BEND, OR – For the third time in less than two years, founder and principal at Vantage Clinical Solutions, Tannus Quatre – also a licensed physical therapist – will join dozens of physical therapists from across the country to lobby members of Congress in Washington D.C. on behalf of physical therapy patients and the physical therapists who provide their care.
Held on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 23-24, the trip is part of an effort by the Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association (PPS APTA), which coordinated the event. At the heart of these efforts is to lobby members of Congress for the adjustment of the current sustainable growth rate formula that determines Medicare payment rates for physical therapy.
“The current formula for calculating payment rates for outpatient therapy services under Medicare are antiquated and unsustainable,” Quatre said. “Unfortunately, the flaws in the sustainable growth rate formula do little to serve the best interests of patients, providers or the physical therapy as a whole.”
While in Washington, Quatre hopes to meet on Capitol Hill with representatives from the offices of Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Ron Wyden (R-OR) and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR, 3rd District) and Greg Walden (R-OR, 2nd District).
Along with issues related the sustainable growth rate formula, says Quatre, the agenda will include a number of items related to the future of health care, the physical therapy profession, independent health care entrepreneurs, and patients. Such issues include:
- Adding physical therapists to the list of providers allowed to utilize locum tenens arrangements, or temporary fill-in PTs, under Medicare;
- Removing an annual Medicare per-beneficiary cap for patients in need of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology services;
- Reforming a law that allows physicians to “self-refer” for physical therapy services provided within their own clinics.
“The opportunity to work with our elected officials on Capitol Hill is a real privilege for me as a physical therapist,” Quatre said. “The ability to convey the impact of therapy cap and locum tenens legislation on patients in Central Oregon, and throughout the country, is important, and I’m proud to be a part of these important efforts to advocate for Medicare patients.”
About Vantage Clinical Solutions
Located in Bend, OR, Vantage Clinical Solutions is a healthcare consulting, management and marketing company that assists private practices throughout the U.S. Founded in 2006 with the mission of improving healthcare through entrepreneurship, Vantage Clinical Solutions offers a number of business services, marketing products and management solutions dedicated to the needs of the private practice healthcare business.
