New and Noteworthy

New and Noteworthy

Two New Awards for the Vestibular Special Interest Group 

The Vestibular SIG leadership is excited to announce that we have developed two awards so that we can honor the hard work of our membership.  The awards are the Service to the SIG award, and the Newsletter award.  The Service to the SIG award is meant to recognize someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty for the SIG.  The Newsletter award will be a way of thanking those that put in time and effort to submit something for the Vestibular newsletter or webpage. 

The Vestibular sig service award

 Purpose: To acknowledge and honor a member of the Vestibular Rehabilitation SIG whose contributions to the SIG have been of exceptional value.  The Award winner will be chosen by the elected Vestibular SIG officers.

 Eligibility/Criteria: The individual must:

  • Be a current member of the Vestibular Rehabilitation SIG.  Current officers are not eligible.
  • Have participated actively in the Vestibular Rehabilitation SIG and given generously and willingly of their time and effort for a minimum of three years, or have made a substantial contribution within a shorter period of time.
  • Have demonstrated valuable service to the Vestibular Rehabilitation SIG through leadership, personal influence, achievements, or frequent and sustained work toward the development and enhancement of the Section.
    • We plan to give out the first Vestibular Rehabilitation SIG Service Award at CSM 2010 in San Diego.  Please come to the business meeting to acknowledge someone who has worked hard to make the SIG a valuable resource!!

 

 VEstibular sig newsletter article award

 

The Vestibular Rehabilitation SIG will give a yearly "Best Newsletter Article" award.  All submissions will be considered as a way of thanking individuals for their newsletter submissions.  The editor(s) and the SIG Chair will determine the winner, based on the criteria listed below.  The winner will be announced at the business meeting at CSM.  There will be a monetary award in conjunction with a commemorative plaque and an honorary seat at the "Vertigo-go" dinner.

All submissions, whether on our website or in our newsletter from the calendar year prior to that CSM will be considered.

 

Criteria:

 

1.  The article is written clearly and concisely.

2.  There is a clear theoretical basis for the article.

3.  The review of literature and other introductory statements provide evidence for the importance of the paper to physical therapy.  The article makes an important contribution to the understanding of clinical practice and patient care, or illuminates issues related to patient care and advances the clinical science underlying physical therapy practice and can be judged primarily on the basis of its impact on clinical practice.

4.  The article provides information that can assist others in delivering physical therapy services.

5.  The article contains clear descriptions of clinical procedures or approaches that can be understood by others, and contains supportive rationales for, and experiences with, the procedure or approaches used.  Elements in the article are described with sufficient clarity to permit replications by others.

6.  Current SIG officers are not eligible for the award.

 

We plan to give out the first Vestibular Rehabilitation SIG Newletter Award at CSM 2010 in San Diego.  Please consider submitting an article today! 

 

 

 

 

 Poster Presentation at CSM

 "Practice and Billing Trends within Specialty Balance and Vestibular Programs" by Marcia Hall Thompson, PT, DPT and Denise Gobert, PT, MEd, PhD was presented at CSM in February 2009.  Michelle Gutierrez, PT, reviewed the poster for the Spring Newsletter, also available here.

 Interesting articles and videos to check out:

 

CMS Rules on the Canalith Repositioning Maneuver CPT Code

CMS recently announced that physical therapists will be able to bill for canalith repositioning procedures using CPT code 97112  (neuromuscular reeducation).  In the final 2009 physician fee schedule rule, CMS had made a decision to bundle and therefore not pay separately for the newly created CPT code (95992) that was developed to describe canalith repositioning procedures. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)  met with CMS and sent written correspondence in response to the rule urging them to change this policy to allow physical therapists to continue to provide and bill for this service.  In response to APTA's request, CMS has set forth a policy that will allow physical therapists to continue to bill for canalith repositioning using CPT code 97112 retroactive to January 1, 2009.   APTA recommends that you contact your Medicare contractor to confirm that the contractor is aware of this new policy and request their guidance on resubmission of claims for canalith repositioning procedures.
 
Copies of the CMS Transmittal and Medlearn Matters Article announcing this policy change are included below.
 
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/transmittals/downloads/R1691CP.pdf
 
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM6397.pdf

Other News

Position Confirms Physical therapists as Providers of Choice for Vestibular-Related Balance Disorders

The American Physical Therapy Association House of Delegates adopted a position to confirm current practice indicating that physical therapists are practitioners of choice in the rehabilitation and management of vestibular-related balance disorders.

Current legislative and practice environments have provided challenges for physical therapists to be recognized as practitioners of choice in caring for individuals with vestibular-related balance disorders, more so than with other practice settings for physical therapy, said the House. By adopting this position, APTA can influence and lend support to practitioners facing these practice issues, and provide an easily accessed and referenced position of the role of physical therapy in vestibular-related balance disorders. [RC 26-07]

The Section would like to extend a special thanks to all of the partnering organizations that have joined in to make the organization an invaluable resource for information, tools, and support for the population we serve.