the aquatic therapist

Recent diarrhea? Don't get in the therapy pool.... for 2 weeks! (says the CDC)

From the CDC...

Pools should post signs alerting patrons to any diarrhea outbreaks and urging patrons with current or recent diarrhea to stay out of the water.

The CDC says swimmers also need to help by following these tips:

• If you've got diarrhea, don't get in the water until two weeks after the diarrhea ends.
• Avoid swallowing pool water.
• Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands after using a restroom or changing diapers.
• Shower before getting into the water.
• Report fecal contamination to pool operators.

The report appears in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

SOURCES: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 27, 2007; vol 56: pp 729-732. News release, CDC.

What to do if you are not getting the weekly eSplash (aquatic therapy industry newsletter)

Aquatic therapy gurus,

Many of you who signed up for our Aquatic Resources Network weekly eSplash have told us you are still not getting it. This may be because the email has photos/graphics which can tend to plop it into your spam folder.

To make it even easier, we took all the back issues and put them on the web.

For archived copies, go to:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs054/1102184430637/archive/1102261598185.html

Here are a few topics we've covered recently:

• 2 second test to determine if you are suffering from low-grade chronic dehydration
• Why Medicare changed their mind about community pool rental exclusivity
• What to do if your payers don't recognize aquatic therapy
• Sensory integration tips for pediatric therapists... and much more

Andrea Salzman, MS, PT
Aquatic Resources Network
www.aquaticnet.com

Great download: The APTA answers your frequently asked billing questions

Answers to these questions (PDF) and more:

[Editor's note: The APTA answer to the question about whether therapists must have exclusive use of a community pool for Medicare patients is no longer accurate. Since this audioseminar took place Medicare has changed its policy to allow therapists to use a PORTION of a pool for their clients.]

SAMPLE QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS PDF:
Q: Is the 2008 therapy cap of $1810 the allowable rate or actual payment received?

Q: Why do the therapy caps not apply in outpatient hospital departments?

Q: Is it okay to offer Medicare patients an “aftercare” program if they use up the cap at a
reduced rate or flat fee? What if the PT or PTA is also certified as a Personal Trainer or
CSCS?

Q: If a Medicare beneficiary has therapy in an outpatient hospital department (exempt
from the cap) and later goes to a private practice, does the private practice have to include any money spent by Medicare at the hospital based facility?

Q: Does the Medicare program require a referral/prescription/order for outpatient
physical therapy services?

Q: Are physical therapists allowed to bill for the plan of care? Is the code the same as a
progress note?

Q: Does the 90 day recertification period apply to both Medicare A and Medicare B
residents in a SNF? Does the fact that we bill for the services provided to our outpatient
beneficiaries on the UB-04 form make a difference?

Q: Can you tell me if there are any Medicare regulations or policies on whether or not a
private practice can determine how many Medicare referrals they will take?

One veteran's efforts to re-open his community's therapy pool

Excerpted from Seattlepi.com Oct 2, 2008

Cyril Miller is an Army airborne veteran who lives by the airborne creed: "All the way and then some."

After being referred for aquatic therapy, he discovered that the VA pool had been closed since May 2007. He went to Stan Johnson, the new director of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System (in Washington state), with the question: "Why can't our government fix the therapy pool?"

The question was answered simply: The repairs cost more than $1 million and there are other priorities.

Read what he did next...

ATRI (Aquatic Therapy & Rehab Institute) Celebrates Winners in 2008

 

Marty Biondi, PT, CSCS, ATRIC, has been named the recipient of the 2008 Aquatic Therapy Professional Award. The award was presented at the 16th Aquatic Therapy Symposium, July 3rd in Fort Myers, FL by the Aquatic Therapy & Rehab Institute (ATRI).

Tsunami Spirit Awards were presented to Melissa Lewis, MPT, ATRIC, NCCARD, Mick Nelson, BS, MS, and Sue Nelson, BS, ATRIC.

Aquatic Therapy Dolphin Awards were presented to SFC Vincent Fanning, US Army Retired, and Bess Maxwell, PhD, PT.

The Aquatic Therapy Professional Award recognizes outstanding professionalism and contributions to the aquatic therapy industry.

Previous Aquatic Therapy Professional Award winners include:
Gwen Garrett, MA, OTR/L; Lynette Jamison, MOT, OTR/L; Peggy Schoedinger, PT; Igor Burdenko, PhD; Alison Osinski, PhD; Andrea Salzman, MS, PT; Johan Lambeck, PT; Bruce Becker, MD, Paula Briggs, MS, ExPhys, ATRIC; Ann Wieser, MS, PhD, ATRIC; Dori Maxon, PT, PCS, MEd, ATRIC; Mary Essert, BA, ATRIC; Luis Vargas, PhD, PT, ATRIC; and Mary Wykle, PhD, ATRIC

To read more...

Watsu® for orphans: What better way to celebrate aquatic therapy worldwide?

