The TelePT Connections Podcast

Information, Innovation, Insight on Physical Therapy, Telehealth, and the future of healthcare. Daniel Seidler and Adrian Miranda have lots to say and they also love learning from others. Guests include PTs, healthcare business leaders, healthcare tech innovators, and investors. We meet at the crossroads of healthcare and technology to discuss the future of human health and wellness.

TPTC Podcast Ep28 – Dr. Jennifer Solomon

October 19, 2021

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.

Welcome to this episode of the TelePT Connections Podcast. Thank you for all your comments on LinkedIn, Twitter and your podcast apps. They mean so much to us, so please continue to comment and be sure to subscribe to the podcast.

This week we got to speak with Dr. Jennifer Solomon. Dr. Solomon is an award-winning, board-certified physiatrist, specializing in spine and sports medicine. Most recently, she served as an Attending Physiatrist for 18 years at the prestigious Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC.

Dr. Solomon’s philosophy as a non-operative specialist is to properly diagnose the injury—identifying the root cause of a patient’s pain—and pursue a proactive treatment plan. Whether utilizing non-operative procedures, physical therapy, or a specified strength and conditioning plan with preventative care, Dr. Solomon works with the patient every step of the way so they can return to a pain-free, injury-free, active lifestyle.

Dr. Solomon has served as a team physician for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) on the WTA Tour and has worked numerous sporting events, including the NYC Marathon. She has been recognized annually by Castle Connolly as one of New York’s Top Doctors since 2013. Dr. Solomon is a born and raised New Yorker and currently resides in NYC with her two daughters, Samantha and Alexis. She is an athlete at heart, having grown up as a Junior Tennis Star and collegiate tennis athlete. Dr. Solomon still plays tennis for fun, is an avid cyclist, and has a passion for all things fitness and exercise.

In this podcast episode we got to talk about: – Functional and mechanical assessment – Research in clinical practice – Pros and cons of PRP injections vs other interventions – Building effective relationships between Physiatry and Physical Therapy

Jennifer Solomon and her group at the Regenerative SportsCare Institute are blazing a trail for the future of MSK Medicine. It was great speaking with her and learning about the innovations coming from that area of MSK care. We hope you learn from this episode and enjoy the episode as much as we did.

As always, please leave your comments on LinkedIn, subscribe to the podcast and share it with friends and colleagues.

You can find Dr. Jennifer Solomon here:

email: solomonj@regensportscare.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Jennifer Solomon

Find Daniel Seidler here:

Twitter: @dseidler

LinkedIn: Daniel Seidler

Please subscribe to the podcast.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

TPTC Podcast Ep27 – APTA Panel: 2022 Proposed Medicare Fee Schedule

August 25, 2021

The TelePT Connections Podcast

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

Please subscribe to the podcast.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

TPTC Podcast Ep26 – Dr Winifred Bragg: The Bragg Factor

August 18, 2021

The TelePT Connections Podcast

Welcome to this episode of the TelePT Connections Podcast. I’m Daniel Seidler. We went into this episode expecting it to be about the origins of telehealth and telemedicine bc our guest was using video visits more than 5 years ago. So we touched on that with Dr Bragg, but you never know where a podcast episode might go. We prepare. We have our set of basic questions. Sometimes though you have a guest who just leads with their personality and charisma and everything else is secondary. Dr Winifred Bragg is one such guest. She takes a very traditional approach to one-on-one care with her patients and makes every effort to connect with them on a personal level, all for the objective of helping them heal and feel better. She’s smart, empathetic and so personable. She’s a special doctor. Here’s a little background on Dr Bragg…

Winifred Bragg, MD is a nationally recognized speaker, board-certified physician and the CEO of the Spine and Orthopedic Pain Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. Bragg has appeared in numerous TV and print media programs. She’s been published in Redbook, Woman’s World and Self Magazine and her online articles have had tens of thousands of views.

During this episode we got to speak about:

Building a successful practice
Remote engagement with a family members medical care through telehealth
Breaking opioid dependence
Walking in the footsteps of your patients
The Bragg Factor

Dr. Bragg’s first book “KnockOutPain®: Secrets to Maintain a Healthy Back,” was an Amazon Best-Seller. Check it out (link below).

As always, please leave your comments on LinkedIn and YouTube, subscribe to the podcast and share it with friends and colleagues.

We had a great conversation with Dr Bragg. I hope you learn a lot from this one and enjoy the episode as much as we did.

Knock Out Pain: Secrets to Maintaining a Healthy Back

She has given workshops at numerous conferences. You can contact her at speaker@knockoutpain.com or at her website at www.knockoutpain.com.

Facebook: Spine and Orthopedic Pain Center The Bragg Factor

LinkedIn: Winifred Bragg, MD

YouTube: Dr Winifred Bragg

Twitter: @DrWinifredBragg

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

Please subscribe to the podcast.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

TPTC Podcast Ep25 – David Fried: VR Gamification of Rehab

August 3, 2021

The TelePT Connections Podcast

Our guest this week is David Fried. David is the CEO of Evolv, a medical device manufacturer which uses VR, motion capture technologies, and gaming to treat neuromotor and age-related diseases and conditions. He studied architecture in his native Canada and later in Spain where he practiced for several years before setting up an interactive digital media firm in Bilbao in 2004.

