Hello all! Hope you are doing well as we transition to cooler weather. I wanted to provide an update on APTA Massachusetts happenings. 

 

October was an incredibly busy PT Month for APTA! Thank you to those who participated, shared, and donated as part of our October PT Day of Service  to support Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. If you didn't have a chance you participate, you can  donate to BHCHP here.
 
From a public policy standpoint, we’ve had a very productive month. I joined our lobbyists for a meeting with Representative John Lawn, Chair of the Healthcare Finance Committee, as well as a meeting with the staff of the Speaker of the House. Both meetings were incredibly productive, discussing our legislative priorities. We were able to highlight key differences between our PT Compact legislation and other more controversial healthcare compacts that we hope will increase our likelihood of success this session.  We also discussed the unsustainable level of outpatient PT payment rates in both meetings.  As most of you know, these low rates lead to decreased access and choice for patients while putting significant strain on these critical small business, private practices that are so important in their communities.
 
The Speaker’s office is also leading efforts to look at creative solutions to help the throughput of patients from hospitals to rehab settings and home. We took the opportunity to highlight how important PT is in this transition, emphasizing that we would love to be a part of solutions in any way we can.
 
I want to thank you for your membership, as without our dues, we would not have resources to have these important conversations and keep Physical Therapy top of mind with key legislators. As your costs continue to rise, I urge you to continue to support APTA through your active membership. If there is anything we can do to make your membership more valuable, I would love to hear. Please email me at  president@aptaofma.org.
 

We hope to see you next weekend at   Annual Conference!

MK Miller

President, APTA Massachusetts

It’s been a busy summer so far! After spending a few days last week in Washington DC at APTA events, I wanted to send a few member and advocacy updates.

All PT and PTA licensure regulations, statutes and enforcement is controlled by the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure (formerly Board of Allied Health) and the Department of Public Health (DPH). Representatives of APTA MA (the member based professional association for PTs, PTAs and PT / PTA students) and/or lobbyists retained by APTA MA will attend public hearings regarding new licensure regulations to ask questions, seek clarification, and provide interpretations for APTA MA members.

Why should I advocate?

It’s hard to believe we are almost through the holiday season! It’s also hard to believe I have been in my role as APTAMA Chapter President for 4 years! It feels like someone pushed the fast-forward button and here we are. I have many emotions about finishing my time as Chapter President. I am proud of what we’ve accomplished, but I am mostly excited for our next President, MaryKate Miller, to lead us forward in the years to come.

Recent violent tragedies in Buffalo and Uvalde bring back to the surface the heartache we felt after tragedy struck very close to home in Sandy Hook in 2012. We support APTA's recently released statement and call on MA legislators to move to action to prevent further senseless violence.

MK Murray, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Specialist in Orthopedics is the past APTA MA Vice President and current President - Elect.

MK is from Killingworth, CT and currently lives in Boston. She received her DPT from Springfield College.

Ana Sanchez Junkin, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Specialist in Neurology is the APTA MA Secretary and is very involved in the Neurology SIG.

Ana is from Mexico City, Mexico and currently lives in Boston. She received her DPT from MGH Institute of Health Professions.