News & Media

Ask for Therapy Cap Repeal During National Stroke Awareness Month

May 22, 2013: There are 7 million people in the United States who have survived a stroke, according to the National Stroke Association-and these survivors are your patients. Now, during National Stroke Awareness Month, help ensure their access to physical therapist services by e-mailing your legislators and asking them to repeal the Medicare therapy cap. Tell Congress that your patients-their constituents-must receive timely and proper care after they have suffered a stroke.

World's Health Professions Call for New Emphasis on Working Together

May 22, 2013: The global bodies for the 5 leading health professions, representing more than 26 million health professionals worldwide, are calling for a new emphasis on collaborative practice. Health professions working together around the world can lead to improved health services and a more effective use of resources, they say.

CMS Offers Webinars on Health Insurance Marketplace

May 22, 2013: Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who want to better understand the health insurance exchange initiative that resulted from the Affordable Care Act, also being called the health insurance marketplace, can tune in to webinars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Administration announces billion initiative to provide better health care and lower costs

By Rick Gilfillan, Director, CMS Innovation Center Bringing down health care costs is a top priority. That’s why the Affordable Care Act contained an historic set of reforms designed to reward higher quality and lower the cost of care.  And we know that the best way to do that is the same way leading health […]

Continuing to work with states to build new systems of health coverage

By Cindy Mann CMS Deputy Administrator and Director, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services CMS is committed to working in partnership with states in administering their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) and to providing flexibility in pursuit of our shared goals. Premium assistance has been a longstanding option in both Medicaid and CHIP […]

eHealth: Aligning Quality Measurement at CMS

By Patrick Conway, MD, MSc Stage 2 of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs The next step on the path of meaningful adoption of health information technology (HIT) for providers—will launch later this year for hospitals and next year for eligible professionals. How will this next phase improve health care and […]

Student Experiences in Creating and Launching a Student-Led Physical Therapy Pro Bono Clinic: A Qualitative Investigation

Background The physical therapy profession has called for the provision of pro bono services. Little is known about the impact on students involved in sustainable pro bono leadership. One physical therapy program established a pro bono physical therapy clinic under the direct leadership of a board of students. Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of the inaugural members of the Chester Community Physical Therapy Clinic Student Board in creating and launching the student-led pro bono physical therapy clinic. Methods A purposive sample of the 18 members participated in semistructured interviews. Content analysis was conducted using a commercially available software program. Trustworthiness was enhanced with credibility, transferability, and confirmability. Results The emergent categories were: (1) leadership skill development, (2) competency in hands-on clinical and administrative skills, and (3) commitment to both the community and the clinic. Pride emerged as a strong and overarching theme throughout the experience. Conclusions The student-led pro bono clinic meets several Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education criteria in a sustainable manner and serves as a means for measuring and meeting program mission and goals. Participation in the program was a meaningful experience and developed ownership, leadership skills, and pride among the students. There are also possibilities for expanding aspects of the program so that all physical therapist students can benefit from pro bono service opportunities.

Combined Statistical Analysis Method Assessing Fast Versus Slow Movement Training in a Patient With Cerebellar Stroke: A Single-Case Study

Background Gold standards of data analysis for single-case research do not currently exist. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether a combined statistical analysis method is more effective in assessing movement training effects in a patient with cerebellar stroke. Design A crossover single-case research design was conducted. Methods The patient was a 69-year-old man with a chronic cerebellar infarct who received two 5-week phases of finger tracking training at different movement rates. Changes were measured with the Box and Block Test, the Jebsen-Taylor test, the finger extension force test, and the corticospinal excitability test. Both visual analysis and statistical tests (including split-middle line method, t test, confidence interval, and effect size) were used to assess potential intervention effects. Results The results of the t tests were highly consistent with the confidence interval tests, but less consistent with the split-middle line method. Most results produced medium to large effect sizes. Limitations The possibility of an incomplete washout effect was a confounding factor in the current analyses. Conclusions The combined statistical analysis method may assist researchers in assessing intervention effects in single-case stroke rehabilitation studies.

Author Response

Ensuring That Education, Certification, and Practice Are Evidence Based

The occupational therapy profession has put forth a vision for evidence-based practice. Although many practitioners express a commitment to the provision of services informed by evidence, the reality that tradition still determines much of our education, certification, and practice cannot be ignored. In this article, we highlight the disconnect between the profession’s aspirations and actual practices using neurophysiological models as an example. We describe actions to actualize the shift from traditional interventions to evidence-based approaches. We challenge readers to become agents of change and facilitate a culture shift to a profession informed by evidence. It is our hope that this article will provoke critical discourse among educators, practitioners, authors, and editors about why a reluctance to let go of unsubstantiated traditions and a hesitancy to embrace scientific evidence exist. A shift to providing evidence-based occupational therapy will enable us to meet the objectives of the Centennial Vision.

Review of Instrument Development and Testing Studies for Children and Youth

We reviewed 12 articles from 2012 that addressed development and testing of instruments for children and youths and American Journal of Occupational Therapy articles from 2009–2013 that addressed 11 activity and participation instruments to determine how well this group of instruments facilitates the generation of evidence sufficient to support practice in accordance with the Centennial Vision. We observed an increase in the number of instrument development and testing studies and in higher level studies and larger cohorts; funding was provided for almost half of the studies, and attention was given to use of blind testing and transition to adult-age assessments. Further development of performance-based activity and participation instruments; instruments that examine biomedical molecular–cellular, biomedical, and environmental mechanisms; and intervention fidelity measures and increased use of blind testing are necessary for occupational therapy to meet the Centennial Vision.

Listening to Classical Music Ameliorates Unilateral Neglect After Stroke

OBJECTIVE. We determined whether listening to excerpts of classical music ameliorates unilateral neglect (UN) in stroke patients. METHOD. In this within-subject study, we recruited and separately tested 16 UN patients with a right-hemisphere stroke under three conditions within 1 wk. In each condition, participants were asked to complete three subtests of the Behavioral Inattention Test while listening to classical music, white noise, or nothing. All conditions and the presentation of the tests were counterbalanced across participants. Visual analog scales were used to provide self-reported ratings of arousal and mood. RESULTS. Participants generally had the highest scores under the classical music condition and the lowest scores under the silence condition. In addition, most participants rated their arousal as highest after listening to classical music. CONCLUSION. Listening to classical music may improve visual attention in stroke patients with UN. Future research with larger study populations is necessary to validate these findings.