"I'm excited about where we're headed—together."
Those words, from a statement from APTA President Sharon Dunn, PT, PhD, in the 2018 APTA Annual Report, are exactly what the document is all about. Taken as a whole, it's a story of how creating connections can pay off—not only in meeting current challenges, but in setting a course for the profession's future.
Now available online, the report combines elements of the association's 2018 Year in Review, published in late December 2018, with new information that takes a deeper dive into an important year for the association. In addition to recounting how members came together to fuel a long list of achievements, the 2018 Annual Report includes a recap of work at the APTA component level, membership statistics, a report from the APTA treasurer, and financial statements of activities and financial positions.
The report emphasizes the ways in which APTA leveraged its leadership to build a passionate and impactful community of physical therapists (PTs), physical therapist assistants (PTAs), and students of physical therapy education programs, and how that community in turn powered the association's ability to lead. That synergy paved the way for some significant achievements in 2018, including:
- Elimination of the hard cap of therapy services under Medicare Part B
- The end of functional limitation reporting
- A white paper, Facebook Live event, media tour, and other activities that positioned APTA as an important voice in the fight to end the opioid crisis
- Passage of a law that provides better federal protections for PTs and PTAs traveling with teams across state lines
- Expansion of use of telehealth by PTs and PTAs in US Department of Veterans Affairs care systems
- Growth of the physical therapy licensure compact to 21 states by year's end
- Finalization of plans for a new APTA headquarters, with an early 2021 completion date
Those are just some of highlights. Check out the complete report to learn more about how APTA and its members are making a difference in the lives of PTs, PTAs, and their patients and clients—and how a sense of unified energy is propelling the association toward a future of more bold, transformative moves.