How Physical Therapists Can Add Value to Medicare Accountable Care Organizations

13.00.00  Merlyn Rosell   Label: , , , ,
Private practice physical therapists in Florida who understand Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) are scared about the coming changes in healthcare financing.

But, like many large-scale changes ACOs will bring opportunities for success as well as threats to your current business model.

I'm discussing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the ACO model today, August 10th, 2011 at the Florida Health Care Coalition Sixth Annual South Florida Conference Empowering Healthcare/ Engaging Consumers in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Lessons learned here today that physical therapists in private practice can take home:
  • Insurance company employees are patients, too. They want better access, process and outcomes of care than they are getting now.

  • Wellness and Coaching are proven, albeit expensive, alternative model of chronic care delivery. "Expensive" is relative to the cost of people just taking care of themselves though better diet, exercise and controlling addictive or compulsive behaviors.

  • Improving behavior is also a proven strategy to lower costs. Whose behavior needs controlling? Patients need better strategies for managing their personal behaviors. Providers need more accountability for our workplace behaviors.

  • Behavior change skills are fundamentally different from physical therapists' traditional focus on "patient education".

  • Primary care physicians will be reimbursed for providing wellness care (eg: exercise prescriptions and interventions).

  • There is a problem with "rouge specialty physicians" driving up costs by performing too many uneccessary procedures, especially in South Florida.

  • A short-term cost saving strategy will be to increase screening of healthy populations for high-cost, common conditions, like future falls risk in elderly people, comunity-acquired pneumonia and depression in post-surgical patients.

    Physical therapists can provide these screenings.

  • Some insurance companies are experimenting with influencing patient behavior using social media, like Facebook and Twitter.


Learn more about Medicare Accountable Care Organizations at the FLorida Physical Therapists in Private Practice (FLPTPP) seminar How Physical Therapists Can Thrive Under Healthcare Reforn in Orlando on August 20-21, 2011.

Sign up now at the FLPTPP website.

You can sign up for the 2-day, 14-CEU seminar here using the web form at the FLPTPP website or you may also register by calling either one of these phone numbers:

1.813.874.2500 (office)

Toll Free: 888-MSK-4331

The course is being held at the Lake Buena Vista Embassy Suites. The Reservation phone number is (407) 239-1144. Ask for the $85 seminar pricing.

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How Physical Therapists Can Add Value to Medicare Accountable Care Organizations
How Physical Therapists Can Add Value to Medicare Accountable Care Organizations
Reviewed by Merlyn Rosell
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