HOT PROFESSIONAL ISSUES BEING ADDRESSED BY AOTA

HOT PROFESSIONAL ISSUES BEING

ADDRESSED BY AOTA

Carol H. Gwin, AOTA Staff

Emily Pugh, FL AOTA Representative

Today’s Outline

• Advocacy-Federal and State• Branding-Widely Recognized• Science-Driven Evidence-Based

Practice• Occupation-Based Practice• Representative Assembly 2009

Member Motions• How to Support AOTA

Centennial Vision

Centennial Vision

We envision that occupational therapy is:

Powerful

Widely recognized

Science-driven

Evidence-based

Globally connected

Diverse

Meeting society's occupational needs

Advocacy-Federal Level

• Victories achieved in Medicare:– protected OT’s role in relation to provision of

wheelchair evaluations • Defeated requirement of RESNA’s ATP

– extension of the exceptions process to prevent full implementation of the outpatient cap

– assured appropriate local coverage determinations

Advocacy

– Pushed back proposed Medicare reimbursement limits on outpatient OT care

– Successfully amended The College Opportunity and Affordability Act to include occupational therapy in the student loan repayment program

– Supported passage of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equity Act of 2008, to ensure equitable insurance coverage for mental health care

Advocacy

• Outreach was conducted to the Veterans Administration to promote the full use of occupational therapy within that health care system.– Emphasis has been issues such as low vision,

mental health and PTSD. – AOTA Past President, Carolyn Baum, provided

testimony to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs

Advocacy

• “Developing Outpatient Therapy Payment Alternatives.”– AOTA members Nancy Richman,

Elizabeth Skidmore and Susan Coppola have been named to the Technical Expert Panel (TEP) for RTI and CMS related to this five year project

Advocacy

Consumer

Successful opposition to eliminating Medicaid Rehabilitation Services Option for community mental health centers

Advocate for the Combating Autism Act

Congressional Testimony on PTSD

Health Care Reform

• As a new President and Congress come into power & health care reform takes center stage, AOTA will:– Increase our lobbying efforts for continued

consumer access to OT– Continue our public awareness campaign to

help consumers and policy makers appreciate our value

Political Advocacy Made Possible

AOTPAC at Republican/Democratic Conventions

Amy Lamb & Penny Moyers Cleveland with Senator Grassley of Iowa

AOTA Board with Representative Chris Van Hollen of MD

Representative Virginia Fox of North Carolina

Advocacy-State Level

• Licensure started in FL

• MI just obtained licensure

• 48 states now licensed

• CO and HI are now targeted

Advocacy-Scope of Practice

• Athletic Trainers

• Orthotists and Prosthetists

• Recreational Therapists

• Physical Therapists

scope@aota.org

BRAND-Widely Recognized• A new brand for occupational therapy, “Living Life

To Its Fullest,” was unveiled in 2008 based on consumer research. Poster January 19 OT Practice.

2008 Presidential Address

Widely Recognized

USA Today: use of Wii in occupational therapyLos Angeles Times & U.S. News & World Report: occupational therapy careerNew York Times: Sensory Processing DisordersRetirement Living TV: Universal designWashington Times: Chronic painFocus on Healthy Aging: ArthritisFine Living TV: ErgonomicsBackpack Awareness Day (35 local newspapers & 40 local TV interviews)

Widely Recognized

• Consumer Education Monthly Podcast Series:

Ergonomics

Alzheimer’s Disease

Improving U.S. Veterans’ Care

• Over 600 Downloads

Science-Driven and Evidence-Based

AOTA is working to create a National Outcomes Database and the development of a patient record and documentation system for occupational therapy services.

Science-Driven and Evidence-Based

AOTA Practice Guidelines –

Adults with Stroke – published AOTA Press

Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders – external review in process

Clinical Conditions Related to Workers’ Compensation – published “Evidence Byte”

Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease – in process

Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury – in process

Science-Driven and Evidence Based Practice

AOTA published Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 2nd edition to create a common language for OT’s to use and for policy makers and consumers to understand.

