Register for Virtual Conference Recorded Sessions

Maggie O’Neil, PT, PhD, MPH

Contact Hours: 6 hours  (0.6 CEU)
Specialty Areas: Pediatric, Sports 
Format: Lecture/Demonstration
Open To: PTs, PTAs, PT Students, PTA Students 
Competency Level: Appropriate for any level


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Course Description
This course will include presentation of evidence in the design of activity-based interventions for youth who are overweight or obese, and will focus on school-aged children and adolescents aged 5-20 years. The overall objective of this course is to provide an evidence-based approach in the patient/client management of youth with overweight/obesity, including the design of activity-based interventions such as the integration of fitness and exercise prescription principles (frequency, intensity, time and type) to improve health, physical activity and participation. Select measures will be discussed for informing clinical decision making.

The course is designed to assist providers in setting realistic goals and interventions and choosing appropriate measures to evaluate outcomes. Intervention approaches included in the course are formal and informal strength training programs, aerobic and anaerobic exercise programs and therapeutic exercises that incorporate different equipment (treadmill, weights), exercise approaches (yoga, dance, active video games), and environments (aquatic and land- based programs and individualized, community and family-based programs).     

The course is primarily lecture and discussions, with case-based examples used to integrate information on intervention and measurement strategies and to support clinical decision-making in patient management.    

Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Incorporate evidence-based interventions to promote fitness, physical activity and functional mobility in children who are overweight or obese.
• Choose and administer appropriate outcome measures to examine effectiveness of physical therapy interventions.
• Identify and refer children and families to medical or other services or community-based resources/programs to promote health, physical activity, and participation.
• Discuss physical therapist’s roles and opportunities in pediatric weight management.

Speaker Biography
Maggie O’Neil is a professor at Columbia University, Programs in Physical Therapy. Her teaching, research and clinical work focus on combining physical therapy and public health practices to promote fitness, functional mobility and physical activity in children with disabilities (cerebral palsy) and chronic conditions (obesity). She conducts funded research with a team including physical therapists, exercise scientists and public health researchers to establish reliability and validity of objective measures of physical activity and collaborates with video game designers, computer scientists and biomechanical engineers to develop customized active video games and virtual reality experiences for youth with disabilities to promote health, physical activity and mobility. Dr. O’Neill earned a BS in biology from Providence College in Providence, RI, an MS in physical therapy from Duke University in Durham, NC, an MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her PhD in pediatric rehabilitation from MCP Hahnemann University (now Drexel University) College and Nursing and Health Professions in Philadelphia, PA.

Ellen Hillegass, PT, EdD, CCS, FAACVPR, FAPTA 

Contact Hours: 3 hours  (0.3 CEU)
Specialty Areas: Acute Care, Cardiovascular and Pulmonary
Format: Lecture
Open To: PTs, PTAs, PT Students, PTA Students
Competency Level: Intermediate


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Course Description
Assessment of exercise tolerance and development of exercise prescription is not emphasized in great detail in entry level PT and OT curriculum. Patients have greater complexities and comorbidities and would benefit from optimal exercise assessment and prescription. Clinicians are currently dealing with a wide variety of complex patients and are concerned about how much to push them to do activities due to safety, yet they know they should not be too conservative. This course will provide information to help the clinician problem solve regarding normal versus abnormal responses to exercise, and clinical decision making to determine more optimal exercise prescription and activity tolerance for these complex patients.

Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Determine the appropriate exercise tolerance test to choose to evaluate exercise performance of a patient.-
• Assess physiological responses to exercise tests or activities as normal or abnormal.
• Develop an initial aerobic exercise prescription for complex patients seen in a variety of settings for activity and activities of daily living.-
• Discuss the current evidence on exercise prescription for post acute patients.

