The TelePT Connections Podcast

Information, Innovation, Insight on Physical Therapy, Telehealth, and the future of healthcare. We meet at the crossroads of healthcare and technology to discuss the future of human health and wellness.

On this special episode of the TelePT Connections Podcast we have 3 esteemed members of the APTA Government Affairs team – Justin Elliott, David Scala, and Kate Gilliard. 

Each of them is extremely knowledgeable about the legal, policy and political issues most PTs don’t have to the time for and don’t want to dig into. Yet, these are the issues that govern our everyday practice and without their representation, PT would have no footing in the healthcare delivery and payment system. I’m very grateful for all the work they do on our behalf and we need to keep doing our part to support the cause of our profession.

On this episode we discuss the major issues in the 2022 Proposed Medicare Fee Schedule:

• Cuts to reimbursement for Physical Therapy services
• The proposed differential for care provided by a PTA and supervision rules for PTAs
• Telehealth reimbursement in the proposal, HR 2168, and other pathways to payment for TelePT

As mentioned in the podcast, please go to Patient Action Center (https://www.apta.org/advocacy/take-action/patient-action-center) and pass this on to your colleagues, patients, family, and friends. Our issues affect all of them and we need all the support we can get.

This was an extremely informative episode of the TelePT Connections Podcast. Every PT, PTA and anyone who cares about the future of our profession needs to listen to this podcast and take actions that will ensure the successful future of our profession. 

Also, these folks were mentioned on the podcast. Please visit them, thank them for their support, and ask them how we can help them help us:

David McKinley (WV) – https://mckinley.house.gov/

Micky Sherrill (NJ) – https://sherrill.house.gov/ 

Bobby Rush (IL) – https://rush.house.gov/

Lisa Murkowski (AK) – https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/ 

Susan Collins (ME) – https://www.collins.senate.gov/

Our guests:

Justin Elliott is vice president of government affairs at APTA, where he has led the association’s legislative, public policy, and political efforts on Capitol Hill since 2015. He has held several positions at APTA since joining the association in 2002, serving as APTA’s director of state government affairs and associate director of state government affairs. Prior to joining APTA, he worked at KM Strategies, a government affairs and issues management firm. He was the communications director for Fairfax County Supervisor Penelope A. Gross and also served as an advisor on her successful reelection campaign. He got his start on Capitol Hill serving as an intern in the offices of Sen. Charles Robb and Rep. Tom Davis, both of Virginia. He received his bachelor’s degree in communications and minor in political science from Virginia Tech. He is a member of the Public Affairs Council and American Society of Association Executives.

David Scala is a senior congressional affairs specialist at APTA. Before joining the association in 2019, he was a professional staff member on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and a legislative assistant for a member of the Judiciary Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Among other policy issues, He focused on health care, immigration, and fraud and abuse. Prior to that he was a senior consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked on human capital development and strategy for various federal agencies. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in economics from James Madison University.

Kate Gilliard is a senior regulatory affairs specialist at APTA. Before joining the association in 2018, she was a regulatory analyst with Centene Corporation, focusing on Affordable Care Act-compliant health care products. Her duties included monitoring state and federal legislative developments in the health care industry, developing company policy, and advocating on the corporation’s behalf to state and federal regulators. Prior to that, she was the ACA officer at the Illinois Department of Insurance, where she assisted the director in creating and implementing policies. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Oklahoma State University and her law degree from DePaul University College of Law. She is a member of the Illinois Bar.

You can find us here:

Adrian Miranda:

Twitter: @adrianmpt

LinkedIn: Adrian Miranda

Daniel Seidler:

Twitter: @dseidler

LinkedIn: Daniel Seidler

The Future of Physical Therapy is HERE – TelaPT

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We hope you enjoy this episode.