Practice and Research Committee

The Practice and Research Committee assist the membership in understanding, complying with, and utilizing the PA Physical Therapy Practice Act and serves as a resource for research activities, processes, and education for the membership. Also, the committee serves as a resource to the board of directors and the membership in providing assistance to support best clinical practice within the state of Pennsylvania. We are made up of committee members chosen by the board of a directors with a chair appointed with representation from members across the APTA Pennsylvania chapter.

If you have a clinical practice related question, please contact the Practice and Research Committee Chair, Mary Ann Wharton, and your question will be forwarded to the appropriate resource person by the committee. The practice Committee may, at times, post questions and responses on the web site or in the newsletter when a topic seems particularly relevant or has been asked multiple times. The questioner's identity would not be revealed in such a format.

News

APTA Pennsylvania Mental Health Resources
Information Blocking: IMPORTANT Update - Information Blocking rules take effect on April 5, 2021!

The 21st Century Cures Act defines information blocking as “practices that are likely to interfere with access, exchange, or use of electronic health information. Practice owners and clinicians should access these links for information on the rules:
- APTA-practice-advisory-information-blocking.pdf
- Interoperability and Information Blocking Resources

NEW: Practice Spotlights

The APTA Pennsylvania Practice & Research Committee is launching "Practice Spotlights," a new member benefit. These one-page handouts and short videos will address various clinical topics, and will be released throughout 2021. The spotlights will be featured in the weekly APTA Pennsylvania event emails on Monday afternoons, and available to view here on the Practice Spotlight page (please note: member login required).

Practice Updates

The Practice & Research Committee is transitioning to reporting practice-related information to keep PTs, PTAs, and students informed of important information pertaining to physical therapy practice. Information related to COVID that needs to be communicated will be reported here. The updates will be announced in the APTA PA Weekly, with more detailed information linked as a member service on the Practice Updates page.

Committee Members

	Mary Ann Wharton Chair of the Practice & Research Committee Term: 1/1/20-12/31/22 [email protected]		Pam Pologruto [email protected]
	Brooke Klatt [email protected]		Alexis Del Palazzo [email protected]
	Mark Drnach [email protected]		Kimberly Wynarczuk [email protected]
	Tammy Frey, PTA [email protected]		Melissa Myers, SPT [email protected]