What better way to celebrate World Watsu® Week (April 20-26, 2009) than to donate water therapy sessions for children living in orphanages and childcare institutions?

Watsu providers from all over the world (Brazil, Haiti, France, Great Britain, USA, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Thailand and Africa) are joining in.

Watsu for Orphans was initiated by Basia Szpak Borst, a Watsu practitioner and instructor from the Netherlands, and is supported by an Endowment Fund.

This project is an opportunity for orphanages to learn about this ground-breaking water therapy (Watsu) and to benefit from the installation of mobile pools donated by the Endowment Fund wherever technical possibilities allow their installation.

The long-term objective of the donation is to ensure continuous presence of Watsu practitioners and therefore enable participating institutions to integrate Watsu into their existing therapeutic and pedagogical programs.

But why water for these children?

As just one example, look to Bulgaria where the Ministry of Health is monitoring a 10-year follow-up of babies from an orphanage. They found that these children had a greater chance to be adopted because of a 20-minute a day medical water training.

Quick links for more info:

Watsu for Orphans newsletter update (newsletter is in English)

Website - Watsu for Orphans

Videoclips - Watsu sessions

Watsu for Children book chapter

Medal winning swimmers give gold, silver and bronze to therapy patients

Excerpted from The Villages Daily Sun news release.

Looking for a way to motivate your therapy patients? Read more below.

Villages Aquatic Swim Team has won numerous gold, silver and bronze Senior Games medals, and now the team is striving to pay it forward — passing their medals on to others with hopes that they will be inspired to never give up.

Some 90 medals have been donated to Lady Lake Specialty Care Center therapists to award to patients as they succeed in their rehabilitation therapy sessions. Several swimmers plan to donate more.

Ken Greb, 60, of the Village of Duval, sported a gold medal Friday that was given to him by his wife, Connie, a VAST team member, in honor of Ken’s successful rehabilitation from knee replacement surgery.

“He’s doing very well; he’s way ahead of schedule,” Connie said. The gold medal was the first she won as a VAST team member, and she was pleased to pass it on to her sweetheart of 36 years.

The idea of giving away the medals began when Ken shared with his wife the accomplishments of fellow therapy patients as they overcame obstacles. She passed on Ken’s observations to her VAST friends and colleagues.

“They surprised me at one of the practices,” Connie recalled. “Several of the team members gave me their medals and said they felt it would inspire the patients not to give up. It was awesome. The compassion of the team is just so moving.”

Read the story...

 

Adapted scuba diving for disabled veterans

Thanks to a program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, disabled soldiers are learning to scuba dive and explore the wonders of our undersea world. Known as "SUDS" (Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba), the innovative training and certification program is helping wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan to experience life from below sea level.

"It's the most rewarding project I have ever been involved in," says John W. Thompson, president of the SUDS board of directors. He's a certified diving instructor who sees the ocean as a great equalizer.

"Many things are just easier to do in the water with these types of injuries," he says. To prepare himself for the task of teaching severely wounded soldiers how to dive, Thompson enrolled in a training program in Florida offered by the Handicapped Scuba Association.

Thompson describes SUDS, which launched in February 2007, as "part rehabilitation, part confidence-building (and) part adventure for these wounded warriors. I'm really inspired by the soldiers at Walter Reed."

Read more on this story...

New therapy pool especially for children with autism

From MetroWest Daily News release.

At the New England Center for Children (NECC), a handful of students leaped, paddled and splashed in the center's new pool, oblivious to the who's who of Massachusetts politicians watching through the large glass windows.

NECC, a residential and day-school center for children with autism, held a ceremony June 20, 08 to dedicate the "Michael S. Dukakis Aquatic Center," named for the former governor who co-chaired the aquatic center's capital campaign and serves on the school's board of directors.

Before the ceremony, Dukakis and his wife, Kitty, lingered in the aquatic center to watch the swim lessons. U.S. Sen. John Kerry, Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray and state Rep. James Eldridge toured the $5.5 million facility as well.

"It was touching to see the expressions on their faces," said Kerry. "It's wonderful to see how the pool opens their character, confidence and identity."

read more about this pool built especially for children with autism.

A toddler slips out of the house and heads for the family swimming pool. The boy falls in the water, and sinks, but something amazing happens next. Instead of drowning, he flips on his back, floats to the top and cries for help.

Too good to be true? You decide! Watch the video making the rounds on the Internet.

An organization called Infant Swimming Resource is teaching baby aquatic survival skills and drowning prevention classes to infants as young as 6 months old.

Harvey Barnett Ph.D. and his wife JoAnn have developed Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) into a nationally recognized program with a specific mission: prevent childhood drowning through specialized survival training. According to their statistics, since ISR’s inception in 1967 there have been more than 1700 aquatic survivals witnessed and 783 survivals unwitnessed.

Read more on becoming an instructor.