Study: Stroke Rehab Rates 'Below Maximal Effective Dosing'

APTA 

The Message

While it's generally accepted that rehabilitation therapy rates are relatively low in the U.S. among individuals who experience stroke, less is known about how those rates relate to multiple factors around acute and post-acute care and assessments. Authors of a new study that tracked clinical measurements among patients poststroke linked to 28 acute care hospitals believe they've shed some light on that relationship. The good news: Patients with more severe deficits tend to receive larger therapy doses. The bad news: Overall, therapy dosing is low, with 35% of patients receiving no physical therapy within the first three months of a stroke. Variation of therapy use is also wide depending on discharge location, with discharge patterns themselves varying dramatically across the hospitals studied. The big picture, according to authors, is that "therapy doses in the United States are below the maximal effective dosing and so contribute to incompletely realized functional gains in this population."

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APTA Colorado DEI Committee

The APTA Colorado Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is dedicated to advancing a more inclusive physical therapy profession at the state and national level. Since the Committee's inception, we have sponsored educational sessions at the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference & PT Expo on "Upstander Training" in 2021 and "Brave Space Training" in 2022, as well as participated in student outreach events throughout the Metro Denver area. We are now pleased to announce the launch of a new DEI Committee webpage (found in the Chapter's webpage section, "SIGs, Committees, & Districts").

The new webpage features information about the current DEI Committee membership, links to key DEI resources from APTA, brief profiles on APTA Colorado practitioners and students, and a list of DEI Committee-sponsored content from the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference & PT Expo (live links will be added to this section soon). Please note that the webpage will grow as the DEI Committee and our network of Chapter partners continue to grow and evolve. Therefore, we are requesting the following assistance and input from our Chapter members: 

• Provide recommendations for professional and student APTA Colorado members who would be open to be included in our "Members Spotlight"
• Forward additional DEI-oriented links that could be considered for inclusion in the "Resource Center" section of the webpage
• Reach out to one of the DEI Committee Co-Chairs (Dr. Hofmann or Dr. Harris-Love) if you have a suggestion for a DEI-themed educational topic or interest in committee service.

The DEI Committee webpage will also provide information on upcoming events and initiatives that you can participate in to help advance the cause of diversity, equity, and inclusion in physical therapy. With your valued contributions, the webpage can continue to grow and better meet the needs of Chapter membership. We look forward to partnering with you as we strive for a greater sense of belonging in our clinics, classrooms, and communities.

CDC Adds Covid-19 Shots to List of Routine Vaccines for Kids and Adults

CNN | By Janelle Chavez

Covid-19 shots are included in new schedules of routinely recommended vaccines released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. The immunization schedules summarize current vaccine recommendations for children, adolescents and adults, but do not set vaccine requirements for schools or workplaces.

Key changes to the schedules, published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Thursday, include the addition of Covid-19 primary vaccine series and recommendations on booster dose vaccination; updated guidance on influenza and pneumococcal vaccines; and new vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and for hepatitis B.

The schedule also recommends additional doses of MMR vaccine during a mumps outbreak and administering inactivated poliovirus vaccine in adults who are at an increased risk for exposure to the virus.

The proposed changes were recommended by the CDC's vaccine advisers, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or ACIP, and signed off on by the CDC, which worked with physicians, nurses and pharmacists on the recommendation.

The biggest change, the report's authors told CNN, is incorporating Covid-19 vaccines into both schedules.

"This means COVID-19 vaccine is now presented as any other routinely recommended vaccine and is no longer presented in a special "call out" box as in previous years. This, in a sense, helps 'normalize' this vaccine and sends a powerful message to both healthcare providers and the general public that everyone ages 6 months and older should stay up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccines (including a booster, when eligible), just as they would with any other routinely recommended vaccine," Dr. Neil Murthy and Dr. A. Patricia Wodi said in a statement.

However, including Covid-19 vaccines on the routine schedule does not mean vaccination will be required by schools. School-entry vaccination requirements are determined by state or local jurisdictions, and not by CDC.

The new recommendations also add the use of PCV15, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine used to treat bacterial infection recently approved for use in children. Either PCV13 or the higher valent PCV15 may now be used based on the specific pediatric population.

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Frustrated with Prior Authorizations?!?!