235: Your Neuro Practice Questions Answered By APTA President Roger Herr, PT, MPA
Release Date: 10/14/2024
340: Freezing Of Gait Starts Before The First Freeze With Becky Farley, PhD, MS, PT, And Jennifer Bazan-Wigle, PT, DPT, CEEAA
I Love Neuro
What if freezing of gait isn't a late-stage problem at all, but something already taking shape at the moment of a Parkinson's diagnosis? In this episode, hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS, talk with Becky Farley, PhD, MS, PT, founder of Parkinson Wellness Recovery (PWR!), and Jennifer Bazan-Wigle, PT, DPT, CEEAA, physical therapist at the PWR!Gym in Tucson, Arizona, about what the PWR! team learned while building their World Parkinson Congress poster on personalized freezing of gait interventions for freezers and non-freezers. Becky explains how digging into...
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339: Accessible Intensity: Applying The Best Exercises To Slow Parkinson’s At Home With Christoph Dressel
I Love Neuro
What does it take to get a piece of high-performance sports tech out of the soccer world and into the living rooms of people with Parkinson's? In this episode, hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS, talk with Christoph Dressel, founder and CEO of Mimofit about the reaction-based light-pod system his team built after clinical trials in Spain showed real gains in dual-task performance, gait speed, and reaction time for people with Parkinson's. Christoph walks through the surprising finding that reaction-speed improvements only showed up once a timeout was added to...
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338: Speak Steady: Jessica Ackerman, MS, CCC-SLP, RYT, On Movement-Based Voice Therapy For Parkinson's
I Love Neuro
What if the key to helping a patient with Parkinson's find their voice again isn't more repetition, but movement? In this episode, hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS, talk with Jessica Ackerman, MS, CCC-SLP, RYT, speech-language pathologist and founder of Speak Steady, about why the classic Parkinson's presentation so often goes untreated, and how a technique born out of a pandemic-era Zoom yoga class became a clinically validated, self-paced communication program. Jessica walks through the neuroplasticity and motor-learning principles behind pairing each spoken...
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337: Why Edema Management Belongs In Every Neuro Clinician’s Toolbox: A Conversation With Rachel Walker, PT, DPT, GCS, CLWT, CBIS
I Love Neuro
Have you ever worked with a stroke survivor or patient with spinal cord injury who had swollen limbs and not been sure what to actually do about it? Maybe you tried something, maybe you didn’t because you didn’t realize you should. In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with Rachel Walker, PT, DPT, GCS, CLWT, CBIS about why edema is so common — and so consequential — in the neuro population. Rachel walks through why unmanaged edema leads to pain, joint contracture, and long-term functional loss; how to run a full assessment (girth measurements, skin and...
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336: Stop Guessing, Start Localizing: Dr. Jennifaye V. Brown, PT, MSPT, PhD, NCS, CAPS, on Neuroanatomy-Driven Treatment
I Love Neuro
Why do two patients with what looks like the same stroke on paper walk out of rehab so differently — and why does a home exercise program built on ankle pumps and heel slides so often fail the people who need it most? In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with returning guest Dr. Jennifaye V. Brown, PT, MSPT, PhD, NCS, CAPS, a four-time ten-year board-certified neurologic clinical specialist and author of Brace Yourself: Everything You Need to Know About AFOs After Stroke, about why going back to foundational neuroanatomy — knowing exactly where a lesion sits, how large...
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335: Fire Yourself From These Tasks: A Business Reset With NeuroBiz Coach Emily Duval Ledger
I Love Neuro
What tasks do you keep doing in your business that you secretly hate? In this episode, hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS, talk with returning guest and favorite NeuroBiz coach Emily Duval Ledger about the reflective milestones of her 20-year entrepreneurial journey — from leaving her full-time job, to closing her brick-and-mortar gym during COVID, to running a leaner, more sustainable solo practice today. The conversation moves through the martyrdom trap so many clinician-business-owners fall into, how to actually trust a virtual assistant or new hire with...
