The new course - Using the Wii in the Clinic:  Pediatrics and Adults — is now available.  It has been submitted to Texas for state approval for 1.25 contact hours and will become approved in North Carolina soon.

This course is a live demonstration provided by Sandy Garver, PT, MPT.  Sandy demonstrates not only the Wii Fit, but also the Wii Sports activities, while performing live therapy treatment on one of her patients.

This a beginner level course.

Using the Wii in the Clinic:

• offers resources and background on the whole-body-system concept
• provides detailed instruction on the components of the Wii Fit, and the Wii Sports activities
• demonstrates how to modify treatment using secondary equipment
• highlights how to identify patient improvement for use in documentation
• and much more!

Because this is a demonstration, the course is offered only in video format.  It consists of 6 chapters.

We want to thank Methodist Healthcare System in San Antonio, and Sandy Garver, PT, MPT, and the Castellano family for this course.

© Copyright 2009 CEUs-ToGo, Inc. All rights reserved.

To purchase the course test:  New members must register.  Current members must log in.  After you are logged in, select Courses to purchase the course test.

 

 Chapter 1 - Using the Wii in the Clinic: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 2 - Using the Wii in the Clinic: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 3 - Using the Wii in the Clinic: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 4 - Using the Wii in the Clinic: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 5 - Using the Wii in the Clinic: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 6 - Using the Wii in the Clinic: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 1 (Windows Media Version): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 2 (Windows Media Version): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 3 (Windows Media Version): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 4 (Windows Media Version): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 5 (Windows Media Version): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chapter 6 (Windows Media Version): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have published eleven (11) Part B scenarios for physical and occupational therapists.  The scenarios include:

1. Billing - CPT Codes:  Not Permitted
2. Billing - CPT Codes:  Permitted
3. Group Therapy -vs- Individual Therapy (I found this particularly interesting)
4. Team Therapy
5. Counting Minutes of Service Units
6. Group and Individual CPT Codes Billed on Same Day
7. Supervision
8. Qualified Personnel
9. Group Frequency
10. Documentation
11. SNF Part B Billing

There is a brief explanation of the difference between group therapy for Part A versus group therapy for Part B at the bottom of the article.

The document is well written, with easy-to-follow explanations.  It might save you some lost billing to read through it.  Check it out at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - 11 Part B Billing Scenarios for PTs and OTs

Twin bills have been filed in both the Texas House and Senate that, if approved, would allow physical therapists to perform patient evaluations and treatments without the requirement for a physician’s prescription.

Here is a cleaned-up (retyped) version of Senate Bill 433:

 Retype of SB 433: Download

The TPTA website has links to both the House and Senate bills, as well as a one-page summary of speaking points.

What can you do?

Whether you agree with the bill or not - make an informed opinion and then make your opinion count!

First, read the text of the bills.  Next, read the one page summary from the TPTA website.  It has many good points.  Finally, form an opinion and then make it known!  Contact your local representatives in both the Texas House and Senate — send an email, give them a call. Find out who your representative is by following this link:  http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/

PTs in Texas have practiced knowing the exceptions to the referral requirement — but, did you know the exceptions were expanded in February 2008?

Chapter 322.1(a)(2):  Provision of Services now includes the following exception –

• (B) A PT may provide instructions to any person who is asymptomatic relating to the instructions being given without a referral, including instruction to promote health, wellness, and fitness.

The remaining exceptions are: [emphasis added to original text]

• (A) A PT may evaluate without referral.

• (C) Emergency Circumstances. A PT may provide emergency medical care to a person after the sudden onset of a medical condition manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity without referral if the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in a serious threat to the patient’s health, serious impairment to bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.

• (D) Prior referrals. A physical therapist may treat a patient for an injury or condition that is the subject of a prior referral if all of the following conditions are met.
  • (i) The physical therapist must notify the original referring healthcare personnel of the commencement of therapy by telephone within five days, or by letter postmarked within five business days;
  • (ii) The physical therapy provided must not be for more than 20 treatment sessions or 30 consecutive calendar days, whichever occurs first. At the conclusion of this time or treatment, the physical therapist must confer with the referring healthcare personnel before continuing treatment.
  • (iii) The treatment can only be provided to a client/patient who received the referral not more than one year previously.
  • (iv) The physical therapist providing treatment must have been licensed for one year. The physical therapist responsible for the treatment of the patient may delegate appropriate duties to another physical therapist having less than one year of experience or to a physical therapist assistant. A physical therapist licensed for more than one year must retain responsibility for and supervision of the treatment.

