Interview with Pedro Borrego Last week on Twitter a conversation started about Walk In or Urgent Care Centers for physical therapy, and quickly progressed to this question: The Latest Christopher Bise @ptbise @PranaPT @PTBAlliance @Adam_P_Carson @Jerry_DurhamPT What if the model flipped? Why cant surgeons work for PT owned surgery center? #SolvePT 11:49 AM – 3 Mar 2014 Ann Wendel @PranaPT Mar 3 @ptbise @PTBAlliance @Adam_P_Carson @Jerry_DurhamPT Talk to @pedro_borrego about that – he’s doing it in Spain. We had a great conversation of over 195 comments, which led me to believe it would be well worth interviewing Pedro to find out more about what he is doing. In 1993, Pedro started the first physical therapy clinic in his town in Spain, and has grown it into a business which serves as a revolutionary clinic model for those of us in the US. I have known Pedro through social media and email for about 2 years now, and I am blown away by what he has done. I hope you enjoy the interview! Q: First, Pedro, tell us about the education process in Spain to become a physical therapist. A: Spain has become one of those countries in which physiotherapy education has improved since I went to University: I got my degree in 1992, a three years education in a recently established program in University of Salamanca. At that time the University didn’t offer a Master or Doctorate, so I got a foreign upgrade in General San Martin University (Argentina) and finished my first Masters degree in Healthcare Management. Nowadays this permits to me to teach as professor in the main private Distance University (UDIMA). In 2006 I reached my doctorate degree and I am preparing today a new doctoral thesis to fix the degree about […]
Read more →The Value of the Cost of Treatment This article http://wapo.st/187qp1A was shared on Twitter early this morning by physical therapist Justin Feldman (@JNFeldman), with the comment “A good argument for #cashPT.” As I clicked the link and saw the title, my heart sank. It said: For a stiff neck, nearly $6,000 in physical therapy seemed too much. The article was an op-ed from author, Chris Core, a commentator for WTOP radio. In it, he described his experience with physical therapy for his neck. Suffice it to say, he did not have a good experience. I have a number of thoughts after reading his perception of the experience, so indulge me while I share them. In my Pain Sciences course work with Myopain Seminars, we were told that “the pain is where the patient says it is, when they say it is, and it is as bad as they say it is, because it is THEIR pain.” (Once we come at it from that perspective, we can begin to shift their experience and emotions around the pain as we partner with them in treatment). So, working from that paradigm, I would like to say that Mr. Core’s experience with physical therapy was as bad as he says it was (because it was HIS experience). None of us know what happened in his evaluation and one subsequent treatment; but, he states that he was asked a bunch of silly questions and then given a massage and some exercises, and sent home. We need to appreciate his take on what he experienced. As a physical therapist, I ask the same “silly” questions of every new patient. I ask a lot of questions. Tons of questions that may seem irrelevant to the patient: “How is your sleep?” “Is the pain sharp or more of […]
Read more →Lagniappe The other day, a patient of mine who grew up in Louisiana used a word that was new to me. He described how he ordered take out from his favorite Cajun restaurant for his birthday. The employee on the phone asked if he would like dessert. He declined, saying “It is my birthday; but, I’m watching what I eat right now, so no thank you.” He told me that when he brought his food home and opened the bag, there was a small container of chocolate mousse with a candle in it, and an inscription that read “Happy Birthday.” He said it was a traditional Louisiana lagniappe. He went on to explain to me the concept of a lagniappe as a “little something extra.” According to Wikipedia, a lagniappe is a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase (such as a 13th doughnut when buying a dozen) or more broadly, “something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure.” check advance locations The word entered English from the Louisiana French adapting a Quechua word brought in to New Orleans by the Spanish creoles. It derived from the South American Spanish phrase la yapa (referring to a free extra item, usually a very cheap one). The term has been traced back to the Quechua word yapay (‘to increase; to add’). In Andean markets it is still customary to ask for a yapa when making a purchase. The seller usually responds by throwing in a little extra. Although this is an old custom, it is still widely practiced today in Louisiana. Street vendors, especially vegetable vendors, are expected to throw in a few green chilies or a small bunch of cilantro with a purchase. (Wikipedia, again) This word got me thinking […]
Read more →I’m just posting a quick link here to an article I wrote for Northern Virginia Magazine. They suggested the topic as something their readers would be interested in. The article came out this week, and I have received a lot of good feedback about it. I wanted to make it available, so that if you want to link to it, or print it and share with your contacts, you can do so. Please just provide credit to me and link to my website. Seattle town car. This is an example of what we can do locally to increase awareness of what physical therapy is, and how we can help people. It’s important for us to interact with local media to educate readers, and at the same time, it provides “free” marketing in a publication that reaches my target audience. Payday Loan Direct Lender For Bad Credit lowest rate payday loan Please feel free to share similar outreach efforts you have made in the comments section! Let’s all share our ideas! How Do I Know if I Should See a Physical Therapist?
Read more →TAKE ACTION! Just a quick note as a follow up to this post: Thanks to Jason Bellamy, Director, Web & New Media, APTA for letting me know about a new action item regarding the ability of physical therapists to opt out of Medicare. On March 21, 2013, Representative Tom Price (R-GA) introduced the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act of 2013 (HR 1310), which would provide physical therapists with the ability to privately contract with Medicare beneficiaries. Everyone can take action on this issue – APTA members, non members, patients and other healthcare professionals! How to Take Action APTA has posted information on Medicare private contracting (“opt out”) in its federal issues area, which includes links for members and nonmembers to be able to take action: http://www.apta.org/FederalIssues/PrivateContracting/ The template action letter can be personalized – it’s a quick and effective way to let your voice be heard. Unfortunately, the Opt Out legislation isn’t one of APTA’s “priority” legislative issues for 2013, which makes it even more necessary to keep the grass roots energy going! Please take a minute to speak out for our profession.
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