the aquatic therapist

The ADA Compliant Pool - It all changes starting now

It's not déjà vu, but it does seem like we've been here before. Fresh from an industry-shaking experience with VGB, another government mandate has arrived which will force public pool operators to spend money on pool equipment/alterations they hadn't planned for. This one's called ADA. Read more Aqua Magazine article here.

For instance, did you know that the deepest water that an ADA-compliant ramp can let out into is.... (drum roll please) 30".

Most pools start at 3' or 3.5' deep, so this is a rule destined to drive people to choose lifts instead of ramps to be considered ADA compliant.

More aquatic therapy data here.

 

 

Would you hire this PT to provide aquatic therapy?

Whistleblowing hero... or neurotic ramblings? You decide.

http://factoidz.com/why-medicare-is-going-broke-and-wont-be-around-much-longer/

 

50% Group-Coupon Alert: Aquatic Therapy Insanity on July 4th

Help build the aqua-buzz. Retweet, post on facebook, and send to listservs...

Click here to see the July 4th ATU Groupon

http://tinyurl.com/3jn9x56

Starting at midnight, July 4th, therapists can buy books, equipment, bibliographies, distance-learning DVDs and more for 50% off. Better yet? They can book any of our 18 hour aquatic therapy classes for $300 (a $600 value).

Book early; we plan to cap the classes before the 24 hours is over!

--
Andrea Salzman, MS, PT
Director of Programming
Aquatic Resources Network/ Aquatic Therapy University
3500 Vicksburg Ln #250 Plymouth, MN 55447
800-680-8624 Main 888-514-6133 Fax
www.swimatu.com
"Therapist Founded. Therapist Grounded."

Comprehensive Aquatic Therapy, 3rd edition (May 2011 release)

 

Hot off the presses!

 

Comprehensive Aquatic Therapy (CAT) authors just got their first-eyes copies of this 3rd edition. 

 

Over 8 years in the making.... It's HUGE.

 

At 560 pages and 1.5" thick, it's 140 pages bigger than the 2nd edition. It's truly the quintessential guide to aquatic therapy. 

• Get yours shipped today
  
• View contents

 

Comprehensive Aquatic Therapy remains the acknowledged reference text for aquatic therapists the world over. Featuring extensive updates from the 2nd edition, in this edition the editors have included extensive case studies, with multiple choice questions and answers as didactic content.New chapters have been added, covering the entire scope of aquatic therapy practice, including innovative new techniques with material for program development, including staff training and marketing.

News: NRPA Announces End of Stand Alone NAC | February 2011

End of the adapted aquatics era?

Following the close of the 2011 National Recreation and Park Association’s National Aquatic Conference in San Diego last week, NRPA has announced that it will no longer hold an annual, stand-alone NAC show. Instead, it will become part of the annual NRPA National Congress, held each fall.

The move to do away with the separate aquatics conference comes following NRPA leadership’s decision last fall to do away with the old branch/section structure of the organization, which gave professionals the opportunity to organize in specialty areas, such as aquatics.

The new structure, the result of a comprehensive program review that began in the fall of 2010, is a network-based model, where members have the opportunity to interact in more loosely formed networks, based online.

Read rest of story on www.aquaticsintl.com

Aquatic Therapy Start-Ups: Too Expensive to Buy? Lease Your Space Instead

So, you want to provide aquatic therapy to the masses. You first consider building, but the capital start-up costs are intimidating. There are no local pools that have the right size, temperature or depth. Plus, the "available" pool at the local health club is just nasty!

Consider renting your space instead! There is loads of empty retail space out there begging for tenants.

You may be able to rent and install your own prefabricated or custom-built therapy pool instead of building a facility from scratch.

Most real estate observers say that the vacancy rate is pretty much as high as it's going to get. So what steps can you take to capitalize on the favorable market?

• Negotiating tips on renting space from Phillip Perry...
• 12 steps to a better lease...
• Example of great therapy pool setup which was built into an empty retail space... (parent alert: the perfect place for children with autism!)

 

How to Prevent Your Swimsuit from Wearing Down Quickly

 

- by Bobby Missry -

SPONSOR GIVEAWAY: Swimsuitsforall.com is one of our sponsors. To take advantage of their swimwear for aquatic therapy (especially the hard-to-find sizes 18+), click here. Use the coupon code Sport20 to get 20% off.

Searching for plus size swimwear can be challenging... if you step into the wrong kind of swimsuit. Swimsuits can, at times, test our patience. Some of today's swimsuits simply wear out too quickly. Having a full, curvaceous body doesn’t always help in this situation.

Here are some tips to help you keep your swimsuit from wearing out too quickly.

One of the number one enemies of swimwear is chlorine. This is especially true when it comes to hot tubs. The combination of heat and a high concentration of chlorine can destroy the fabric of many types of swimsuits.

Even swimming pools take a toll on swimwear. This is why it is wise to wash your swimsuit with soap and water after you step out of the pool. Simply washing it with water does not get enough of the chlorine out before it causes damage to your bathing suit.

A good rule of thumb is to buy a high quality, chlorine-resistant plus size swimsuit. Be willing to spend a little extra. Certain brands of plus size swimsuits are worth the money since they are made of a superior quality material and boast added durability.

