WEBVTT 00:00:00.089 --> 00:00:00.909 Here we go. 00:00:01.008 --> 00:00:02.289 I'll give a quick intro. 00:00:02.309 --> 00:00:13.412 All right, 00:00:13.451 --> 00:00:17.393 live streaming from CSM in Anaheim. 00:00:17.413 --> 00:00:19.193 I do want to thank Sarah Health, 00:00:20.053 --> 00:00:22.993 the platform helping you take RTM from a 00:00:23.134 --> 00:00:23.893 thought, a theory, 00:00:23.914 --> 00:00:25.713 a thing you saw in a webinar into 00:00:25.734 --> 00:00:27.934 your practice, streamline it, 00:00:28.890 --> 00:00:30.672 and help you help your patients between 00:00:30.711 --> 00:00:32.012 visits and earn revenue. 00:00:32.051 --> 00:00:32.932 Wouldn't it be great if you could do 00:00:32.972 --> 00:00:33.292 both? 00:00:33.552 --> 00:00:34.313 Turns out you can. 00:00:34.692 --> 00:00:35.652 SarahHealth.com. 00:00:35.673 --> 00:00:36.914 It's SarahHealth.com. 00:00:37.073 --> 00:00:37.834 S-A-R-A, 00:00:38.353 --> 00:00:39.914 like the girl in your middle school class. 00:00:40.015 --> 00:00:41.814 It's Sarah without an H. Sarah. 00:00:42.515 --> 00:00:42.896 S-A-R-A. 00:00:43.076 --> 00:00:43.356 Health. 00:00:45.036 --> 00:00:45.975 He's a private practice owner, 00:00:46.356 --> 00:00:47.156 legislative advocate, 00:00:47.237 --> 00:00:49.536 and president of APTA Massachusetts. 00:00:51.198 --> 00:00:52.338 After more than twenty years treating 00:00:52.357 --> 00:00:52.718 patients, 00:00:53.078 --> 00:00:54.357 now he's working to strengthen the future 00:00:54.378 --> 00:00:56.639 of this profession through advocacy, 00:00:56.819 --> 00:00:58.018 leadership, and action. 00:00:59.098 --> 00:01:00.119 Steve Smith, welcome to the show. 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:00.719 Thank you. 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:02.000 Great to be here. 00:01:02.020 --> 00:01:03.000 This is a pretty cool party. 00:01:03.020 --> 00:01:03.701 It is. 00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:05.941 How many CSMs deep are you? 00:01:05.980 --> 00:01:06.361 Do you know? 00:01:06.680 --> 00:01:07.781 I think this is eleven. 00:01:07.801 --> 00:01:08.542 Oh, that's good. 00:01:08.621 --> 00:01:08.902 Yeah. 00:01:08.921 --> 00:01:09.981 When did you graduate from PT school? 00:01:10.361 --> 00:01:11.222 Oh, two thousand five. 00:01:11.522 --> 00:01:11.802 OK, 00:01:12.242 --> 00:01:13.603 so when did you catch the bug of 00:01:13.623 --> 00:01:14.463 like, do this thing? 00:01:14.483 --> 00:01:15.385 Because this isn't a normal. 00:01:15.685 --> 00:01:16.424 We had it in Boston. 00:01:17.125 --> 00:01:17.525 Oh, that was. 00:01:17.546 --> 00:01:19.006 So we had in Boston the second year 00:01:19.066 --> 00:01:19.766 out and it was like, oh, 00:01:19.787 --> 00:01:20.626 this is a cool party. 00:01:20.667 --> 00:01:21.647 Thank you for the coffee, by the way. 00:01:21.688 --> 00:01:22.847 We just went and hit the coffee booth. 00:01:22.968 --> 00:01:23.468 My pleasure. 00:01:23.808 --> 00:01:26.689 And yeah, it's when I could afford it. 00:01:26.829 --> 00:01:27.590 That's what I would go. 00:01:28.811 --> 00:01:30.971 Yeah, as early career wise, as you should. 00:01:31.052 --> 00:01:31.293 Right. 00:01:31.433 --> 00:01:32.772 And I think they try to do a 00:01:32.813 --> 00:01:33.153 good job. 00:01:33.194 --> 00:01:33.754 People, you know, 00:01:34.054 --> 00:01:35.334 will will complain about, well, 00:01:35.355 --> 00:01:36.254 why is it in this city, 00:01:36.275 --> 00:01:36.796 in this city? 00:01:36.855 --> 00:01:38.256 And then they just like literally just 00:01:38.275 --> 00:01:41.058 like, where will you put nineteen? 00:01:41.158 --> 00:01:42.778 It needs to have a big enough like. 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:44.799 Not just a big enough city, 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:46.980 but a big enough city built around a 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:47.700 conference. 00:01:47.879 --> 00:01:48.040 Like, 00:01:48.081 --> 00:01:49.861 show me where you'd put all the people 00:01:49.960 --> 00:01:50.981 and where they would sleep. 00:01:51.742 --> 00:01:53.421 And some cities are built for that. 00:01:53.522 --> 00:01:55.162 And you'll see the New Orleans' and the 00:01:55.222 --> 00:01:57.183 San Antonio's and the San Diego's and 00:01:57.224 --> 00:02:00.545 the... Sorry, the Anaheim's of the world. 00:02:00.564 --> 00:02:00.724 Right. 