Occupation-Based Practice

Science-Driven and Evidence-Based

• 24 EVIDENCE BYTES in 1 Minute Update

• 6 EVIDENCE PERKS were in OT Practice

• Draft evidence-based guidelines accepted by the California Workers’ Compensation Board

Science-Driven and Evidence-Based

National Institutes of Health (NIH) – AOTA provided comments for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Strategic Plan; the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee strategic plan of the NIMH; and report language relative to National Institute of Nervous Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Outreach to the Veterans Administration to promote use of evidence-based occupational therapy with emphasis on head injury, low vision, mental health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Science-Driven and Evidence-Based

AOTA provided input into the American College of Environmental Medicine’s Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines with the following results.

Clarity on the distinction between occupational therapy and physical therapy.

Description of occupational therapy practitioners as “…trained to recognize both psychological and physical issues that may influence the treatment of back pain.”

Emphasis on occupational therapy as having a greater focus on “cognitive behavioral, occupational, and activity-based approaches.”

Science-Driven and Evidence-Based

AOTA is working to create a National Outcomes Database and the development of a patient record and documentation system for occupational therapy services.

Occupation-Based Practice

• OBP is inherently client centered allowing choice, influence and power to be shared in the intervention process.

• OBP begins with understanding the client’s valued occupations, ends with getting them back into those life activities and infuses occupation into the intervention phase through activity selection, analysis and modification

» 2005 AOTA occupation based practice ad hoc report

Occupation-Based Therapy

• The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain & Process, 2nd Edition– Emphasizes the profession’s focus on occupation– OT strength lies in linking activities to participation

within context– Outlines an occupation based OT PROCESSPROCESS

» COP, AOTA 2003 Annual Conference

Representative AssemblyAOTA’s Congress

• Responsible for setting policy for the profession

• 2 Meetings:– February 23-27– March 30-April10

Member Motions

• Motion 1-Definition of OT/OTA Roles for the Model Practice Act

• Motion 2-COP Create Specialized Knowledge and Skills Oncology Paper

• Motion 3-Title Change for OTA’s

Member Motions

• Motion 4-Develop Model Requirements for Re-Entry/Re-Licensure

• Motion 5-Broad Practice Area Representation on Board

• Motion 6-Building Diversity in OT

Provide Feedback

• Emily Pugh

epugh@phhp.ufl.edu• Susan Skees Hermes

susansshermes@comcast.net • Zoomerang Survey

http://www.aota.org/Governance/RA.aspx

Be A Member• There are currently approximately 38,000

members.

• There are 140,000 practitioners.

• We are affected by a down economy which could threaten our great work on the Centennial Vision.

• You can insulate AOTA from this negative economy.

Why be a Member Now?

• Health care reform is coming and we must be at the table to ensure consumer access to occupational therapy.

• Occupational therapy must be widely recognized by consumers, the public, and legislators.

• Occupational therapy must have the science to show its effectiveness.

JOIN AOTA!• The value of AOTA membership vastly outweighs the cost. For less

than $19 a month—or just 62¢ a day—you get a host of tangible and intangible benefits that support you in practice.

• AOTA has not raised dues in years.

• AOTA now offers the Easy Pay Option credit card installment plan with payments of just $18.75 per month for occupational therapists and $10.92 for occupational therapy assistants.

• Go to WWW.AOTA.ORG/Membership and join today! Or, download the membership application and mail it to AOTA, Attn: Membership, 4720 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20824.

• Enter Priority Code M2M09 and be eligible to enter a drawing for a $300 VISA Gift Card (ends March 1, 2009; drawing on March 15, 2009).

SAVE THE DATES!

• Houston-April 23-26, 2009

• Orlando-April 29-May 2, 2010

Living Life

to its Fullest