Entries by Amanda Olson, DPT, PRPC

What We Say When We Talk to Our Patients About Pain

August 13, 2015 in , , /by

As physical therapists we know the scenario quite well. The new patient intake forms come across our desk right before an evaluation and the body chart is completely covered in “X” marks indicating areas of pain. There is no clear nerve root pattern, no dermal pattern, no pattern at all – just X’s spanning across…

Reimbursement in Physical Therapy

July 17, 2015 in , , /by

On April 16, 2015 Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). This act is intended to repeal the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, and is the final and permanent piece of legislation in a long line of annual temporary adjustments since 2003 that had prevented the SGR from activating…

2015 Changes in PQRS Reporting Made Easier with EMR

May 7, 2015 in , , /by

Previously we discussed the changes in health care provision regarding the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). In this article I will present more in depth current information regarding the ever changing landscape of medicare reimbursement and how physical therapists fit into the picture. In January of this year, the US department of Health and Human…

Meaningful Use and PQRS

April 6, 2015 in , , /by

In 2012 the United States Department of Health and Human Services released final rules related to Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Health Information Technology (HIT). The rules require health care practitioners falling under the title of a physician to comply with federal laws, under the title Health Information Technology Act from Congress. The act made…

Caring for the Complex Pelvic Patient Part III: Outcome and Reflection

March 31, 2015 in , , /by

In the third and final installment of this three part series: Caring for the complex patient, we will review the patient’s presentation and discuss the outcomes following treatment and how documentation using bestPT supported the treatment. The patient was a 34 year old female referred to physical therapy (PT) by her obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) for evaluation…

Caring for the Complex Pelvic Patient Part II: Treatment techniques

March 18, 2015 in , , , /by

In the second installment of this three part series: Caring for the complex patient, we will review the patient’s presentation and discuss the treatment techniques employed and how documentation using bestPT supported the treatment. The patient was a 34 year old female referred to physical therapy (PT) by her obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) for evaluation of pelvic…

Caring for the complex pelvic patient with Physical Therapy

March 10, 2015 in , , , , /by

Physical therapists specializing in pelvic health are confronted with a myriad of pelvic floor diagnoses and impairments which may result in pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Pelvic floor weakness secondary to muscle fiber damage or connective tissue abnormality may account for this phenomenon. Extenuating circumstances, such as a vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC), add further…

Physical Therapy Documentation – Turning Attention to the Patient

February 18, 2015 in , , /by

Perhaps the most common thread across all physical therapists (PT) regardless of practice setting and specialty is that each of us became a PT with the intention of helping others. The process of deciding to become a physical therapist may have began at a young age (such is the case with myself at the tender…