By the year 2015, the United States will have 62,900 fewer doctors than needed. By 2025, the number will double. Even if you don’t factor in changes in health care law, there will still be a need for over 100,000 doctors by 2025. These statistics are from the latest estimates from the Association of American Medical Colleges. But these numbers really haven’t changed much since 2010. The greatest demand will be for primary-care physicians, traditionally the gatekeepers within the current health care system..
Patients need access to care. But as it stands right now, in the current gatekeeper-driven model, they won’t get any care (or it will be expensive, emergency room-based care) because there simply aren’t enough gatekeepers (physicians).
But there is an easy solution – and physical therapists can provide it. Now.
This is just a brief post to make an exciting announcement for all of my current readers and those new to the site.
For those who have subscribed to my posts via email, I will be switching email services from Feedburner to AWeber. This change will allow me to send out not only blog posts but also a full newsletter with many great new features: exclusive content, special offers, dates for upcoming seminars, and information on new ebooks and other writing projects. The best part about it is that I will be able to provide readers with more content but with fewer emails in the process.
This change will only affect email subscribers. If you have subscribed via my RSS feed, no worries: it will still be handled by Feedburner, and no action is required on your part.
There are some important details notes for email subscribers.
This is the 21st in a series of RunSmart videos. The series is on-going, with a new video released on a biweekly basis. These videos complement the material presented in the book “RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach To Injury-Free Running”. The full series of videos can be found here. A compilation of the first 10 videos will be available on Vimeo as well.
In this video, I discuss training for the masters athlete. Training principles will remain the same, however recovery becomes far more critical as we get older.
For those of you that are interested in a more interactive learning environment, consider attending a Level One (half day), Level Two (one day), or Level Three (two day) RunSmart program. The Level One program is 4 hours and focuses on basic training principles, running mechanics, and injury prevention. The Level Two program is 8.5 hours and focuses on performance optimization and training program development. The Level Three program is a two day, 15 hour program that includes a comprehensive approach to running injuries. The next Level Three program will be offered in Austin, Texas on August 17 - 18, 2012.
By 2015, all physical therapist educational programs will be clinical doctorate degrees. Along with this transition, it has been proposed that all physical therapist assistant educational programs become Bachelor’s degrees by 2030. A similar trend exists in the worlds of pharmacy and nursing.
But is this the right direction to take? Or did the profession of physical therapy in the United States develop a faulty plan built on faulty assumptions, and then sell that to the profession? Is it degree bloat? Or value-added benefit?
Here are 10 points to ponder.
Does a patient really know what quality is in health care?
I never thought this was a debate (more on my rationale later) until I participated in a discussion on Twitter last week (#solvePT for those who would like to follow and contribute).
It was a tale of contrasting opinions. Some noted that they didn’t think that the patient could adequately define quality of care, and that there had to be some “objective” means of measuring it. Others remarked that quality and value to the patient may in fact be inter-related. It was also noted that even if you provide a patient with effective care defined by evidence-based guidelines, they still might not feel like there was value – even if the problem was resolved!
Health care providers would benefit from looking at other groups that provide services in a market economy. So what happens with other trades or professions that provide services? And how do their customers define quality?
Transparency. It has a way of breeding trust amongst groups and individuals. But there is so little of it anymore – with hidden agendas at every turn – that I think most consumers think it doesn’t even exist anymore.
Those hidden agendas exist throughout health care. But what about the evidence? For example, the data to support consumer direct access to physical therapy has existed for years. All of the “issues” presented by our counterparts simply don’t exist, nor have they in any other country in the world.
So why is it that the legislative powers-that-be aren’t listening?
We actually have that answer. It can be found in the back room finagling and lobbying that consumers and physical therapists alike don’t see and just won’t discuss publicly. Until now.
This is the 20th in a series of RunSmart videos. The series is on-going, with a new video released on a biweekly basis. These videos complement the material presented in the book “RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach To Injury-Free Running”. The full series of videos can be found here. A compilation of the first 10 videos will be available on Vimeo as well.
In this video, I discuss the importance of mechanisms. The mechanisms of optimal human performance are one and the same as those that prevent injury and allow a runner to recover from an injury. This is important when considering training principles.
For those of you that are interested in a more interactive learning environment, consider attending a Level One (half day), Level Two (one day), or Level Three (two day) RunSmart program. The Level One program is 4 hours and focuses on basic training principles, running mechanics, and injury prevention. The Level Two program is 8.5 hours and focuses on performance optimization and training program development. The Level Three program is a two day, 15 hour program that includes a comprehensive approach to running injuries. The next Level Three program will be offered in Austin, Texas on August 17 - 18, 2012.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".
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