00:02:00.765 --> 00:02:01.965 And the Boston's of the world. 00:02:02.025 --> 00:02:03.066 Yeah. 00:02:03.085 --> 00:02:03.766 So you do both... 00:02:04.621 --> 00:02:06.222 Clinic owner, you've done that. 00:02:06.923 --> 00:02:08.584 And chapter president, 00:02:08.604 --> 00:02:10.485 I mentioned in the intro. 00:02:10.906 --> 00:02:13.567 What made you step into advocacy and 00:02:13.606 --> 00:02:14.627 leadership roles? 00:02:14.647 --> 00:02:17.169 Because both of those are, by default, 00:02:17.308 --> 00:02:18.710 leadership and advocacy roles. 00:02:18.770 --> 00:02:20.191 What was sort of the bug for you? 00:02:21.331 --> 00:02:24.473 I caught the ownership bug when the clinic 00:02:24.514 --> 00:02:26.314 I was working for got bought out by 00:02:26.335 --> 00:02:28.596 a venture capital group and didn't 00:02:28.616 --> 00:02:29.997 necessarily like the direction it was 00:02:30.016 --> 00:02:30.537 going to go. 00:02:30.856 --> 00:02:32.557 So I wanted to continue to treat community 00:02:32.598 --> 00:02:32.799 health 00:02:33.740 --> 00:02:36.907 and found a partner and found a space 00:02:37.207 --> 00:02:39.334 in a community I love and went from 00:02:39.373 --> 00:02:39.633 there. 00:02:39.895 --> 00:02:42.360 And so that organically has been 00:02:43.270 --> 00:02:45.173 great and rewarding, but it's been super, 00:02:45.212 --> 00:02:45.913 super challenging. 00:02:46.554 --> 00:02:48.634 And I also didn't know leadership was also 00:02:48.675 --> 00:02:49.635 a skill you have to learn. 00:02:50.175 --> 00:02:51.116 I just thought, I was like, 00:02:51.356 --> 00:02:52.358 I've managed people. 00:02:52.557 --> 00:02:53.338 I know these things. 00:02:53.359 --> 00:02:54.560 I know how to tell people things and 00:02:54.580 --> 00:02:55.219 how to do them, 00:02:55.281 --> 00:02:56.001 and they'll just do it. 00:02:56.480 --> 00:02:56.762 Right. 00:02:56.921 --> 00:02:58.383 Turns out, it's not the case. 00:02:58.823 --> 00:03:00.724 So then during COVID, 00:03:01.025 --> 00:03:02.366 had to rethink a lot of things. 00:03:02.385 --> 00:03:03.546 Then I started asking questions. 00:03:03.866 --> 00:03:04.548 Questions about like, 00:03:04.867 --> 00:03:06.068 I've always been an APCA member, 00:03:06.109 --> 00:03:06.610 so what... 00:03:07.461 --> 00:03:09.943 are we doing here um we started getting 00:03:09.983 --> 00:03:12.444 some good guidance from our president two 00:03:12.465 --> 00:03:14.948 past presidents ago eric fulmar and he 00:03:15.008 --> 00:03:17.109 really did a great job guiding our ship 00:03:17.229 --> 00:03:20.872 through um a lot of the legalities of 00:03:20.913 --> 00:03:22.973 the shutdown and so really helping us get 00:03:22.993 --> 00:03:26.016 back open helping us do it safely and 00:03:26.737 --> 00:03:28.038 you know not losing the clinic at the 00:03:28.058 --> 00:03:30.420 same time so that was huge terribly 00:03:30.441 --> 00:03:32.301 important yeah so you literally said i 00:03:32.342 --> 00:03:33.524 don't like where this is going 00:03:34.700 --> 00:03:35.622 I'm going to do it myself, 00:03:36.282 --> 00:03:38.485 which is simple to say and not easy 00:03:38.566 --> 00:03:39.127 to do. 00:03:40.770 --> 00:03:42.292 Let's play that whole game of what do 00:03:42.312 --> 00:03:43.693 you wish you knew then that you know 00:03:43.753 --> 00:03:43.973 now? 00:03:44.014 --> 00:03:45.235 What would you have told yourself? 00:03:45.515 --> 00:03:47.218 What landmines did you step on that maybe 00:03:47.239 --> 00:03:48.080 you could have avoided? 00:03:49.437 --> 00:03:49.717 You know, 00:03:50.336 --> 00:03:51.557 I don't know if there's anything that you 00:03:52.318 --> 00:03:55.099 can do when you're having the issue with 00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:56.199 something like COVID comes up. 00:03:56.800 --> 00:03:57.561 It's unprecedented. 00:03:57.640 --> 00:03:58.942 Once in a generation. 00:03:59.542 --> 00:03:59.961 Hopefully. 00:04:00.983 --> 00:04:02.824 I wish I had asked questions earlier. 00:04:03.403 --> 00:04:04.324 And that's really my big thing. 00:04:05.344 --> 00:04:06.205 I just was a member. 