As hard as it is to see the snow melting off the mountains, I’m happy to welcome spring in my garden. Last issue, I talked about assessing readiness for and supporting change. Gaining that “buy in” with assisting patients in moving forward with a healthy life decision felt comparable to talking to fellow physical therapists about getting involved with APTA and MAPTA to progress our profession. Following that branch, I wanted to remind readers of the many benefits of membership. As we work in the ever shifting field of healthcare, we need the power of our voices to guide local and national issues toward our vision.

APTA, including Montana members and legislators, advocates year after year at the national level on big issues including healthcare reform and the Medicare therapy cap. Check out the Legislative Action Center for a quick and easy way to stay in touch with our representatives on Capitol Hill including prewritten letters on current concerns. Website: http://www.apta.org/TakeAction

Everyone is rightfully anxious about reimbursement. Ensuring physical therapists receive proper payment is a major component of APTA’s Strategic Plan. The Payment section is a great place to stay up to date on critical payment topics.  http://www.apta.org/Payment.

MAPTA is also welcoming John Zakrzewski, PT, MT, OCS as our new resource for reimbursement questions and concerns.

The healthcare system is becoming more competitive every year. APTA offers marketing, public relations and branding ideas to communicate effectively with patients and other healthcare professionals.
http://www.apta.org/PRMarketing  and http://www.moveforwardpt.com

Sometimes you have to spend money to save money. Your membership gets you a discount on great conferences, publications and continuing education courses throughout the year. The APTA Learning Center also offers free courses. Also, MAPTA is now partnered with Medbridge for a discount on over 400 accredited online courses.
http://www.medbridgeeducation.com and http://www.learningcenter.apta.org

Locally, MAPTA is gearing up for grassroots efforts to protect and advance our practice. Contribute to the Montana Physical Therapy Pact, http://mapta.com/PAC, and contact Christian Appel on how you can get more involved.

I hope this fertilizes your understanding of the many reason to stay a member. All the more, pass this information onto a colleague to begin or reinitiate membership.