Listening Time — 19:50
Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes play an important role in describing services and procedures performed by health care providers and ultimately in the payment for those services.
This podcast reveals the role that APTA member volunteers play as advisors in the CPT and The Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) process.
It is important for all physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to understand the CPT and RUC process and how APTA engages in that process. As health care providers who utilize CPT codes to describe the services and procedures we provide appreciating how those codes are developed and valued will better inform decisions regarding coding.
Additionally, recognizing how physical therapy fits into the larger infrastructure of the CPT and RUC clarifies some of the challenges associated with coding and code values. This podcast is intended to demystify these processes and create a fundamental knowledge base related to CPT and RUC.
Speakers
Alice Bell, PT, DPT, senior health policy and payment specialist at APTA.
Wanda Evans, PT, DPT, MHS, senior health policy and payment specialist at APTA.
Kathleen Picard, PT, DPT, is the APTA-appointed advisor to the American Medical Association’s CPT editorial process and serves in policy advisory roles to Medicare, Minnesota Medicaid, and other commercial payers. Her long career in clinical practice includes more than 25 years of practice management experience in an independently owned multisite physical therapist practice. She is founder and owner of a health policy and practice management consulting firm and is an adjunct faculty member in the DPT programs at the University of Minnesota and College of St. Scholastica. She currently co-chairs the APTA Minnesota State Government Affairs Committee.
Rick Rausch, PT, DPT, MBA, spent most of his career as an owner of outpatient clinics specializing in adult and pediatric services. Rick has represented the APTA as the AMA RUC Advisor for the past 7 years and 5 years prior to that as the Alternate Advisor. He currently works part-time at several universities teaching management and health policy topics to graduate physical therapy students.