Therapy at The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. He joined the Kennedy Krieger Institute in 2011 as the Director of Physical Therapy, and adjunct faculty of pediatrics at the University of Maryland school of medicine Physical Therapy and rehabilitation science program (PTRS). He is the primary physical therapist in the Leukodystrophy and osteogensis imperfecta clinics at Kennedy Krieger. He is a member of ALDconnect and was on the workgroup to develop the motor based data elements for Clinical Research Form (CRF). He also was on the NINDS Common Data Elements workgroup for Cerebral Palsy and the development of the common data elements and the therapy intervention data collection form for the Cerebral Palsy Research Network. His current research interests include the investigation of robotic assist gait training with FES for children with cerebral palsy, natural history data collection for children and adult with osteogensis imperfecta and pediatric chronic pain.

Jennifer Keller is a research physical therapist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in the Center for Movement Studies. Jen obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Mount Holyoke College. She went on to complete a masters of science in physical therapy through the Program in Physical Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. She has been working with people with neurodegenerative disorders for more than 15 years. Under the direction of Dr. Bastian and Dr. Zackowski, Jen is involved in studies on how to rehabilitate people with stroke, cerebellar ataxia, multiple sclerosis, and leukodystrophies.

Audience: PT/PTA
Instruction Level: Basic

 

This course presents the fundamentals of the APTA's Orthopedic Section's Advanced Work Rehabilitation, including review of terminology, treatment Levels (1-4), job description methodology, Physical Demands Classification, energy expenditure, MET level to physical demands correlation, material handling classifications according to load and frequency of lifting, progression in rehab and case resolution strategies. 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the APTA’s Orthopedic Sections Advanced Work Rehabilitation Guidelines.
• Understand how to describe work according to US Department of Labor Dictionary of Occupational Titles Physical Demand Classifications (PDC) and activity frequency levels.
• Understand state and federal governing bodies within the workers’ compensation arena for the state in which you practice.
• Assess the elements of quality human motion including signs of maximal load, compensation and fatigue.
• Be able to correct dysfunctional movement patterns in the course of administrating a functional capacity evaluation.
• Understand the inherent risks of a FCE and the elements of safe administration of a FCE.
• Understand the three reasons a progressive test is terminated.
• Understand the metabolic requirements of each PDL and how these relate to VO2-max testing and training.
• Understand how to effectively perform physician-facing and case manager-facing communications including written and verbal status reports.
• Understand how to bill for work conditioning and functional testing using standard CPT codes.

Speaker: Wayne Macmasters PT

Audience: PT/PTA
Instruction Level: Intermediate

Performance improvement (PI) in healthcare is about measuring and solving problems with how we care for patients. The science of PI comes from multiple sources, including the Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to decrease waste and process variation borne out of manufacturing industries, in companies such as Motorola and Toyota in the 1980s. More recently, this robust set of techniques and tools has been applied within the healthcare industry to address problems whose consequences impact patient mortality and other serious outcomes, and is a necessary component of high reliability organizing, as defined by the Joint Commission. This course will provide a basic introduction to the Define Measure Analyze Improve Control (DMAIC) framework for project management, highlighting several Lean and Six Sigma tools that may be used to help solve problems in any physical therapy practice setting.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the role of the physical therapist and physical therapist assistant in a data-driven Quality Assurance (QA) and Performance Improvement (PI) approach
• Describe the concept of High Reliability Organizing (HRO) and its impact on preventing medical errors and patient harm
• Increase knowledge of the basic tenets of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies
• Demonstrate understanding of the DMAIC model of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control, including specific techniques and tools as presented
• Obtain knowledge to enable use of provided templates for preparing and presenting a basic PI project