00:04:06.245 --> 00:04:07.725 I didn't ask what, you know, 00:04:07.786 --> 00:04:08.445 could be done. 00:04:08.806 --> 00:04:10.366 What can I do to help? 00:04:10.526 --> 00:04:10.765 Yeah. 00:04:10.926 --> 00:04:11.526 In what ways? 00:04:11.586 --> 00:04:12.447 Like, what are we working on? 00:04:12.887 --> 00:04:13.947 I just kind of went with the flow 00:04:13.967 --> 00:04:15.367 and then you're like, all right, 00:04:15.388 --> 00:04:16.668 so payments not going the right way. 00:04:16.747 --> 00:04:17.927 So we're not getting good news on this. 00:04:17.947 --> 00:04:19.269 We're not getting good news on that. 00:04:19.869 --> 00:04:20.908 So you're just sitting there accepting. 00:04:21.209 --> 00:04:21.369 Right. 00:04:21.509 --> 00:04:23.430 And that's something I just as I got 00:04:23.509 --> 00:04:24.050 older, I'm like, 00:04:24.129 --> 00:04:25.269 I just don't accept this anymore. 00:04:25.470 --> 00:04:25.829 Right. 00:04:25.870 --> 00:04:27.151 So how do we actually try to make 00:04:27.170 --> 00:04:27.831 a change? 00:04:27.891 --> 00:04:28.031 Yeah. 00:04:28.569 --> 00:04:29.610 So that's where I came from. 00:04:29.790 --> 00:04:29.990 Yeah. 00:04:30.610 --> 00:04:31.471 People are the life hack. 00:04:32.312 --> 00:04:33.153 People write things. 00:04:33.934 --> 00:04:35.295 People still write the thing. 00:04:35.894 --> 00:04:36.995 People are on podcasts. 00:04:37.016 --> 00:04:38.437 It's still a people thing. 00:04:39.057 --> 00:04:40.158 And most of the time when people do 00:04:40.177 --> 00:04:40.497 things, 00:04:40.898 --> 00:04:43.139 they like when you ask them questions 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:44.221 about the thing that they've done. 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:44.841 Right. 00:04:44.880 --> 00:04:45.620 But they like that. 00:04:45.762 --> 00:04:45.982 Yes. 00:04:46.062 --> 00:04:48.463 Like I told the story a couple weeks 00:04:48.502 --> 00:04:50.225 ago how when I was in PT school, 00:04:50.524 --> 00:04:51.285 second career student. 00:04:51.605 --> 00:04:52.045 So I sort of. 00:04:52.425 --> 00:04:53.726 picked up a few life hacks along the 00:04:53.747 --> 00:04:53.947 way, 00:04:54.047 --> 00:04:55.408 and realized I do this big paper in 00:04:55.447 --> 00:04:57.389 neuro, and I'm not a huge, 00:04:58.408 --> 00:05:00.189 I don't like reading research. 00:05:00.389 --> 00:05:01.411 My brain doesn't brain. 00:05:01.430 --> 00:05:02.670 Some people are good at it, I'm not. 00:05:02.951 --> 00:05:04.711 So I just called a person who had 00:05:04.752 --> 00:05:06.093 written a book on the topic that I 00:05:06.112 --> 00:05:07.194 was researching, 00:05:07.574 --> 00:05:08.853 and she talked to me for an hour, 00:05:09.795 --> 00:05:11.815 and explained everything, 00:05:11.836 --> 00:05:12.516 I understood everything, 00:05:12.536 --> 00:05:13.516 and then she gave me a Google Drive 00:05:13.536 --> 00:05:14.416 full of the stuff I should have been 00:05:14.437 --> 00:05:14.656 reading. 00:05:14.697 --> 00:05:16.437 And I was like, well that was easy. 00:05:17.738 --> 00:05:18.319 You can do that. 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:19.060 That's your skill. 00:05:19.180 --> 00:05:19.761 That's right. 00:05:19.821 --> 00:05:20.862 But anybody can do that. 00:05:21.021 --> 00:05:22.824 That quite literally costs zero dollars, 00:05:23.264 --> 00:05:24.286 just an hour and a half of my 00:05:24.326 --> 00:05:24.565 time, 00:05:24.605 --> 00:05:26.307 and it gave me everything that I wanted. 00:05:26.447 --> 00:05:27.449 Absolutely. 00:05:27.488 --> 00:05:29.230 You've said that, I love both statements, 00:05:29.310 --> 00:05:32.593 every PT and PTA needs to care about 00:05:32.694 --> 00:05:34.255 advocacy, payment, and access. 00:05:34.815 --> 00:05:36.177 Why is that so critical now? 00:05:36.437 --> 00:05:37.459 Why is that important now? 00:05:39.069 --> 00:05:40.110 It's always been important, 00:05:40.151 --> 00:05:42.192 but I do think now with the... 00:05:43.314 --> 00:05:44.574 Tuition never decreases. 00:05:45.755 --> 00:05:46.677 It's going to go up. 00:05:46.916 --> 00:05:47.137 Right. 00:05:47.276 --> 00:05:48.757 It's going up every year a certain 00:05:48.798 --> 00:05:49.259 percentage. 00:05:49.939 --> 00:05:51.279 Our pay is not going up every year. 00:05:51.841 --> 00:05:52.201 In fact, 00:05:52.261 --> 00:05:55.103 we had six years of Medicare devaluing our 00:05:55.124 --> 00:05:55.543 services. 00:05:55.843 --> 00:05:57.886 So now we did get a recent win 00:05:57.906 --> 00:05:58.505 this last year, 00:05:59.226 --> 00:06:00.507 and we are sitting at the table this 00:06:00.528 --> 00:06:04.031 year for federal payments through 00:06:04.071 --> 00:06:04.571 Medicare. 