Speaker Biography
Ellen Hillegass is an adjunct professor at Mercer University in Atlanta in the Department of Physical Therapy. She also is the president and CEO of PT Cardiopulmonary Educators, a web-based education company providing webinars for continuing education and residency education and a core curriculum in Cardiopulmonary for DPT programs. Dr. Hillegass presents courses across the country on early mobility and best practices in cardiopulmonary physical therapy and was a member of the PACER project for the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Section, which was a project to provide free continuing education on COVID 19. She was the author and instructor of the PACER program Vital Signs, O2 and Exercise Prescription. She is a member of the National Quality Forum’s Cardiovascular Measures Standing Committee, which votes on quality measures in cardiovascular disease. She also started a cardiopulmonary clinical residency in through Mercer University in conjunction with Piedmont Hospital and continues to work with residents in that program. She has represented the cardiovascular and pulmonary issues of physical therapists at the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services along with the APTA on several occasions. Dr. Hillegass is the Chair of the Clinical Practice Guidelines Revision committee on Venous Thromboembolism for the APTA (originally published in PT Journal Feb 2016), and is the past chair of the oxygen recommendations task force for the APTA. The author of numerous peer-reviewed books and articles, she is the editor of Essentials in Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy, an entry- level text with the fifth edition due out in 2021 as well as the author of a clinical notes book entitled “PT Clinical Notes” (formerly “Rehab Notes”).She received her entry level physical therapy training from the University of Pennsylvania, Masters of Medical Science in Cardiopulmonary Physiology from Emory University, and doctorate in Exercise Physiology from the University of Georgia. Her dissertation involved muscle morphology in the spinal cord injured patient.

Richard Katz, BS

Contact Hours: 3 hours  (0.3 CEU)
Specialty Area: Practice Management
Format: Lecture
Open To: PTs, PTAs, PT Students, PTA Students, Administrative Staff
Competency Level: Appropriate for any levels


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Course Description
The course will define the role of insurance companies, Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), and other managed care organizations that contract with providers for services. The role of managed care contracts across commercial, government, work comp and Personal Injury Protection (PIP), lines of business (LOB) will be described. An overview of the structure and elements of a contract will be shared. The pricing and payment mechanics of a managed care contract’s fee schedule will be reviewed with an emphasis on the Medicare National Physician Fee Schedule use of the Resource Based Relative Value Schedule (RBRVS) formula elements (RVUs, GPCI, CF, MPPR etc.). Cost of care accounting will be reviewed to enable RBRVs fee schedule constructs to assist with contract evaluation.
Participants will learn how to read a managed care contract to identify the basic sections, terms, and provisions. they also will learn to identify lines of business the contract applies to and be able to perform basic RBRVS fee schedule calculations for comparison to capacity and cost considerations. As a result, participants will be better informed and able to make improved contracting decisions that affect their practice and the value of the profession.  

Course Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Read a managed care contract to identify the basic sections, terms, and provisions.
• Identify lines of business the contract applies to and be able to perform basic RBRVS fee schedule calculations for comparison to capacity and cost considerations.
• Be better informed and able to make improved contracting decisions that affect their practice and the value of the profession.

Speaker Biography
Since 1991 Rich has represented thousands of therapists in managed care contracting negotiations with insurance companies and PPOs. As the Director of Contracting for Therapeutic Associates Inc. (TAI) and in his role as Executive Director of Northwest Rehab Alliance (NWRA), Rich has helped the therapists of the NW through the formative years of managed care and established and developed one of the more prominent therapy Independent Practice Associations (IPA) in the country. In his capacity as Executive Director he has developed contracted relationships with payers ranging from simple Fee-For-Service contracts to capitated risk agreements. Rich has performed many seminars across the country for the Private Practice Section of the APTA and shared articles in Impact on contracting and managed care and consulted with other IPAs on contracting arrangements. Prior to Rich’s role with TAI and NWRA his healthcare related work included design and use of medical charge tickets, and sales and managed care contracting for laboratory services. Rich is a 1981 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Business where he studied management and finance.

