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Become a Board Certified Clinical Specialist. Applications for the 2014 exam cycle are now available, and you may now apply online!

The application deadline for Specialist Certification in Geriatrics is July 31, 2013.

Access to the online application, the general information booklet, and additional information are available through the ABPTS website at www.abpts.org.  Contact the Specialist Certification Program by phone at 800/999-2782, ext 8520; or by e-mail at     spec-cert@apta.org with any questions about the process.

In response to concerns raised by APTA, providers, and other stakeholders,
CMS has changed its functional limitation reporting instructions for claims
submitted for each patient's first visit on or after July 1, 2013.

As a result of the change, therapy providers who have submitted functional
limitation data (G-codes) on Medicare Part B patients prior to July 1 will
not need to restart functional limitation reporting on the first date of
service on or after July 1. Instead, for these patients only, therapists can
wait to submit functional limitation data until the next required reporting
interval (eg, at the patient's 10th visit or at discharge).

However, for beneficiaries whose treatment began prior to July 1, but for
whom functional limitation reporting information has not been submitted
prior to July 1, therapists must submit data on the first claim with a date
of service on or after July 1.

Functional limitation data will be required for all new patients as of July 1.

CMS notified APTA of this change via e-mail yesterday.

Ellen R. Strunk, PT, MS, GCS, CEEAA

SOG Federal Affairs Liaison

 

Both the April 3 and April 10 webinars are available for sale thru the Section on Health Policy & Administration online store. Please visit http://www.aptahpa.org/storeindex.cfm

A recent $50,000 donation by the Section on Geriatrics (SOG) to the Foundation for Physical Therapy will be allocated toward the Marilyn Moffat Endowment Fund for Geriatric Research ($25,000) and the Center of Excellence for Health Services/Health Policy Research ($25,000). Read more about the donation in the Foundation's press release.

Section President Bill Staples, PT, DHS, DPT, GCS, CEEAA recently proposed changing the name of the Section on Geriatrics, APTA to the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy and is seeking member feedback at http://www.geriatricspt.org/name-change/

The primary reason for a name change is to better brand who we are. More details can be found in the March 2013 issue of GeriNotes (page 3). The Board of Directors welcomes your comments at geriatrics@geriatricspt.org or at the link above. Thank you!

Can’t travel this June? APTA Virtual Conference brings the excitement to you! Get live and on-demand access to 5 select education sessions, the McMillan and Maley Lectures, exclusive scheduled live chats with presenters, real-time collaborative tools and more! No matter where you are—across the country or around the globe—Join the Virtual Conversation. 1.2 CEUs. Hurry! Early bird registration end April 22.

Want your group to participate? Host a viewing party! See restrictions and details online.

Section on Geriatrics Recommended Outcome Measures for Medicare Functional Limitation/Severity Reporting

A Joint Report by the Section on Geriatrics Practice Committee (Greg Hartley, Chair), the Reimbursement/Legislative Affairs Committee (Ellen Strunk, Chair), and the GeriEDGE Task Force (Michelle Lusardi, Chair)

Download at this link

Members can link to the presentation at:

http://nof.peachnewmedia.com/streaming/interface-v7.php?topic=27804&band=1&stream=1&id=&semid=8951&provider=243&custid=&static=1

http://www.geriatricspt.org/special-interest-groups/health-wellness/sig-health.cfm

for the full article. Thank you!