00:06:04.651 --> 00:06:04.810 But... 00:06:06.869 --> 00:06:08.372 We just can't sit there, 00:06:08.771 --> 00:06:10.514 get more education, 00:06:11.014 --> 00:06:12.177 raise our practice level, 00:06:12.476 --> 00:06:14.940 and then not get reimbursed or paid for 00:06:14.961 --> 00:06:16.223 that. 00:06:17.925 --> 00:06:18.966 Everyone's waiting around. 00:06:19.107 --> 00:06:19.987 I feel like a lot of people wait 00:06:20.028 --> 00:06:21.470 around for somebody else to do something. 00:06:22.235 --> 00:06:23.036 And it's not, 00:06:23.456 --> 00:06:25.237 nobody else is doing anything for us. 00:06:25.559 --> 00:06:27.500 So you can join an association, 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:28.841 you can remain on your own, 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:30.201 but at least the point is like, 00:06:30.221 --> 00:06:32.584 know who your legislators are and just at 00:06:32.624 --> 00:06:33.865 least reach out because they're humans 00:06:33.904 --> 00:06:34.084 too. 00:06:34.665 --> 00:06:35.966 And they love a conversation with their 00:06:35.985 --> 00:06:36.607 constituents. 00:06:37.007 --> 00:06:39.928 So just being active and then at the 00:06:40.009 --> 00:06:40.730 very minimum, 00:06:41.670 --> 00:06:43.012 push for something like in Massachusetts, 00:06:43.031 --> 00:06:44.153 we have our scope of practice bill. 00:06:44.612 --> 00:06:45.934 That's going to fundamentally change 00:06:46.033 --> 00:06:48.735 prescriptive authority and our ability to, 00:06:49.516 --> 00:06:49.617 um, 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:52.100 have diagnostic imaging. 00:06:52.802 --> 00:06:54.523 So with those two new permissions, 00:06:54.543 --> 00:06:56.043 it opens up a whole new can of 00:06:56.062 --> 00:06:56.564 worms for us. 00:06:57.144 --> 00:06:57.603 And it's great. 00:06:57.663 --> 00:07:00.125 And if we really push that as a 00:07:00.725 --> 00:07:03.107 profession, not just an association, 00:07:03.826 --> 00:07:04.947 we have a chance of making something 00:07:05.028 --> 00:07:06.267 really good happen in Massachusetts. 00:07:06.809 --> 00:07:08.129 And when a domino falls, 00:07:08.850 --> 00:07:10.951 it'll help hopefully fall somewhere else. 00:07:11.011 --> 00:07:11.391 Exactly. 00:07:11.411 --> 00:07:11.971 It's the beginning. 00:07:12.190 --> 00:07:12.370 Right. 00:07:12.531 --> 00:07:13.012 Right. 00:07:13.031 --> 00:07:14.312 So it leads to changes in payment. 00:07:14.331 --> 00:07:16.793 It leads to us getting a seat at 00:07:16.812 --> 00:07:17.954 the table with third party payers. 00:07:19.081 --> 00:07:20.543 advice for someone who's hearing this 00:07:20.562 --> 00:07:21.903 going but i don't really understand 00:07:21.983 --> 00:07:24.384 advocacy i understand the process i just 00:07:24.403 --> 00:07:26.105 want to lower anxiety like people can just 00:07:26.125 --> 00:07:29.346 show up and just like help right like 00:07:29.487 --> 00:07:31.307 fold chairs or pay attention or be on 00:07:31.326 --> 00:07:32.507 a call you don't need to run a 00:07:32.687 --> 00:07:34.988 committee on your first day like that's 00:07:35.009 --> 00:07:36.769 not how it starts right right and i 00:07:36.790 --> 00:07:38.069 think what we're learning is that we had 00:07:38.089 --> 00:07:40.130 a huge education gap for that first step 00:07:40.690 --> 00:07:42.572 there's there's education on once you're 00:07:42.672 --> 00:07:44.692 in it how do you advocate better how 00:07:44.713 --> 00:07:45.793 do you do this better but there was 00:07:45.874 --> 00:07:46.033 no 00:07:47.033 --> 00:07:49.016 soft first step off the bus or onto 00:07:49.055 --> 00:07:51.117 the bus to get going with it. 00:07:51.197 --> 00:07:52.237 So, you know, 00:07:52.317 --> 00:07:55.100 trying to put out an educational program 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:57.221 for our members that would really help 00:07:57.601 --> 00:07:58.622 people to take the first step. 00:07:58.682 --> 00:07:59.362 Why should you care? 00:07:59.403 --> 00:08:00.223 What are we caring about? 00:08:00.244 --> 00:08:02.185 And what do we do? 00:08:02.225 --> 00:08:03.906 So yeah, 00:08:03.925 --> 00:08:07.588 somebody else coined this sort of this 00:08:07.668 --> 00:08:07.908 idea. 00:08:07.928 --> 00:08:09.250 It's called the grunt test. 00:08:10.091 --> 00:08:11.391 So if I look at a brochure, 00:08:12.762 --> 00:08:15.944 Or a booth at CSM or anywhere or 00:08:15.963 --> 00:08:18.185 a website at APTA Massachusetts. 