APTA bringsthe profession's insights and expertise to bear in a variety of settings. Here's a quick rundown of some of the latest news and APTA activities.

Professional Issues

• APTA helps the National Institutes of Health's (NIH’s) "Go4Life" exercise campaign spread the word about the benefits of exercise: APTA was featured on the Go4Life website for the strong ties between APTA and NIH's National Institute on Aging (NIOA). APTA Senior Staff Specialist Hadiya Green Guerrero, PT, DPT, a certified sports physical therapy specialist, is working with NIOA on consumer fact sheets about physical activity for people with musculoskeletal conditions.
• Understanding of the APTA Physical Therapy Outcomes Registry continues to grow: APTA is working with US Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information (ONC) and professional societies toward standardization of elements of practice, a key concept for the Registry. APTA staff also are collaborating with professional organizations on getting electronic health records to understand certain standard data elements.
• APTA is helping staff at the Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) better understand the elements of culturally competent practice: APTA Practice Department staff will emphasize APTA’s mission, vision, and strategic plan at an upcoming NRH event, and explain how being a culturally competent practitioner can improve outcomes and patient satisfaction.
• A list of consumer questions on pain management is now part of the #ChoosePT online toolkit: APTA practice staff helped to create a set of questions on pain and pain management for patients to ask their providers. Those questions are now featured within the #ChoosePT toolkit.
• Could primary care become the next APTA board-certified specialty? An APTA House of Delegates charge to explore the role of physical therapists on the primary care team is being pursued. Led by member John Heick, PT, DPT, PhD, board-certified clinical specialist in 3 different areas--orthopaedics, neurology, and sports—APTA is petitioning for primary care to be recognized as a board-certified clinical specialty area of practice by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). Signatures are being collected now for the ABPTS petition.

APTA at the Table

• National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity
  APTA representatives attended the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity’s congressional briefing promoting the release of the latest edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Hadiya Green Guerrero has been named to the coalition's board of directors.
• National Institutes of Health
  Staff from APTA took part in a strategic planning session for NIH's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
• Movement is Life National Caucus
  APTA Director of Minority Affairs Johnette Meadows, PT MS, who serves on the Movement is Life national caucus steering committee, provided leadership on understanding health disparities at the group's most recent gathering.
• Osteoarthritis Action Alliance (OAAA)
  APTA continues its participation in OAAA and is helping the alliance to promote the Arthritis Foundation's evidence-based self-directed "Walk With Ease" program guidebook on creating a community-based walking program for individuals with OA.

Clinical Practice Guidelines: Updates

• Adults With Neurologic Conditions
  The APTA Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy (ANPT) has published an APTA-funded clinical practice guideline titled "A Core Set of Outcome Measures for Adults With Neurologic Conditions Undergoing Rehabilitation." APTA is working with the ANPT now on implementing the CPG and sharing resources that have been developed by the section.
• Total Knee Replacement
  The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) is working with APTA practice staff to finalize action steps related to a clinical practice guideline on total knee replacement.The CPG will appear in an upcoming issue of PTJ (Physical Therapy) in 2019.