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334: Aerobic Priming, RAS, OPTIMAL, And Overground Training: Small Shifts, Big Outcomes With Jamie Haines, PT, DScPT, NCS
I Love Neuro
What if the biggest gains in your patients' outcomes came from four small, free shifts you could start using tomorrow? In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with Jamie Haines, PT, DScPT, NCS, who recently left a long career as an associate professor at Central Michigan University for mobile concierge PT in Florida, where she treats patients with a wide range of neurologic conditions in their own environments. Jamie and Erin preview the "amplify your practice" framework, covering aerobic priming to get the nervous system ready to learn, rhythmic auditory stimulation and...
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333: Gadgets, Grasp, and Goals: Jenna Barber, MOT, OTR/L, BCPR, Talks Hand Recovery
I Love Neuro
How much hand function can come back after a neurologic injury, and how do you know whether to remediate or compensate? On this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with Jenna Barber, MOT, OTR/L, BCPR, an occupational therapist who specializes in neurorehabilitation across acute care, inpatient, and outpatient settings. In the show you’ll learn how to assess fine motor deficits through activity analysis and standardized testing, the difference between remediation and compensation and when to use either. We’ll also discuss favorite tools like FES, focal vibration, and rocker...
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332: Can Transcutaneous Stimulation (TSS) Help Patients With Spinal Cord Injuries Improve? With Dr. Yi-Kai Lo, PhD and Rose Tilton, OTR/L, OTD
I Love Neuro
In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with returning guest Rose Tilton, OTR/L, OTD, an occupational therapist at Marquette University's Neuro Recovery Clinic, and new guest Dr. Yi-Kai Lo, PhD, CEO and co-founder of ANEUVO, about transcutaneous spinal stimulation (TSS) for people with spinal cord injury. Rose shares how she discovered TSS through her own research, became a clinical trial site investigator at Marquette, and now uses ANEUVO's ExaStim® device — a multi-channel electrode array system that can be individually programmed and timed to match specific functional...
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331: The First 30 Seconds: Winning Patient Trust On The Phone With Danny Bobrow, MBA
I Love Neuro
What if the biggest threat to your practice's growth isn't your marketing budget, but the way your team handles the very first phone call? Getting the phone to ring is necessary, but never sufficient. In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with Daniel A. "Danny" Bobrow, MBA — creator of The Art of First Impressions™ and The Persuasion Blueprint, and President of AIM Dental Marketing — about the three pillars of persuasive communication: caring, connection, and collaboration. Danny reframes the moments clinicians tend to fumble, like the "do you take my insurance?"...
info_outlineIn today’s episode Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS had the pleasure of interviewing APTA President Roger Herr and asking all of the burning questions about what it’s like to run a neuro practice with Medicare as it is and where we’re going. Roger shared his journey into physical therapy and his extensive experience in key roles that gave him a wide angle perspective of the profession he advocates for now.
Alternative Payment Models for PT Practices
- Herr emphasized the importance of finding local, regional payment models that best fit each practice's needs, whether that's working with employers, payers, or patient groups.
- He discussed strategies like opting out of Medicare, negotiating contracts, and exploring cash-based services to create sustainable business models.
Challenges for Micro Practices
- Smaller PT practices often struggle with billing, communicating with payers, and navigating the complexities of Medicare coverage.
- Could clearer guidelines around medical necessity and skilled care be a helpful short-term goal?
Advocacy Efforts for the PT Profession
- Herr highlighted the need to shift from volume-based to value-based care, and to advocate for recognizing the downstream costs and impact on patients.
- He discussed opportunities in Medicaid, annual wellness visits, and partnering with patient advocacy groups to drive change.
Modernizing Medicare Access
- Herr explained efforts to update Medicare legislation and allow beneficiaries to directly contract with physical therapists.
- This could provide more flexibility and options for patients, though the details around rules and limitations are still being worked out.
Leveraging Technology and AI
- Herr shared insights on how technology and AI can support population health management, documentation, and reducing administrative burdens for PT practices.
APTA Infographic of Prior Authorization
ChoosePT How Medicare Determines Payment HH and SNF
Download the APTA Advocacy App
ChoosePT Directory - Sign up by logging into APTA account, then go to Online Profile, then Find a PT
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