00:08:18.665 --> 00:08:20.545 I should be able to answer three questions 00:08:20.685 --> 00:08:21.625 without thinking. 00:08:21.925 --> 00:08:22.187 Right. 00:08:22.226 --> 00:08:23.266 And they call it the grunt test. 00:08:23.466 --> 00:08:24.168 What do you do? 00:08:24.987 --> 00:08:26.749 How does that make my life better or 00:08:26.788 --> 00:08:27.028 not? 00:08:27.588 --> 00:08:28.730 And then if I like the answer to 00:08:28.750 --> 00:08:29.689 number one and number two, 00:08:30.110 --> 00:08:30.670 what do I have to do? 00:08:30.690 --> 00:08:31.250 Right. 00:08:31.331 --> 00:08:32.652 Right, book now, join here, 00:08:32.711 --> 00:08:33.172 da da da da. 00:08:33.471 --> 00:08:34.432 And it needs to be, 00:08:34.613 --> 00:08:36.333 a lot of times, in healthcare, 00:08:36.693 --> 00:08:38.794 I'll just take shots at ourselves, PT, 00:08:39.316 --> 00:08:42.236 we over-explain and we over-complicate 00:08:42.256 --> 00:08:44.538 things because, I don't know, 00:08:44.578 --> 00:08:45.658 maybe we feel like we have to. 00:08:46.019 --> 00:08:47.179 And I'm just here to tell you that 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:48.341 the New York Times is written at an 00:08:48.400 --> 00:08:50.042 eighth grade level, on purpose. 00:08:50.261 --> 00:08:51.743 Not because they think ninth graders don't 00:08:51.783 --> 00:08:52.062 read, 00:08:52.523 --> 00:08:53.644 or adults don't read at a higher grade 00:08:53.683 --> 00:08:53.903 level, 00:08:54.163 --> 00:08:55.544 they understand that you can't be an 00:08:55.605 --> 00:08:57.285 expert at all of these different things. 00:08:57.566 --> 00:08:58.807 So keep it simple. 00:08:59.496 --> 00:09:00.937 We know healthcare literature is even at a 00:09:01.018 --> 00:09:01.697 lower level than that. 00:09:01.717 --> 00:09:05.259 So to keep engaging and working in such 00:09:05.340 --> 00:09:07.020 a diverse population, 00:09:07.381 --> 00:09:09.163 it's got to be really simplistic, 00:09:09.383 --> 00:09:10.243 really to the point, 00:09:10.663 --> 00:09:11.563 but make a good point. 00:09:11.644 --> 00:09:12.664 But there's a couple of times that I 00:09:12.684 --> 00:09:13.184 wanted to, 00:09:13.245 --> 00:09:15.426 my dad has a PT and OT and 00:09:15.505 --> 00:09:17.586 an SLP and they'll call me for updates 00:09:17.626 --> 00:09:20.469 and they change every once in a while. 00:09:20.489 --> 00:09:21.470 So a lot of them don't know that 00:09:21.549 --> 00:09:23.071 I'm also a physical therapist, right? 00:09:23.191 --> 00:09:24.672 On top of being the son. 00:09:24.871 --> 00:09:25.091 Right. 00:09:25.432 --> 00:09:26.972 And I want to very... 00:09:28.918 --> 00:09:30.260 I don't know how it would be absorbed, 00:09:30.301 --> 00:09:30.640 but I'm like, 00:09:31.020 --> 00:09:32.783 that is over the average person. 00:09:33.783 --> 00:09:35.225 Some of the things you're saying do not 00:09:35.265 --> 00:09:35.807 need to be there. 00:09:37.028 --> 00:09:38.470 Talk to me like a normal person. 00:09:38.789 --> 00:09:39.671 I know you're a normal person. 00:09:39.750 --> 00:09:40.392 I've met PTs. 00:09:40.471 --> 00:09:41.033 We're normal people. 00:09:41.373 --> 00:09:42.794 On the phone, stop being that. 00:09:42.815 --> 00:09:43.615 I don't know what that was. 00:09:43.796 --> 00:09:44.475 Don't do that again. 00:09:47.566 --> 00:09:48.907 For clinicians who feel busy or 00:09:48.947 --> 00:09:50.269 disconnected from advocacy, 00:09:50.568 --> 00:09:53.230 where is that soft first step? 00:09:53.410 --> 00:09:54.732 Where should they go? 00:09:54.753 --> 00:09:55.312 They're like, okay, 00:09:55.332 --> 00:09:56.214 I don't need to do something. 00:09:56.573 --> 00:09:57.875 Fine, I'll do it. 00:09:58.655 --> 00:09:59.636 How do I sign up? 00:10:00.418 --> 00:10:01.418 I'm not in this club yet. 00:10:01.578 --> 00:10:02.440 Where do I go? 00:10:02.620 --> 00:10:02.860 Right. 