Speaker: Kevin Platt PT, DPT, MBA, FACHE, CPHQ

Kevin Platt is a physical therapist with 30 years of experience as a clinician, educator, and healthcare leader. He has served in both clinical and administrative roles in a variety of settings, including acute care, cardiac rehabilitation, home care, industrial medicine, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient therapy, physical therapist assistant program, physician practice management, quality management, and skilled nursing. Platt currently leads the patient safety and high reliability organizing efforts for the University of Maryland Medical System, the largest healthcare provider in the region, with 13 hospitals and 28,000 employees. He earned his BS in physical therapy from the University of Scranton, DPT from University of Montana, and MBA/Accounting from Loyola University in Maryland. His board certifications include Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), and Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ). Platt earned his Lean-Six Sigma Green Belt certification from Juran Institute in 2015 with a project that reduced cost of poor quality (COPQ) by $1.3M (25%) in an inpatient rehabilitation facility. Platt is currently serving his second term as president of APTA Maryland.

Audience: PT and PTAs who are or aspiring to be in a leadership role
Instruction Level: Intermediate

 

Join APTA staff as they review state/federal and commercial insurance changes and the impact on practice. The discussion will include both public and private insurers and and a variety of practice areas (private practice , outpatient, inpatient, SNF, home care., etc.)

Learning Objectives

• Review the current payment and reimbursement policies for major payers in the industry, including Medicare; Medicaid, and major commercial payers.
• Identify APTA resources on payment and reimbursement.

Speaker: APTA Staff - Kara Gainer JD, and staff from the Payment and Practice Management Department, TBD.

Kara Gainer joined APTA in 2017 and provider leadership and strategic direction to the regulatory affairs team on key programs, initiatives, and policy development in the federal regulatory space. She has extensive knowledge and experience working on policies related to Medicare, Medicaid, health care reform, and provider billing and reimbursement. Prior to joining APTA, she was a health care consultant with Drinker Biddle & Reath, where she developed and executed comprehensive public policy strategies for her clients that integrated legislative, regulatory, and communications efforts. She also served as an attorney advisor for the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals, and she clerked with the US Senate Sergeant at Arms. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Montana and law degree from the University of Montana School of Law, and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

Audience: PT, PTA, and Office Managers*
Instruction Level: Basic

 

Social media has become for many, an informal entry point into the health care system. Research indicates potential patients use social media to educate themselves, to discuss treatment options, including trusted practitioners, and to find support for their medical issues. Problems arise when these potential patients receive inaccurate or misleading information which may lead to exacerbations of symptoms or delay in appropriate care. Individual physical therapy practices can have tremendous influence in shaping the social media experience for potential patients. By leveraging social media effectively, PT practices can provide education for past, present and potential patients on the benefits physical therapy while promoting their own expertise. This course will equip participants with strategic tools to maximize their social media influence online. Specifically, this course will include the creation of patient friendly and engaging posts, strategies to generate leads for their practice and guidelines for maintaining HIPAA compliance while the using social media. Upon completion, the participant will be able to harness the power of social media to improve the patient physical therapy experience.

Learning Objectives

• Describe health seeking behaviors on social media.
• Create patient friendly posts to further their educational efforts of social media.
• Evaluate social media platforms to determine the most effective for their specific population.
• Apply HIPAA guidelines to social media posts in order to protect the private health information of patients in addition to marketing their practice.

Speaker: Juanita Benedict PT, DPT

Juanita Benedict PT, DPT has worked in both home health and clinical settings encouraged her develop strategies to improve compliance while also setting up patients for success and health beyond physical therapy. While an ergonomic consultant for the dental industry, Dr. Benedict created industry specific content including blogs, podcasts, articles and continuing educational course material to address the needs of dental professionals. She is honored to have the opportunity to work with manufactures, educators and other leaders in the industry to reduce the amount of injuries within the dental industry. Now, Dr. Benedict is using her knowledge of social media and patient compliance to help physical therapists establish a voice online. As the founder of PTSocial, a company dedicated to providing easily implementable strategies to leverage social media, she works with physical therapists to develop effective and engaging content to connect, educate and influence patients.

Audience: PT, PTA, and Office Managers*
Instruction Level: Basic