"Physical therapy is not a subspecialty of the medical profession and physical therapists are not medical doctors; we are a separate profession that provides a unique service that physicians are unable and untrained to provide."

Letter to the AMA from the APTA, Dec 2009

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Physical Therapy Diagnosis Redefined

In updating my Facebook page I've rewritten the mission statement for the Physical Therapy Diagnosis blog.

As my knowledge and commitment to my physical therapy patients and practice deepen and broaden through years of study so has my understanding of this blog: it's purpose and it's power to educate and inform go both ways.

Many thanks to those of you who have chosen to respond and comment to my posts - your voices have enlightened me.

Many thanks also to the readers (500 strong each week) who choose to read only - your surfing helps this blog rank well in physical therapy web searches.

Physical Therapy Diagnosis Redefined
Physical Therapy Diagnosis blog is a forum that speaks to the difficulty in doctor-level decision-making for physical therapists.

By 2020, the APTA Vision Statement calls for all physical therapists to be educated at the level of the doctor of physical therapy.

Physical Therapy Diagnosis blog does not assume that today's practicing physical therapists are making daily decisions of sufficient complexity and riskiness to qualify physical therapists for the title of doctor.

Therefore, the format, quality and tone of the content on this blog will be aimed at improving daily decision-making among physical therapists.

Together, let's help physical therapists improve the quality of their decision-making and assume the title of doctor.
Recently, I have been told that I do not have the credentials (eg: DPT,PhD, etc) to undertake such a mission.

That may be so. Please, say so in the comments if you like.

I have also been told that my content is valuable, spot-on and relevant in today's ever-changing health care market.

If you like the content please sign up for the free Bulletproof tutorial below.

If not, thanks for reading.

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Tim Richardson, PT owns a private practice at Medical Arts Rehabilitation, Inc in Palmetto, Florida. The clinic website is at MedicalArtsRehab.com.

Bulletproof Expert Systems: Clinical Decision Support for Physical Therapists in the Outpatient Setting is a manager's workbook with stories, checklists, charts, graphs, tables, and templates describing how you can use paper-based or computerized tools to improve your clinic's Medicare compliance, process adherence and patient outcomes.

Tim has implemented a computerized Clinical Decision Support (CDS) system in his clinic since 2006 that serves as a Reminder, Alerting, Prompting and Predicting CDS using evidence-based tests and measures.

Tim can be reached at
TimRichPT@BulletproofPT.com .

"Make Decisions like Doctors"


Copyright 2007-2010 by Tim Richardson, PT.
No reproduction without authorization.

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American Physical Therapy Association

American Physical Therapy Association
Consistent with the American Physical Therapy Association Vision Statement for Physical Therapy 2020, the American Physical Therapy Association supports exclusive physical therapist ownership and operation of physical therapy services.