00:10:03.380 --> 00:10:04.922 And the first thing we've had people do 00:10:04.981 --> 00:10:07.344 is actually email our association, 00:10:07.544 --> 00:10:09.086 go to our page, email us. 00:10:09.586 --> 00:10:09.846 But... 00:10:11.006 --> 00:10:12.386 We would like this to be more forward 00:10:12.427 --> 00:10:15.227 facing and put out something that people 00:10:15.248 --> 00:10:15.748 can go to. 00:10:16.148 --> 00:10:17.768 Be able to highlight that on social media 00:10:18.307 --> 00:10:19.628 and be able to have an easy landing 00:10:19.668 --> 00:10:22.349 page on our website that may or may 00:10:22.408 --> 00:10:23.448 not be member protected. 00:10:24.688 --> 00:10:25.609 If it's not member protected, 00:10:25.649 --> 00:10:27.110 at least we're getting the advocacy word 00:10:27.149 --> 00:10:28.450 out there for what we want. 00:10:28.610 --> 00:10:29.929 And the more voices we have, 00:10:30.110 --> 00:10:32.071 the more we'll achieve. 00:10:32.211 --> 00:10:32.390 I mean, 00:10:32.431 --> 00:10:34.811 we see what the nursing association does 00:10:34.850 --> 00:10:35.471 in Massachusetts, 00:10:35.551 --> 00:10:36.451 and they are a powerhouse. 00:10:36.510 --> 00:10:37.711 They have so many voices. 00:10:38.192 --> 00:10:39.131 When they're asked to show up for 00:10:39.172 --> 00:10:40.211 something, they show. 00:10:40.572 --> 00:10:42.514 So what can we take away from our 00:10:42.714 --> 00:10:43.894 sort of cousin, you know, 00:10:44.014 --> 00:10:45.296 nurse nursing profession? 00:10:45.336 --> 00:10:45.956 What would they do? 00:10:46.135 --> 00:10:46.917 Would they do well? 00:10:47.518 --> 00:10:48.697 Or what should we look at from five, 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:49.899 ten, fifteen years ago? 00:10:49.918 --> 00:10:50.820 What can we borrow? 00:10:51.019 --> 00:10:52.961 Their messaging is really, really good. 00:10:53.221 --> 00:10:54.982 So they're not just their membership, 00:10:55.003 --> 00:10:56.485 but also, you know, it starts in school. 00:10:57.125 --> 00:10:58.485 that's what we're getting into now is 00:10:58.525 --> 00:11:00.167 we're starting to get that word in 00:11:00.206 --> 00:11:00.587 schools, 00:11:01.528 --> 00:11:03.409 being asked to guest lecture about 00:11:03.529 --> 00:11:04.110 advocacy. 00:11:04.211 --> 00:11:06.712 We're making it a focus for our annual 00:11:06.753 --> 00:11:07.533 conferences now. 00:11:07.852 --> 00:11:09.575 So we just had a great hour long 00:11:09.634 --> 00:11:11.316 opener about advocacy at our annual 00:11:11.355 --> 00:11:12.677 conference last November. 00:11:12.777 --> 00:11:15.298 So we are we're taking steps to get 00:11:15.339 --> 00:11:15.538 there. 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:18.581 And it's something that's just been we've 00:11:18.642 --> 00:11:19.361 kind of missed, I think. 00:11:19.582 --> 00:11:19.763 Yeah. 00:11:21.024 --> 00:11:22.764 What's your big, big, hairy, 00:11:22.825 --> 00:11:24.485 audacious goal as 00:11:25.366 --> 00:11:26.788 president of Massachusetts. 00:11:27.187 --> 00:11:28.509 What's something that when you're sort of 00:11:28.528 --> 00:11:30.971 done and you pass off the office to 00:11:30.990 --> 00:11:32.371 the next person that you're like, hey, 00:11:32.412 --> 00:11:33.373 if we achieve this, 00:11:33.432 --> 00:11:34.854 this is what I'm aiming for. 00:11:34.974 --> 00:11:35.214 Yeah, 00:11:35.313 --> 00:11:38.176 if we can get a third of our 00:11:39.037 --> 00:11:42.158 registered PTs in the state to sign an 00:11:42.198 --> 00:11:42.859 advocacy letter. 00:11:42.980 --> 00:11:43.480 Ooh, okay. 00:11:43.740 --> 00:11:43.980 You know, 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:46.361 for each thing that we're putting out 00:11:46.381 --> 00:11:47.761 there and like this is important because 00:11:47.782 --> 00:11:48.123 of this. 00:11:48.663 --> 00:11:51.264 And if we get those voices consistently, 00:11:51.784 --> 00:11:53.346 that is a huge, huge win. 00:11:53.365 --> 00:11:53.466 Yeah. 00:11:53.985 --> 00:11:55.267 And that's that's engagement. 00:11:55.386 --> 00:11:56.206 That's people caring. 00:11:56.226 --> 00:11:57.408 That's people taking ownership of their 00:11:57.427 --> 00:11:57.868 profession. 00:11:58.307 --> 00:11:59.389 And that's really what we're looking for. 00:11:59.548 --> 00:12:00.190 Where are you now? 00:12:00.269 --> 00:12:00.649 Ballpark. 00:12:02.884 --> 00:12:04.485 I would have to go through because we're 00:12:04.645 --> 00:12:05.745 on a different app now. 00:12:06.206 --> 00:12:09.067 And so now that we've just kind of 00:12:09.106 --> 00:12:10.527 signed on to a new application, 00:12:10.886 --> 00:12:11.847 we're going to be able to track that 00:12:11.868 --> 00:12:12.548 much easier. 