Dear Friends,
We hope our newsletter finds you well and that you have enjoyed a healthy summer season. Now that football is again dominating the media and it is dark again in the morning when I wake (ugh), I am reminded daily that fall is upon us. The changing season is always a good time to be 'in touch' with our clients and to provide you with information on our upcoming events.
For those of us that look forward to winter sports, the cooler days can be good news. Our therapists will once again be presenting our 'Ski Fit' classes early in the season to assist you in preparing for a fun skiing and snowboarding season. These classes are a great way to strengthen and increase your balance, which will enhance your enjoyment on the slopes and reduce your risk of injury.
October is designated 'National Physical Therapy Month' and Foothills PT will be involved in a number of events (see calendar) that focus on providing education and awareness to our local community. We hope you can join us during these times.
On a slightly different note, our newsletter provides opportunity for comment on current Healthcare Reform issues. We encourage you to research the various proposals and form your own opinions. Many of the media campaigns are funded by some powerful groups with the result being the spread of information that at best is biased, and at times, inaccurate. Some of these are the same groups that would have you believe the increase in your insurance premiums is a result of higher charges being submitted by your medical providers. What most people don't realize is that our current system of payment for health services is driven by insurance companies, and not the consumer or Doctor/ medical provider. It does not matter what charges are submitted, a provider must accept a contracted deduction on their payment to remain 'in network'. This amount is set by the insurance payor and reimbursement levels in many specialties are actually decreasing over time. Let's look at the profits recorded by some of the big insurance companies and then pose the question regarding increased insurance premiums!
We support changes in our current system that would allow individuals and their chosen medical providers more control over their health care decisions. This includes allowing appropriate access to health services. While considering how to improve patient access to physical therapy, it occurred to me that it is probably a little known fact that Colorado is actually already designated a 'direct access state'. What this means is that an individual seeking PT intervention in Colorado is not required to be seen by a physician before scheduling an evaluation with a physical therapist. Your PT will communicate with your medical provider and may recommend that you schedule with them for further assessment if necessary. There are, however, some insurance that still require a physician referral or script to qualify for benefits, so your therapist may need to obtain a script or advise you to see your provider for this reason.
Residents of this country are privileged to be able to access care of such high quality; however, our nation's healthcare system is also one of the most expensive in the world. It has been reported that if we continue at our current level, '100% of federal spending' will be needed to fund government healthcare programs by the year 2034 (Dr Bob Kocher, Council of Economic Advisors, June 2009). There is no question we need to reduce costs in the system.
Incentives could be offered to those actively working to improve their health and focus should be directed to prevention and wellness management. We, as healthcare consumers, need to become more responsible for our own wellbeing. Physical therapists are uniquely positioned to assist the community in these areas and we are excited about the opportunities that healthcare reform could create for PTs to be involved at a primary level.
Take 'Low Back Pain' for example. Studies (Spine, 2004) conservatively estimate that we currently spend over $100 BILLION annually on management of low back pain. Physical Therapists are the ideal healthcare provider to help tackle this problem. Not only can we reduce injury frequency by teaching correct body mechanics and appropriate exercises to those at risk, we can also provide low cost effective care if an individual does sustain an injury. Why not try to prevent the occurrence of 'Low Back Pain'? Even if successful only half the time, that's $50 billion a year we could save!
Similar strategies should be adopted to minimize other lifestyle diseases such as Type II Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. Physical therapists have the knowledge and experience to play an important preventative role in these areas too.
I think it is exciting that the public is able to be involved in such an important historical change in policy and to have the opportunity to improve the system for generations to follow. There are several creditable websites that you might find interesting and I would be happy to forward that information to you. Again, research the facts and form your own opinion. As healthcare consumers we need to understand the various proposals and their implications.
The website 'healthreform.gov' observes the following…. "Our nation is now engaged in a great debate about the future of health care in America. And over the past few weeks, much of the media attention has been focused on the loudest voices. What we haven't heard are the voices of the millions upon millions of Americans who quietly struggle every day with a system that often works better for the health-insurance companies than it does for them."
So, with this thought in mind, it is time to complete my commentary and hope that I may have prompted some of you to participate in the discussion on reform.
Once again, we at Foothills Physical Therapy appreciate your support and loyalty. We look forward to seeing you if you should need our assistance or if you have any questions related to wellness and health management. Our staff hopes you and your family keep well through the remainder of the year and we will be "In Touch" soon.
Regards
Bronny and all the staff at Foothills Physical Therapy
