HOT PROFESSIONAL
ISSUES BEING
ADDRESSED BY AOTA
Carol H. Gwin, AOTA Staff
Emily Pugh, FL AOTA
Representative
Today’s Outline
• Advocacy-Federal and State
• Branding-Widely Recognized
• Science-Driven Evidence-Based
Practice
• Occupation-Based Practice
• Representative Assembly 2009
Member Motions
• How to Support AOTA
Centennial Vision
Centennial Vision
We envision that occupational
therapy is:
Powerful
Widely recognized
Science-driven
Evidence-based
Globally connected
Diverse
Meeting society's occupational
needs
Advocacy-Federal Level
• Victories achieved in Medicare:
– protected OT’s role in relation to provision of
wheelchair evaluations
• Defeated requirement of RESNA’s ATP
– extension of the exceptions process to prevent
full implementation of the outpatient cap
– assured appropriate local coverage
determinations
Advocacy
– Pushed back proposed
Medicare reimbursement
limits on outpatient OT
care
– Successfully amended
The College Opportunity
and Affordability Act to
include occupational
therapy in the student
loan repayment program
– Supported passage of
the Paul Wellstone Mental
Health Equity Act of 2008,
to ensure equitable
insurance coverage for
mental health care
Advocacy
• Outreach was conducted to the Veterans
Administration to promote the full use of
occupational therapy within that health
care system.
– Emphasis has been issues such as low vision,
mental health and PTSD.
– AOTA Past President, Carolyn Baum, provided
testimony to the House Committee on Veterans
Affairs
Advocacy
• “Developing Outpatient Therapy
Payment Alternatives.”
– AOTA members Nancy Richman,
Elizabeth Skidmore and Susan Coppola
have been named to the Technical
Expert Panel (TEP) for RTI and CMS
related to this five year project
Advocacy
Consumer
Successful opposition to eliminating Medicaid
Rehabilitation Services Option for community
mental health centers
Advocate for the Combating Autism Act
Congressional Testimony on PTSD
Health Care Reform
• As a new President and Congress
come into power & health care
reform takes center stage, AOTA will:
– Increase our lobbying efforts for continued
consumer access to OT
– Continue our public awareness campaign to
help consumers and policy makers
appreciate our value
Political Advocacy Made Possible
AOTPAC at Republican/Democratic
Conventions
AOTA Board with Representative Chris
Van Hollen of MD
Amy Lamb & Penny Moyers Cleveland
with Senator Grassley of Iowa
Representative Virginia Fox of
North Carolina
Advocacy-State Level
•
•
•
•
Licensure started in FL
MI just obtained licensure
48 states now licensed
CO and HI are now targeted
Advocacy-Scope of Practice
•
•
•
•
Athletic Trainers
Orthotists and Prosthetists
Recreational Therapists
Physical Therapists
scope@aota.org
BRAND-Widely Recognized
• A new brand for occupational therapy, “Living Life
To Its Fullest,” was unveiled in 2008 based on
consumer research. Poster January 19 OT Practice.
2008 Presidential Address
Widely Recognized
USA Today: use of Wii in occupational therapy
Los Angeles Times & U.S. News & World
Report: occupational therapy career
New York Times: Sensory Processing
Disorders
Retirement Living TV: Universal design
Washington Times: Chronic pain
Focus on Healthy Aging: Arthritis
Fine Living TV: Ergonomics
Backpack Awareness Day (35 local
newspapers & 40 local TV interviews)
Widely Recognized
• Consumer Education Monthly
Podcast Series:
Ergonomics
Alzheimer’s Disease
Improving U.S. Veterans’ Care
• Over 600 Downloads
Science-Driven and
Evidence-Based
AOTA is working to create a National
Outcomes Database and the
development of a patient record and
documentation system for occupational
therapy services.
Science-Driven and
Evidence-Based
AOTA Practice Guidelines –
Adults with Stroke – published AOTA Press
Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum
Disorders – external review in process
Clinical Conditions Related to Workers’
Compensation – published “Evidence Byte”
Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease – in process
Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury – in process
Science-Driven and Evidence
Based Practice
AOTA published Occupational Therapy
Practice Framework: Domain and
Process, 2nd edition to create a common
language for OT’s to use and for policy
makers and consumers to understand.