David later joined Virtualware in 2012 to help develop novel VR and AR hardware solutions. He then became Director of Virtualware’s UK office where he got deeply involved with their new product called VirtualRehab (now called EvolvRehab®), a pioneering virtual therapy application designed to improve rehabilitation through gaming.

In 2017, Virtualware founded Evolv with the aim of further developing virtual rehabilitation technologies and expanding the use of its CE certified EvolvRehab® platform for telerehabilitation and prevention. Since then, David has helped expand the use of EvolvRehab® into 20 countries where it has been used by thousands of people of all ages and levels of disability. He recently led Evolv’s entry into the Microsoft Social Entrepreneurship Program.

In this podcast episode we got to talk about: – The value of repetition and high rep volume following a stroke – Therapy games, gamification, and VR – PT/OT practitioner contribution to software development and design – Payment and reimbursement for rehab assistance tools like AR/VR – The future of healthcare

David Fried and Evolv are onto something big and their product design is so user friendly because they endlessly gather feedback from practitioners and patients. This approach leads to continuous design improvements, increased engagement, and improved outcomes – and their research confirms it.

As always, please leave your comments on LinkedIn, subscribe to the podcast and share it with friends and colleagues.

I had a great conversation with David Fried. I hope you learn a lot from this one and enjoy the episode as much as I did.

You can find David Fried here:

email: dfried@evolvrehab.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgfried/

Find Daniel Seidler here:

Twitter: @dseidler

LinkedIn: Daniel Seidler

Please subscribe to the podcast.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

TPTC Podcast Ep24 – Chuck Thigpen: Integrated Musculoskeletal Care Delivery Models

July 28, 2021

The TelePT Connections Podcast

Welcome to this episode of the TelePT Connections Podcast. Thank you for all your comments on LinkedIn, Twitter and your podcast apps. They mean so much to us. Please continue to comment and be sure to subscribe to the podcast.

Our guest this week is Dr. Chuck Thigpen. Chuck is the Senior Director for Practice Innovation and Analytics at ATI, leading the clinical care delivery and analysis from ATI’s Patient Outcomes Registry, with over 2.5 million patients’ outcome measures. He holds adjunct appointments with Duke University Department of Orthopaedics, Division of Physical Therapy, University of South Carolina Department of Physical Therapy, and Clemson University Bioengineering. Chuck completed his PhD in Human Movement Science at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2006. He completed a M.S. in Human Movement Science with a concentration in Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy from UNC in May of 2003. He earned his B.S. in Physical Therapy from East Tennessee State University in 1997 where he also played football at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in 1991-92 before becoming a student athletic trainer through 1995.

In 2020, Chuck led the development and implementation of ATI’s telehealth solution, ATI Connect. They have seen more than 50k telehealth visits over the last year. Quite an accomplishment.

In this episode we talk about: – The process of developing, launching and refining a telehealth program at an organization that does 25k visits per day – Innovative treatment models – what’s working and what isn’t – The future of payment for PT and telehealth services – Emerging technologies and competition in the market for musculoskeletal care

This was one of our favorite interviews so far. At ATI, Chuck is at the heart of a true bellwether of the PT industry. He’s extremely informed and he was very candid with us – always a good combo for our podcast.

As always, please leave your comments on LinkedIn, subscribe to the podcast and share it with friends and colleagues.

We had a great conversation with Chuck. I hope you learn a lot from this episode and enjoy this one as much as we did.

You can find Dr. Chuck Thigpen here:

email: charles.thigpen@atipt.com

LinkedIn: Chuck Thigpen

Twitter: @chuckthigpen

Find Daniel Seidler here:

Twitter: @dseidler

LinkedIn: Daniel Seidler

Please subscribe to the podcast.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

TPTC Podcast Ep23 – Dr. Dave Sofer, DPT: Arthritis Help

July 20, 2021

The TelePT Connections Podcast

A cortical homunculus is a distorted representation of the human body, based on a neurological “map” of the areas and proportions of the human brain dedicated to processing motor or sensory functions, for different parts of the body. A cortical homunculus, or “cortex man”, illustrates the concept of a representation of the body lying within the brain. Nerve fibres—conducting somatosensory information from all over the body—terminate in various areas of the parietal lobe in the cerebral cortex, forming a representational map of the body.

Every MD, PT, and OT learns about the homunculus in school but very few understand it, apply it, and clearly explain the relevance of the homunculus as well as our good friend and first repeat guest, Dr. David Sofer.

On this week’s episode, Dave gives us a review of the homunculus and how it applies to pain and pain management. Also during this episode, he drops multiple knowledge bombs:

Chronic pain process
Fundamentals of movement
Feldenkrais
David Butler’s DIMS and SIMS
Virtual Reality treatments for anxiety and pain.

Dave is a wealth of knowledge and he’s also very entertaining. That’s why we had him back on the podcast.

Dr. David Sofer, DPT is a physical therapist, educator, entrepreneur, patient rights advocate and life-long learner. Clinical practice is his passion, and he loves sharing that with his patients in the office, students at SUNY Downstate PT program and with followers of his arthritis management website www.ArthritisHelp.info.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Thank you for listening to the PT Connections Podcast.

To learn more about Dr. Dave go to https://www.arthritishelp.info/site/about or email him at Dr.Dave@ArthritisHelp.Info

You can find Adrian and Dan here…..

Twitter: @adrianmpt

Twitter: @dseidler

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianmpt/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielseidler/

Please subscribe to the podcast.

We hope you enjoy this episode.