I don’t know a lot about the legislative issues that affect the future of both occupational and physical therapy, and therefore hand therapy. I do know enough to be concerned. Policies that affect our reimbursement and the way we practice are made by people who don’t see what we do every day. They need us to tell them what is best for our profession and the people we serve. Good intentions become disastrous without knowledge of the realistic outcomes. Policymakers need to hear what we know.
The thought of speaking up on my own is daunting. We are fortunate that ASHT has a team of folks in the Practice Division who have made a plan. Currently, our Practice Division comrades read through thousands of pages of documents in their spare time to find the issues that concern us as hand therapists. This can’t be sustained in a time when healthcare is rapidly changing.
Through the Practice Division’s diligent research, ASHT has established the Legislative Action Center – a platform that will meet our needs. This tool will alert members of important issues and even give us a collective voice through form letters to legislators with just the click of a button. That sounds pretty awesome to me!
Of course, this service is not free, so be part of the change you wish to see in our hand therapy world. Donate to the Vision Fund to help support ASHT’s Legislative Action Center!