Occupation-Based Practice
Science-Driven and
Evidence-Based
• 24 EVIDENCE BYTES in 1 Minute Update
• 6 EVIDENCE PERKS were in OT Practice
• Draft evidence-based guidelines accepted by
the California Workers’ Compensation Board
Science-Driven and
Evidence-Based
National Institutes of Health (NIH) – AOTA provided
comments for the National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH) Strategic Plan; the Interagency Autism
Coordinating Committee strategic plan of the NIMH; and
report language relative to National Institute of Nervous
Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Outreach to the Veterans Administration to promote
use of evidence-based occupational therapy with
emphasis on head injury, low vision, mental health and
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Science-Driven and
Evidence-Based
AOTA provided input into the American College of
Environmental Medicine’s Occupational Medicine Practice
Guidelines with the following results.
Clarity on the distinction between occupational therapy
and physical therapy.
Description of occupational therapy practitioners as
“…trained to recognize both psychological and physical
issues that may influence the treatment of back pain.”
Emphasis on occupational therapy as having a greater
focus on “cognitive behavioral, occupational, and activitybased approaches.”
Science-Driven and
Evidence-Based
AOTA is working to create a National
Outcomes Database and the
development of a patient record and
documentation system for occupational
therapy services.
Occupation-Based Practice
• OBP is inherently client centered allowing choice,
influence and power to be shared in the
intervention process.
• OBP begins with understanding the client’s
valued occupations, ends with getting them back
into those life activities and infuses occupation
into the intervention phase through activity
selection, analysis and modification
» 2005 AOTA occupation based practice ad hoc report
Occupation-Based Therapy
• The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework:
Domain & Process, 2nd Edition
– Emphasizes the profession’s focus on occupation
– OT strength lies in linking activities to participation
within context
– Outlines an occupation based OT PROCESS
» COP, AOTA 2003 Annual Conference
Representative Assembly
AOTA’s Congress
• Responsible for setting policy for the
profession
• 2 Meetings:
– February 23-27
– March 30-April10
Member Motions
• Motion 1-Definition of OT/OTA Roles
for the Model Practice Act
• Motion 2-COP Create Specialized
Knowledge and Skills Oncology
Paper
• Motion 3-Title Change for OTA’s
Member Motions
• Motion 4-Develop Model
Requirements for Re-Entry/ReLicensure
• Motion 5-Broad Practice Area
Representation on Board
• Motion 6-Building Diversity in OT
Provide Feedback
• Emily Pugh
epugh@phhp.ufl.edu
• Susan Skees Hermes
susansshermes@comcast.net
• Zoomerang Survey
http://www.aota.org/Governance/RA.aspx
Be A Member
• There are currently approximately 38,000
members.
• There are 140,000 practitioners.
• We are affected by a down economy which could
threaten our great work on the Centennial Vision.
• You can insulate AOTA from this negative
economy.
Why be a Member Now?
• Health care reform is coming and we must be at
the table to ensure consumer access to
occupational therapy.
• Occupational therapy must be widely recognized
by consumers, the public, and legislators.
• Occupational therapy must have the science to
show its effectiveness.
JOIN AOTA!
•
The value of AOTA membership vastly outweighs the cost. For
less than $19 a month—or just 62¢ a day—you get a host of
tangible and intangible benefits that support you in practice.
•
AOTA has not raised dues in years.
•
AOTA now offers the Easy Pay Option credit card installment plan
with payments of just $18.75 per month for occupational
therapists and $10.92 for occupational therapy assistants.
•
Go to WWW.AOTA.ORG/Membership and join today! Or,
download the membership application and mail it to AOTA, Attn:
Membership, 4720 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20824.
•
Enter Priority Code M2M09 and be eligible to enter a drawing for a
$300 VISA Gift Card (ends March 1, 2009; drawing on March 15,
2009).
SAVE THE DATES!
• Houston-April 23-26, 2009
• Orlando-April 29-May 2, 2010
Living Life
to its Fullest