Get more information at the Executive Council of Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy Examiners website.

PEDro - The Physiotherapy Evidence Database - is a database of randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy.  The project is supported by a cadre of international physiotherapy organizations including the American Physical Therapy Association.

Okay - it doesn’t contain physiotherapy-only studies - but all the information in the database is pertinent to physiotherapy.

The PEDro database has a bit of a twist:  the clinical trials have a score based on the PEDro Scale which attempts to provide a quality assessment of the study.  Clinical trials are given a rating based on a 10-point scale with specific definitions for each criterion.

The database is small but growing and might be just the place to get an answer to your therapy questions.

This course is designed primarily for physical (PT) and occupational (OT) therapists with a focus on anatomy and evaluative techniques.  Physical and occupational therapist assistants will also benefit from the information, though treatment techniques are not addressed until Course III.

This is the first course in the four course series.  Course I provides a general orientation to carpal tunnel syndrome — physiology, symptoms, causes, myths, and a complete review of the involved anatomy.

This course is currently available only in text.  The video is in production and will be available in early 2009.

© Copyright 2008 CEUs-ToGo, Inc. All rights reserved.

Congratulations on completing this course!  To purchase the course test:  New members must register.  Current members must log in.  After you are logged in, select Courses to purchase the course test.

This course is a prerequisite for the remaining courses in the carpal tunnel syndrome series.

 PDF - Adobe Document: Download

This course is designed primarily for physical (PT) and occupational (OT) therapists with a focus on anatomy and evaluative techniques.  Physical and occupational therapist assistants will also benefit from the information, though treatment techniques are not addressed until Course III.

This is the second course in the four course series.  Course II provides details on an efficient set of in-clinic diagnostic tests, tests that are sensitive to change and should be used to demonstrate progress during treatment, and in-depth differential diagnosis including comparisons to and differences from CTS and diagnostic tests that can be used.

This course is currently available only in text.  The video is in production and will be available in early 2009.

© Copyright 2008 CEUs-ToGo, Inc. All rights reserved.

Congratulations on completing this course!  To purchase the course test:  New members must register.  Current members must log in.  After you are logged in, select Courses to purchase the course test.

This course is a prerequisite for the remaining courses in the carpal tunnel syndrome series.

 PDF - Adobe Document: Download

This course is designed primarily for physical (PT) and occupational (OT) therapists with a focus on anatomy and evaluative techniques.  Physical and occupational therapist assistants will also benefit from the information, though treatment techniques are not addressed until Course III.

This is the third course in the four course series.  Course III is an advanced course that explores the efficacy, methods, and makes a comparison of 18 treatment techniques using the results of the latest studies.  Efficacy summary tables are provided following each study for easy reference, with a topic summary following each treatment technique.

This course is currently available only in text.  The video is in production and will be available in early 2009.

© Copyright 2008 CEUs-ToGo, Inc. All rights reserved.

Congratulations on completing this course!  To purchase the course test:  New members must register.  Current members must log in.  After you are logged in, select Courses to purchase the course test.

 PDF - Adobe Document: Download

This is the fourth course in the series; however, due to several requests this course will not require prerequisites.

Course IV is a live demonstration provided by Laura Vielma, PT, CHT to provide step-by-step instructions for making two types of custom splints for the treatment of CTS.  In this course Laura discusses how to create the custom pattern, types of splints materials, techniques that make splint-making a little easier, and many other useful tips.

It is probably best to watch the video.  The paper version is a transcript of the video with added visual directions and an abundance of pictures taken directly from the video.

We want to thank Laura Vielma, PT, CHT, and Round Rock Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation for this course.

© Copyright 2008 CEUs-ToGo, Inc. All rights reserved.

Congratulations on completing this course!  To purchase the course test:  New members must register.  Current members must log in.  After you are logged in, select Courses to purchase the course test.

 PDF - Adobe Document: Download

 

 iPod Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Flash Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download