There are specific types of swimwear that feature a material with a higher concentration of polyester. The higher concentration of polyester resists much of the damage caused by chlorine. This way your swimsuits don’t fade as quickly or lose their elasticity prematurely.

Despite your size or your swimsuit intentions, it is generally wise to invest in chlorine resistant swimwear.

FUN FACT: Interestingly though, clothes washed in typical washing machines are exposed to much higher levels of chlorine than are bathing suits worn by bathers in swimming pools. Most commercial pools maintain free chlorine levels of between 1.0 and 10.0 parts per million (ppm). A standard capacity washing machine holds approximately 40 gallons of water. As Clorox advertises on TV, you should add a full cup (8 ounces) of 5% chlorine bleach to the wash load. This is the equivalent of adding 4 ounces of 10% sodium hypochlorite. The dosage required to introduce 1 ppm of 10% sodium hypochlorite to 10,000 gallons of pool water is 12 fluid ounces. Therefore, adding four ounces of sodium hypochlorite or the equivalent 8 ounces of Clorox to my wash water raises the chlorine level to approximately 83 ppm. Source: www.alisonosinski.com

Advance Magazine features roll-out of Aquatic Therapy University (ATU) in June 2010 issue

Aquatic Therapists: The 2- to 5-Year Plan
Continuing education "university" takes aquatic therapy to higher levels

By True Grimes

Posted on: June 21, 2010

When Andrea Salzman began to teach physical therapy students in 1996, they started to ask questions. Their questions kept coming.

"Aquatic therapists are a very small, very specialized field," explained Salzman, who graduated from the University of Alabama in Birmingham with a master of science in physical therapy. "We love the water and truly want to train ourselves in it year after year."        

"But, honestly, how many times can you sit still on land to hear about the basics? We all longed for more..."

Keep reading article...

See 7 photos from featured ATU class...

Medicare rules for use of community pool - apply to private practice, physicians office, outpatient hospital or outpatient SNF

Just a reminder of a change that happened in Medicare policy last summer...

According to the CMS:

When therapy services may be furnished appropriately in a community pool by a clinician in a PT or OT private practice, physician office, outpatient hospital, or outpatient SNF, the practice/office or provider shall rent or lease the pool, or a specific portion of the pool. [Emphasis added]

The use of that part of the pool during specified times shall be restricted to the patients of that practice or provider. The written agreement to rent or lease the pool shall be available for review on request. When part of the pool is rented or leased, the agreement shall describe the part of the pool that is used exclusively by the patients of that practice/office or provider and the times that exclusive use applies.

Other providers, including providers of outpatient physical therapy and speech-language pathology (OPTs or rehabilitation agencies) and CORFs, are subject to the requirements outlined in the respective State Operations Manual regarding rented or leased community pools.

Medicare Benefit Policy Manual- Chapter 15 – Covered Medical and Other Health Services (See Section 220C) (Revision 109, 08-07-09)

How frequently is aquatic therapy billed to Medicare Part B? Answers to statistical questions about aquatic therapy use

Inquiring minds want to know:

• How frequently is aquatic therapy billed under Medicare Part B?
  
• How often do private practice PTs use the code 97113? How about OTs?
  
• What setting is the most likely to bill for aquatic therapy?

Answers to these questions -- straight from CMS (click here for master document). Here are a few of the highlights. (From 2006; published Feb 1, 2008)

[Editor's note: Looking for more recent statistics? You can order the 2008 data from Medicare for $100. Download the BESS file here. Contains private practice data only.]

How big a percentage of Medicare Part B claims does “aquatic therapy” (97113) represent?

In 2006, aquatic therapy comprised approximately .9% of claims. It was the 14^th most frequently billed outpatient code behind:

• 97110 (therapeutic exercise) 33.03%

• 97140 (manual therapy) 11.37%

• 97530 (therapeutic activities) 9.52%

• 97112 (neuromuscular reeducation) 7.51%

• G0283 (electrical stimulation - not wound care) 6.23%

• 97116 (gait training) 6.01%

• 97035 (ultrasound) 5.82%

• 97001 (PT eval) 3.09%

• 97535 (self care management) 2.95%

• 97032 (electric stimulation) 2.23%

• 97526 (treatment of swallowing dysfunction) 1.70%

• 97150 (group therapy) 1.33%

• 97124 (massage) 1.23%
  

Which settings are the most likely to bill for aquatic therapy?

Obviously, therapists/physicians are more likely to use the procedure “aquatic therapy” in a hospital, outpatient rehab facility. or outpatient PT setting than in a SNF or home health setting. So, although the code 97113 represented less than 1% of all claims to Medicare Part B in 2006, it represented over 2% of all claims made by hospitals. More here

How much were providers reimbursed for aquatic therapy?

Although “aquatic therapy” represented less than 1% of all claims to Medicare B, it was responsible for 1.75% of all dollars reimbursed overall and over 2.3% of payments doled out to private practice PTs. Why? CPT code 97113 has a higher relative value (and thus a higher reimbursement rate) than many of the other codes on the list. More here

How frequently do private practice PTs bill for aquatic therapy? How about private practice OT?

In 2006, private practice PTs were over 3x more likely to bill for “aquatic therapy” than private practice OTs. More here

There's tons more info available... including the most commonly used ICD-9 codes, the average number of visits by ICD-9 diagnosis, and more. Click here for CMS outpatient therapy utilization document.