January/February, 2019 Volume M, NO. 25
Empire State Physical
Therapy
The O fficia l N e ws l et t e r o f t h e Ne w York Phy si cal The rapy A ssoci at io n , In c. oB
IN THIS ISSUE
NY State WC Board Releases Finalized Revision to the Medical Fee Schedule Cover Story (page 1, 3)
NYPTA Kicks Off 2019 Busier Than Ever President’s Letter (page 2, 9)
2019 - 2021 Slate of Officers
NY State WC Board Releases Finalized Revision to the Medical Fee Schedule By Brendan Sullivan, PT, DPT, Chair of NYPTA's Opioid Alternative Task Force, Public Policy Committee Member
(page 4-7)
2018 Fall BOD Report (page 10-11)
Call for Poster & Platform Abstracts (page 12)
Member Spotlight: Marcia Spoto, PT, DC (page 13-14)
NYPTA SSIG 2019 Elected Officers and Representatives (page 15)
Awards Description & Nomination Form (page 16-17)
In May 2018 the New York State Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) announced plans to improve medical care to injured workers by enhancing the Medical Fee Schedule (MFS). NYPTA submitted comments to the Board, subsequent to their initial June release and revised proposal published in October. In September, NYPTA issued a press release rolling out the Injured Worker Opioid Alternative Initiative, which called for a change in the Workers’ Compensation System in New York. The release highlighted how the medical spending in New York’s WC system for highly addictive Schedule II medications, including opioids, averaged $62 million per year between 2012-2016, over $13 million more per year on average than on PT/OT services combined in that time. The press release garnered the attention of local newspapers and the Spectrum News-Capital Tonight political news program. Kelly Garceau, NYPTA Executive Director and myself appeared on the program to detail how our initiative could positively impact the lives of workers and save the WC system money by returning workers to gainful employment sooner with less reliance on opioid medications. In addition to these efforts, NYPTA members met with fellow stakeholders, lawmakers, and advocacy groups. These meetings resulted in letters of support being submitted encouraging the Board to incentivize conservative care physical therapy properly. On December 26, 2018, the WCB released their final update to the MFS. In the document, the Board gave a summary of comments they received from stakeholders across the state. We are pleased to report that the finalized release of the MFS includes an increase commensurate with the education, training, and skill for the care provided continued on page 3
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January/February, 2019 • Empire State Physical Therapy 1