Seth Oberst, PT, DPT, SCS

Contact Hours: 3 hours  (0.3 CEU))
Specialty Areas: Orthopedic, Neurologic
Format: Lecture
Open To: PTs, PTAs, PT Students, PTA Students
Competency Level: Intermediate


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Course Description
Whether you practice in outpatient, inpatient, acute care, orthopedics, or neurology, nearly all your patients are experiencing stress and it is fundamentally affecting how they move and perceive the world and themselves. Patients presenting as “difficult” or “complex” are often stuck in a threat response that is altering their perception of reality, their respiration, and the internal forces acting within their body, ultimately altering both structure and function. Stress influences literally every cell in the body and as healthcare practitioners focused on restoring the health and function of our patients, it is imperative that we understand these fundamental connections. Unfortunately, while many clinicians are able to identify stress in their patients they feel ill-equipped to approach it from a physical rehabilitation perspective.This three-hour seminar is designed to introduce and expound upon the connection between stress, movement, and neuroimmune function and behavior. We intend to advance competence and understanding in identifying and working with the neuromusculoskeletal issues that result from the dysregulated systems that result from chronic stress. We will identify the relationship between threat perception, the neuroimmune system (including the autonomic and cranial nerves), the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis, function of the upper and lower airways, and movement to create a foundation for proper intervention. Intervention paradigms will be introduced to give clinicians a more effective approach to helping complex patient presentations and the clinician will hopefully eave this seminar with a better understanding of the impact they can make as a therapist when they understand these connections.

Course Objectives
At the conclusion of this course participants should be able to:

• Identify the relationship between threat perception, the neuroimmune system (including the autonomic and cranial nerves), the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis, function of the upper and lower airways, and movement to create a foundation for proper intervention.
• Understand the role that respiration plays in the stress response and the bioplastic changes that occur in the body as a result.
• Know how to observe, evaluate, and work with “complex” or “difficult” patients as well as how to help with them in a multidisciplinary approach.

Speaker Biography
Seth Oberst, DPT is owner of Holistic Physical Therapy, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia and works extensively with persons experiencing acute and chronic health conditions using a holistic, body-oriented model of care. He works with all forms of pain with special emphasis on airway and respiratory dysfunction, headache/migraine, craniofacial pain, spinal disorders, chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia, functional GI disorders, and more. Seth works closely with other holistic clinicians (dentists, speech pathologists, functional medicine practitioners, psychotherapists, etc.) to establish optimal care for his patients. Outside of his practice, he mentors fellow clinicians and teaches courses nationally and internationally on the connections between the brain, breath, and body and how to heal dysfunction when the connection is lost.

Sarah E. (Haran) Hughes, PT, DPT, OCS, CF-L2

Contact Hours: 3 hours  (0.3 CEU)
Specialty Area: Practice Management, Orthopedic
Format: Lecture
Open To: PTs, PTAs, PT Students, PTA Students
Competency Level: Appropriate for any level


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Course Description
The traditional physical therapy model is on its way out. Those interested in this course have the foresight to understand why moving away from a high-volume, corporate model is the best choice for both patients and practitioners. Keeping this in mind, we will explore the realities of the current healthcare landscape and guide students toward making thoughtful choices about a payment model that works with their market, location, and individual goals. While this may seem intimidating, with intentional planning we can get patients in the door and build a successful practice outside of the traditional model. The goal of this course is to provide a realistic breakdown of what these practices look like and what it takes to be successful in these models. This course will be an introduction to how this can be achieved without offering empty promises of success or solutions. Opening a practice outside of the in-network/high volume model does not come without significant time, effort, and energy, but a successful “out of the box” practice is possible with intention and commitment. 

Course Objectives

• At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:
• Describe why cash PT is on the rise and examine some pros and cons of these types of practices.
• Understand common goals and expectations from PTs interested in going out of network as well as how to best achieve them.
• Understand of how the out-of-network practice model can work and which situations are best suited for it.
• Have a realistic understanding of the barriers to out-of-network practice.
• Brainstorm 2-3 cash programs that they could introduce into their current practices.

Speaker Biography
Sarah has been practicing in Seattle for almost 15 years and opened her private practice, Arrow Physical Therapy Seattle in 2016. Her specialties include adult and pediatric sports injuries and she has a particular interest in treating conditions of the hip and pelvis such as femoroacetabular impingement and labral tears. In 2017, she began business consulting with other providers through her company Full Draw Consulting. She also coaches at Ballard Crossfit and specializes in treating dancers, gymnasts, Crossfit athletes and weightlifters. Dr. Haran earned a BS in exercise science from Gonzaga University and a DPT from the University of Washington.