The more Maryland PTs, PTAs, clinicians, educators, and practice owners who participate, the stronger the story we can tell and the stronger our advocacy becomes.
We don’t need everyone to advocate in the same way.
We need everyone who can, to advocate in some way.
We know that asking a practice owners and busy clinicians, to attend another meeting, join another committee, or spend a day away from patients is not always realistic.
That does not mean your voice should be missing from the conversation.
It is why APTA Maryland has been intentionally creating more ways for clinicians and practice owners to advocate from their practices, from their homes, and on their own schedules.
You don’t have to come to Annapolis to build a relationship with a legislator. Invite your Senator or Delegate to your clinic. Show them what physical therapy looks like. Let them meet your staff and patients. Talk with them about reimbursement, prior authorization, administrative burden, workforce challenges, and what it actually costs to operate a practice. APTA Maryland provides resources, templates, and talking points to help members do that.
You don’t have to become an expert on insurance regulation to help us address payer problems. Tell us what is happening in your practice. Our tracking tools help identify recurring problems involving delayed payments, denials, credentialing, prior authorization, reimbursement, and other payer practices. One practice’s problem may be an isolated issue. When we hear the same thing from practices across Maryland, it becomes a pattern we can take to the Maryland Insurance Administration, policymakers, and insurance carriers.
You don’t have to write testimony from scratch. When legislation affecting physical therapy is before the Maryland General Assembly, we provide action alerts, background information, talking points, and templates that make it easier for members to contact legislators and explain how proposed policies will affect their patients and practices.
Easy advocacy. We also have a site where you and your patients can share the impact of PT, barriers to care, the impact of reimbursement and administrative burden, etc.
And APTA Maryland is doing the work between legislative sessions as well.
We engage directly with the Maryland Insurance Administration on insurance and payment issues. We participate in regulatory discussions. We meet with policymakers and insurers. We collect information from practices so that we can bring real-world examples to those conversations. We work with our lobbyists during the General Assembly session and throughout the year to identify opportunities for legislative solutions.
Could we do more? Absolutely.
But doing more doesn’t necessarily mean asking already-overextended clinicians and small-business owners to give us more hours. It means making it easier for more people to participate.
And when you have more time to give, join one of our committees, workgroups, advocacy initiatives, or leadership opportunities.
There is no single solution to the payment challenges facing physical therapy. Lobbying matters. Regulatory advocacy matters. Payer advocacy matters. Data matters. Relationships with legislators matter. And grassroots participation matters.
APTA Maryland’s job is to connect those pieces and make it possible for every member to contribute — whether they have five minutes, five hours, or the ability to serve in a formal leadership role.
The more Maryland PTs, PTAs, clinicians, educators, and practice owners who participate, the stronger the story we can tell and the stronger our advocacy becomes.
We don’t need everyone to advocate in the same way.
We need everyone who can, to advocate in some way.
