CEO Update

A New Year and New Beginnings

Welcome to 2025. The start of a year offers a unique opportunity to reflect on where we've been, appreciate the progress we've made, and set new goals to move us forward.

At APTA, we are also welcoming new changes — and new faces. In next month's issue, we will introduce APTA's new president, Kyle Covington, PT, DPT, PhD, who was elected in November 2024 and assumed the association's presidency on Jan. 1. Kyle will begin penning these notes soon, and I know he's excited to share his thoughts with you.

As leaders, clinicians, and educators, our ability to adapt and grow is what propels us forward. In this spirit of exploration, I encourage you to take this moment — this year — as an invitation to reimagine your own paths and reengage in participating in your professional association.

When I think about how APTA serves and supports its members in the pursuit of our vision, mission, and goals, I think about what will inspire and encourage today's students to join this amazing profession. Physical therapy continues to remain one of the hot jobs in the United States and is seen as bold, innovative, and impactful by our patients, prospective physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, policymakers, and investors.

To create a sustainable, empowering career for the next generation, we must make bold moves today to address present challenges. This includes leveraging the strong voice that APTA has to advocate for the profession so we can achieve our full potential. In 2025, we must collectively stand and work together as one community to seek progress on the following issues:

• Continued advocacy efforts to address stagnant payment and increasing costs, including payment rate increases, elimination of unnecessary administrative burdens, and addressing the unsustainable cost of physical therapy education. This builds on the success in 2024 that we collectively achieved in state legislatures, with commercial payers, and under Medicare, in particular with changes in plan of care certification and supervision of the physical therapist in private practice. (Read more about supervision changes.)
• Create new pathways to economic growth and opportunities for every professional, every practice, and the profession. Physical therapy must embrace changing economic models that provide career options and opportunities for individuals, both in patient care and in health care leadership. (Read about some APTA members' lessons in leadership.) This includes embracing the gig economy, leveraging technology, and providing benefits for members that eliminate barriers to building the practice of their dreams. (Learn more about implementing new technologies.)

I can't let this opportunity pass without thanking Roger Herr, PT, MPA, for his three years of steadfast dedication at the helm of APTA's Board of Directors, following nine years in other Board positions. Roger's thoughtful leadership and strategic approach to collaboration made his impact significant and lasting. I'd like to personally thank Roger for his unwavering service to the association as APTA president.

What opportunities lie just beyond the horizon? What bold moves will define your next chapter? And how can APTA help you achieve those goals? As we enter 2025, I'm excited that our best days are ahead of us and we will continue to grow this profession, this association, and our impact on the people we serve. We look forward to partnering with you on what's next.

So, here's to a year of fresh starts, innovative thinking, and unparalleled growth. Let's make 2025 one to remember.

Sincerely,

Justin Moore, PT, DPT