00:12:12.587 --> 00:12:14.248 So I would love to tell you the 00:12:14.268 --> 00:12:14.989 number, but I don't have it. 00:12:15.009 --> 00:12:16.668 What gets measured gets improved. 00:12:16.889 --> 00:12:17.609 You can't measure it. 00:12:17.649 --> 00:12:19.669 You can't possibly improve it or know it's 00:12:19.710 --> 00:12:20.330 being improved. 00:12:20.470 --> 00:12:20.789 Absolutely. 00:12:21.029 --> 00:12:21.789 What gives you hope? 00:12:21.809 --> 00:12:23.030 Let's go bigger. 00:12:23.051 --> 00:12:24.471 We'll go bigger than just Massachusetts. 00:12:24.530 --> 00:12:26.192 What gives you hope about where the 00:12:26.211 --> 00:12:27.432 profession's headed in general? 00:12:28.688 --> 00:12:30.629 I think when we get together as leaders 00:12:31.250 --> 00:12:32.591 that we're all on the same page. 00:12:32.692 --> 00:12:36.474 I think the leadership of APTA itself has 00:12:36.494 --> 00:12:37.894 kind of changed their mentality too. 00:12:38.495 --> 00:12:40.636 New strategic framework really shows that 00:12:40.697 --> 00:12:42.817 payment by fourteenfold is the most 00:12:42.878 --> 00:12:43.479 important topic. 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:44.359 It was not small. 00:12:44.599 --> 00:12:44.879 Right. 00:12:44.979 --> 00:12:47.201 It's payment and then fourteen miles of 00:12:47.260 --> 00:12:48.402 nothing then number two. 00:12:48.501 --> 00:12:48.682 Right. 00:12:49.062 --> 00:12:51.563 And so I think that that focus, 00:12:51.624 --> 00:12:53.645 especially even just in the last really 00:12:53.725 --> 00:12:54.265 nine months, 00:12:54.285 --> 00:12:56.388 that that focus has changed and how 00:12:56.408 --> 00:12:57.688 they've changed their education, 00:12:57.708 --> 00:12:59.450 their programming and where we're at in 00:12:59.509 --> 00:13:01.951 terms of leaders being able to talk about 00:13:02.011 --> 00:13:02.331 things. 00:13:02.631 --> 00:13:03.653 That's really important. 00:13:03.753 --> 00:13:04.153 Yeah. 00:13:04.273 --> 00:13:05.073 And, you know, 00:13:05.094 --> 00:13:06.995 getting on the same boat really makes us 00:13:07.054 --> 00:13:08.517 want to, you know, 00:13:08.557 --> 00:13:09.817 we're all rowing in the same direction, 00:13:09.878 --> 00:13:10.798 even if we have to do it different 00:13:10.817 --> 00:13:11.097 ways. 00:13:11.339 --> 00:13:11.678 Correct. 00:13:11.839 --> 00:13:12.158 Yes. 00:13:12.178 --> 00:13:14.640 I never knew the differences from state to 00:13:14.681 --> 00:13:14.880 state. 00:13:14.961 --> 00:13:15.601 I just assumed... 00:13:17.298 --> 00:13:17.898 population. 00:13:18.038 --> 00:13:18.437 I don't know. 00:13:18.538 --> 00:13:20.599 And then I looked into how different state 00:13:20.658 --> 00:13:21.919 practice acts are. 00:13:21.940 --> 00:13:23.860 And we are fifty different little 00:13:24.061 --> 00:13:25.620 countries that are tied together. 00:13:25.821 --> 00:13:26.041 Yes. 00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:28.461 And every state legislature works 00:13:28.522 --> 00:13:28.981 differently. 00:13:29.743 --> 00:13:31.243 You know, we see how a win gets, 00:13:31.442 --> 00:13:31.663 you know, 00:13:32.082 --> 00:13:34.203 how does a win go in Utah be 00:13:34.244 --> 00:13:35.784 different than how it's done in Montana, 00:13:35.804 --> 00:13:37.105 than Colorado, than Massachusetts. 00:13:37.645 --> 00:13:39.426 And so knowing how the legislature works 00:13:39.485 --> 00:13:40.005 is really, 00:13:40.046 --> 00:13:40.986 really important to 00:13:41.687 --> 00:13:43.408 to get wins with our mechanisms. 00:13:43.508 --> 00:13:44.227 And if you don't, 00:13:44.268 --> 00:13:46.188 you will get steamrolled or you will get 00:13:46.229 --> 00:13:46.808 something just, 00:13:46.849 --> 00:13:47.990 you'll get completely rubbed, 00:13:48.169 --> 00:13:49.429 something completely taken away from you. 00:13:49.710 --> 00:13:51.331 Colorado had a thing up in, uh, 00:13:51.571 --> 00:13:53.072 in their state legislator about losing 00:13:53.451 --> 00:13:54.591 term title protection. 00:13:55.072 --> 00:13:55.993 Like they were going to lose this. 00:13:56.013 --> 00:13:56.153 Right. 00:13:56.173 --> 00:13:57.092 And they were like, we have, 00:13:57.173 --> 00:13:57.653 once we get our, 00:13:57.854 --> 00:13:59.573 our members to rally and say, 00:13:59.634 --> 00:14:00.514 we might lose this. 00:14:00.654 --> 00:14:00.875 Right. 