Demand for Physical Therapists remains high across the US, despite calls in Congress for drastic cuts to Medicare.  Graduates from accredited Physical Therapy degree programs have their pick of locations whether applying for their first job, or changing positions.

Physical therapy employment opportunities are remarkably secure and abundant in the United States due to a variety of factors, including a shortage of physical therapists, an aging pool of professionals, and healthcare reform. This trend in job security for physical therapists has been on the rise since at least the early 2000s, but has dramatically increased in the past two years. According to Forbes, “In 2010, only 0.4 percent — one in 250 — of PTs seeking work were jobless,” (“Demand for Therapy Jobs Critically High in 2012,” Forbes).

Factors bolstering demand include funding from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, providing free access to children in need of physical therapy, and the aging of baby boomers.

Healthcare reform, pressures to update record keeping methods, a shortage in Physical Therapists, and cuts in government funding are playing significant roles in the influence of market trends in the Physical Therapy profession as a whole and will continue to do so throughout 2012, according to the American Physical Therapy Association. Automatic cuts in Medicare payments to physicians and physical therapists have been delayed until after November, due to the hot button nature of issues surrounding Medicare in this significant election year.

While the APTA is attempting to work against certain government influences, it is rushing to adapt to others, specifically healthcare reform. On Tuesday, February 7, the APTA announced it will be holding an audio conference in late March to discuss and evaluate the significant changes implicit with the reform.

The conference will allow clinicians, managers, owners, and patients to gain a unique perspective and deeper understanding of new policies, such as, “reforming payments, healthcare delivery, and the workforce” (“Registration Open for Health Care Reform Audio Conference,” Physical Therapy in Motion). APTA vice president Justin Moore will conduct the conference and address additional, “contemporary issues surrounding the upcoming Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the law, the pressures on states to implement key provisions, and efforts in Congress to repeal, revise, and redirect funding related to the Affordable Care Act.”

Another trend the Physical Therapy profession is hurrying to adapt to is the need for digitalized information, particularly with regards to health records. Concerning Electronic Health Records (EHRs), the APTA has released a Guide to Understanding and Adopting Electronic Health Records, which “aims to help physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) assess and implement EHRs,” (“APTA Launches Guide to Electronic Health Records,” Physical Therapy in Motion).

The guide not only helps users to successfully adopt the new system, it allows them to understand the importance of the transition and how it will ultimately affect the Physical Therapy profession as a whole.

Sources

1. “Call to Action: Congressional Action Needed on Caps and Cuts” http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/NewsNow/2012/2/6/CapSGR/?blogid=10737418615&category=APTA%20Working%20For%20You
2. Registration Open for Health Care Reform Audio Conference”http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/NewsNow/2012/2/7/HCRAudioConference/
3. “APTA Launches Guide to Electronic Health Records”http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/NewsNow/2012/2/7/EHRGuide/
4. “Demand for Therapy Jobs Critically High in 2012” http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneywisewomen/2012/01/27/demand-for-therapy-jobs-critically-high-in-2012/

The post Demand for Physical Therapists Remains High Despite Threatened Medicare Cuts first appeared on Sterling Medical.

Three factors are changing the demand for physical therapists and occupational therapists:  changes in state/federal funding of health care, the modification of requirements in state acts for physician referrals of patients to receive therapy, and the reimbursement limitations of private insurers. Areas of physical therapy that have appeared to have the greatest likelihood of increase are services for youth, older adults, and wellness programs.

Legislation has continued to affect the Physical Therapy profession. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) is known for changing the way in which skilled nursing facilities are reimbursed by Medicare from a “retrospective to a prospective payment system” (2). The BBA put a ceiling on annual total payment for physical and occupational therapy services and put therapy payments in the “same schedule as physician payments” (3).

Another piece of legislation to directly affect the field of occupational and physical therapy is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This act affects physical and occupational therapy by influencing provider interest while also putting into question the financial feasibility of providing such services. However, the effects of the IDEA on school system therapy have not been extensively explored.

Potential growth areas of physical and occupational therapy employment are:

•  Older Adults:  There has been a steady increase in the proportion of older adults to current population. This increase shows a positive correlation to increased need for physical therapy providers. While correlation does not necessarily prove causation, it is known that roughly 45% of older adults are limited in activities due to chronic conditions (4). This number shows that the baby generation will have an increasing need for physical therapists to help them cope with these “chronic conditions”.

• Children: Recently, there have been calls for therapy services in schools. Occupational therapy is known to be important for the management of behavioral issues in the schools. Today’s parents are more knowledgeable than ever of the benefits of occupational and physical therapy for their children’s conditions or problems.

•  Wellness Services/Programs: One reason for the increase of wellness programs and services is due to the aging population mentioned above, and their use of these programs. Neither physical nor occupational therapists seem very poised to take advantage of this opportunity. There is a lack of entrepreneurship in the field; few therapists want to move past “traditional” practice.

When the fields of physical and occupational therapy are looked at from afar, a shortage of workers is seen. In simple economic terms, supply is decreasing and demand is increasing.

The increasing demand for physical therapists and occupational therapist in the areas of wellness programs, the therapy needs of children, and the therapy needs of older adults, will continue to rise.

Sources

1. Hack, L. M., & Konrad T. R. (1995). Determination of supply and requirements in physical therapy: Some considerations and examples. Physical Therapy, 75, 43‐55.
2. Kahn, C.N. and Kuttner, H. (1999). Budget bills and Medicare policy: the politics of the BBA. Health Affairs, 1999 Jan‐Feb;18(1):37‐47.
3. Olshin,J, Ciolek, D, & Hwang, W. (2002). Study and report on outpatient therapy utilization: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech‐language   pathology services billed to Medicare Part B in all settings in 1998, 1999, and  2000. Accessed March 30, 2007, at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/TherapyServices/SAR/itemdetail.asp?filterType=none&filterByDID=‐99&sortByDID=1&sortOrder=ascending&itemID=CMS057266
4. Wilmoth, J. M., Longino, C.F. (2006). Demographic trends that will shape U. S. policy in the twentyfirst century. Research on aging, 28(3), 269‐288.
5. http://www.ahs.uic.edu

The post Demand for Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists Will Increase Due to Regulation and Demographic Changes first appeared on Sterling Medical.