<p>Here's a few items from APTA's weekly email that I'd like to pass onto Idaho
members.</p><p>Jill Cooper, IPTA Executive Director</p><p><b>Your Response to
Environmental Scan Survey Requested by August 24</b><br /> APTA requests your
assistance in completing an Environmental Scan Survey in order that we may
gather your views. Results will be summarized for use in an upcoming
Association strategic planning process. An environmental analysis identifies
trends or changes that are occurring, or will occur within the next year to
several years, which could affect the nature, direction, or viability of the
physical therapy profession. The survey is being emailed directly to randomly
selected individuals and may also be accessed on APTA's Web site at<br
/>http://www.apta.org/AM/TemplateRedirect.cfm?Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=41164.
Please note that all data collected will be in the aggregate and that no
specific comments will be attributed to any individual or organization. Please
promote this survey among your membership. Completed surveys should be
e-mailed to environmentalscan@apta.org no later than Friday, August 24, 2007.
Questions? Contact Kristy Benton-Grover (kristybenton-grover@apta.org or ext
3251) or Janet Bezner (janetbezner@apta.org or ext 8516).<br /><b><br /> CMS
Proposes New Reporting Rule</b><br />The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) has issued a proposed rule
(www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=2285&intNumPerPage=10&checkDate=&checkKey=&srchType=1&numDays=3500&srchOpt=0&srchData=&keywordType=All&chkNewsType=1%2C+2%2C+3%2C+4%2C+5&intPage=&showAll=&pYear=&year=&desc=&cboOrder=date)
to clear up confusion over outpatient wound-care payments and implement
penalties for certain facilities that do not report on quality measures. In the
proposed rule for 2008 hospital outpatient prospective payment, CMS clarifies
that physical therapists performing wound-care services under a certified plan
of care in an outpatient setting must bill under the physician fee schedule.
However, for nurses who provide wound care using the same Current Procedural
Terminology (CPT) codes, the services would be placed into an ambulatory
payment classification (APC) group and billed under the Outpatient Prospective
Payment System (OPPS). CMS also proposes reducing payments for outpatient
hospital departments in 2009 by 2% if they do not report on 10 quality measures
identified in the rule. Meanwhile, the agency is considering 30 new quality
measures for 2010. One of these is screening for falls risk, which is a measure
that physical therapists report under the PQRI program. The proposed rule, which
APTA has summarized
(www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Hospitals1&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=41332)
for members, will be published in the Federal Register on August 2. Comments on
the rule will be accepted until September 14. Proposed changes take effect
January 1, 2008.<br /></p>