00:14:01.294 --> 00:14:02.716 Everybody will pay attention the day after 00:14:02.755 --> 00:14:03.216 you lose it. 00:14:03.515 --> 00:14:03.676 Right. 00:14:03.735 --> 00:14:04.856 Where are you paying attention? 00:14:05.017 --> 00:14:06.397 What are you doing six months before we 00:14:06.437 --> 00:14:07.298 lost it, bro? 00:14:07.337 --> 00:14:09.238 Like you're a day late, a dollar short. 00:14:09.498 --> 00:14:09.739 Yeah. 00:14:09.798 --> 00:14:09.958 Right. 00:14:09.999 --> 00:14:10.658 You don't want that. 00:14:10.839 --> 00:14:10.999 No, 00:14:11.158 --> 00:14:13.279 we want to have those voices be ready 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:14.301 and willing to do things. 00:14:14.461 --> 00:14:16.802 And then also, if you get ownership, 00:14:16.822 --> 00:14:17.783 you get hospitals, 00:14:17.822 --> 00:14:20.524 you get rehab directors bought into what 00:14:20.563 --> 00:14:21.364 we're trying to do, 00:14:21.845 --> 00:14:22.924 they're going to ask their staff to do 00:14:22.965 --> 00:14:23.024 it. 00:14:23.205 --> 00:14:23.424 Yeah. 00:14:23.465 --> 00:14:24.586 So you're just going to kind of work 00:14:24.605 --> 00:14:27.246 through a network of amplifiers that if 00:14:27.287 --> 00:14:29.307 the messaging is good and it's something 00:14:29.347 --> 00:14:31.109 that is worthy for the profession, 00:14:31.470 --> 00:14:32.070 people will do it. 00:14:32.309 --> 00:14:33.210 Love it. 00:14:33.230 --> 00:14:34.230 We have a tradition on the show. 00:14:34.650 --> 00:14:35.130 Every episode, 00:14:35.150 --> 00:14:37.793 we do something called the parting shot. 00:14:38.613 --> 00:14:40.615 This is the Parting Shot. 00:14:41.195 --> 00:14:42.596 One last mic drop moment. 00:14:43.277 --> 00:14:44.057 No pressure. 00:14:44.518 --> 00:14:46.698 Just your legacy on the line. 00:14:48.561 --> 00:14:48.760 All right. 00:14:48.780 --> 00:14:50.201 Parting Shot is brought to you by Sarah 00:14:50.241 --> 00:14:50.481 Health. 00:14:50.501 --> 00:14:52.504 Find them online at SarahHealth.com. 00:14:52.543 --> 00:14:54.125 Bringing RTM to your clinic. 00:14:54.205 --> 00:14:56.427 Can you get paid for interacting with your 00:14:56.447 --> 00:14:57.567 patients between visits? 00:14:57.827 --> 00:14:58.327 Spoiler alert. 00:14:58.687 --> 00:14:59.568 Yes, you can. 00:15:00.269 --> 00:15:01.951 And also, I want to point this out. 00:15:02.331 --> 00:15:04.452 A lot of RTM is app-based. 00:15:04.932 --> 00:15:06.894 Sarah Health is text-based. 00:15:07.798 --> 00:15:09.299 Everybody already has that app on their 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:09.500 phone. 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:10.301 It's text message. 00:15:10.561 --> 00:15:12.501 So that means no apps and no logins 00:15:12.542 --> 00:15:13.582 because, gosh, 00:15:13.623 --> 00:15:14.923 if I have to remember one more password, 00:15:15.024 --> 00:15:15.504 I'm going to lose it. 00:15:15.984 --> 00:15:16.625 So find them online. 00:15:16.664 --> 00:15:17.365 SarahHealth.com. 00:15:17.404 --> 00:15:19.265 It's S-A-R-A-Health.com. 00:15:19.726 --> 00:15:20.547 SarahHealth.com. 00:15:20.606 --> 00:15:20.807 All right. 00:15:21.206 --> 00:15:21.707 Parting shot. 00:15:21.727 --> 00:15:22.447 What do you want to leave with the 00:15:22.467 --> 00:15:23.408 audience today as we wrap up? 00:15:23.990 --> 00:15:25.150 It's something I have written at the 00:15:25.171 --> 00:15:26.932 bottom of my notes for every board of 00:15:26.951 --> 00:15:28.292 director meeting that I run now. 00:15:28.611 --> 00:15:30.511 It's never assume and always ask. 00:15:30.772 --> 00:15:31.873 Ooh, never assume. 00:15:32.052 --> 00:15:32.293 Yes. 00:15:32.552 --> 00:15:33.753 Always ask. 00:15:34.212 --> 00:15:35.953 Appreciate your time today. 00:15:36.014 --> 00:15:37.173 Thanks for doing the service. 00:15:37.494 --> 00:15:38.634 I don't live in Massachusetts, 00:15:38.913 --> 00:15:40.494 but if we get wins in Massachusetts, 00:15:40.955 --> 00:15:42.174 it might be easier to get wins in 00:15:42.215 --> 00:15:43.715 my state of New York and your state 00:15:43.735 --> 00:15:44.134 of whatever. 00:15:44.254 --> 00:15:45.615 So thanks for doing what you do as 00:15:45.635 --> 00:15:46.556 well as the rest of your board. 00:15:46.735 --> 00:15:47.076 Of course. 00:15:47.196 --> 00:15:47.696 Thank you so much.