AAPM&R Advocacy, Healthcare Collaborations and Partnerships and Customized Resources to Support PM&R During This Crisis

Members & Publications

AAPM&R Advocacy

As the primary medical society representing Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, your Academy is working to ensure PM&R is part of the national conversation about healthcare amidst COVID-19 and advocating for the federal support, legislation, regulation relief and resources that physiatrists need now. One way we are doing this is through our partnerships and collaborations with other specialty societies. The Academy continuously works to represent PM&R through these collaborations and it is through these partnerships that we are able to discuss and share a variety of resources with you that you critically need:

February 4: AAPM&R's Response to Murray-Burr PREVENT Pandemics Draft
January 26, 2022: AAPM&R PASC Grant Program
December 16: AAPM&R Comments on Cures 2.0 Legislation
October 28: AAPM&R Comments on COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force
September 24: AAPM&R Comments on COVID Health Equity Task Force's Recommendations
August 23: Mask Public Transport Sign-On Letter
August 17: AAPM&R Letter to the Senate HELP Committee
July 1: AAPM&R Comments on 5th COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force Meeting
May 11: AAPM&R Testimony for the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions United States Senate
May 5: AAPM&R PASC Commission Sign-On Letter
April 28:
- AAPM&R Testimony for the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Long COVID Hearing
- Summary of the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Long COVID Hearing
April 9:
- AAPM&R Comments on ICD-10-CM Long COVID
- AAPM&R PASC Call to Action One-Pager
March 18, 2021: AAPM&R Call to Action Letter to President Biden and Congressional Leaders
March 5, 2021: AAPMR COVID and Health Care Priorities for the Biden Administration
December 21: AAPM&R Comments to HHS Regarding the PHE Waivers
September 24: AAPM&R Advocates to Protect Provider Relief Fund Distributions

July 14:
- AAPM&R Advocates for Scope of Practice, Telephone Payment, and Care Planning in Letter to CMS
- AAPM&R and AMRPA Congressional Briefing: Meeting the Medical Rehabilitation Needs of COVID-19 Patients
  - View the recording here (password is 3F*^81vg) and the presentation slides.
  - Congress has been primarily focused on keeping COVID patients alive, but hasn’t moved on to considering what happens to patients after they survive. Many of these patients are still struggling with potentially long-term difficulties. This briefing talked about the federal policies that have been helpful to PM&R, asks of Congress to ensure rehabilitation can continue providing care to COVID-19 patients, and advice for future pandemics.
- June 25: AAPM&R Signs On to Letter Calling for Enhanced Resources to Support Health Care Workers’ Mental Health In Next Coronavirus Aid Package
- June 10: AAPM&R Joins Coalition in Support of the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act
- April 23: AAPM&R Urges States to Provide Greater Medical Liability Protection to Physicians Providing Care During COVID-19
- April 13:
  - AAPM&R sends letter to CMS advocating for CMS to waive the requirement specifying that office and outpatient E/M visits furnished via telehealth must include a video component. If CMS implements this recommendation, it would allow for audio-only (telephone) E/M visits to be reimbursed at the same rate as face-to-face E/M visits.
  - AAPM&R advocates for the expansion of telemedicine services to America's Health Insurance Plan (AHIP) and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBS). In these letters, we advocate for parity with in-person office visit payments, the ability to use whatever technology platform is available, and consistent coding and modifier instructions.
  - AAPM&R sends letter to Congress regarding the fourth COVID-19 package that is currently being negotiated. In our letter, we advocate for PPE access, access to post-acute care treatment for COVID-19 patients, telemedicine, and financial security for physiatrists.
- April 9: In response to a letter AAPM&R collaborated on with other specialty societies in March, CMS has announced that they will remove non-invasive ventilators (NIVs) from the 2021 round of competitive bidding under the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) program.
- April 7:
  - AAPM&R Advocates for Additional Financial Assistance for Physicians
  - Just Released: Pain Management Best Practices from Multi-Specialty Organizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Public Health Crisis was just published as an accepted manuscript in Pain Medicine on April 7. AAPM&R collaborated with the American Academy of Pain Medicine and several other pain management-related societies.
- April 2: Joint Statement on Personal Protective Equipment
- April 1: AAPM&R Advocates for PAPE Waiver to Help Relieve Physiatrists
- March 27: Joint Statement on Restrictions to Slow the COVID-19 Pandemic
- March 26: AAPM&R Advocates for 3-Hour Rule Waiver; Act Signed Into Law
- March 24: AAPM&R Collaborates with Peer Societies to Advocate for COVID-19 Telehealth Coverage, Response Tools, Waiving Requirements, and More
- March 22: AAPM&R and Other Medical Societies Urge Congress to Help Physicians Sustain Practices and Ensure Vital Access to PPE
- March 18: AAPM&R sent a letter to CMS seeking additional waivers on regulations relevant to the IRF, SNF, and PAC settings as well as guidance pertaining to outpatient care including telemedicine provisions.
- March 13: AAPM&R collaborated with AMRPA and other organizations to get clarification from CMS on specific waivers relevant to IRFs and other settings. CMS addressed several of these waivers as a part of the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Health Care Providers Fact Sheet.

“As we navigate this unprecedented and evolving pandemic, we know we don't have all the answers or a roadmap, but, we do have each other. I speak for the Academy when I say we know that your concerns and needs are changing almost more quickly than anyone can keep track of, and we want to do our best to help you connect with each other to share your challenges and triumphs, your questions and quandaries. To do this, our Academy is realigning its resources with our new realities and priorities to best support you.” Michelle Gittler, MD, FAAPMR, AAPM&R President

AAPM&R Resources

In efforts to help support our membership at large, the Academy developed timely educational resources to support you during this crisis. These resources, based on member feedback, include webinars, slide lectures and interviews on topics such as lessons learned from other members, telemedicine and more:

For Your Practice:

Webinars:

AAPM&R's webinar series helps physiatrists connect and learn from each other on relevant topics, including how to adapt to using telehealth in one’s practice, how those in private practice are planning to address the financial impacts of the pandemic and more.

View past webinar recordings here.

Online Education:

We currently have education from a session recorded at the 2019 Annual Assembly, which offers insights into how to apply telemedicine to PM&R patients (please note that several regulatory and reimbursement changes have occurred in recent weeks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic). We have the Telehealth for PM&R: Benefits and Challenges section available.
Use of Telehealth/Telemedicine Under the COVID-19 Pandemic
Originally recorded April 5, 2020
Cindy Moon, MPP, MPH, from Hart Health Strategies, provides an overview of telehealth/telemedicine, coverage, flexibilities, and a deeper dive into policy changes, as it relates to physicians and other professionals. In her webinar, she references a guide to links, which can be found here.

Member Forum:

PhyzForum is an AAPM&R member benefit. Even more resources are being shared between physiatrists in our Care in the Time of COVID-19 member forum. Exchange important dialogue about your challenges, ask your questions and concerns as well as share resources with each other.

Our Mission and Vision

Our mission and vision have not changed in this time and are as necessary as ever.

Our Mission: AAPM&R leads the advancement of physiatry’s impact throughout health care.

Our Vision: AAPM&R will ensure that:

Physiatrists are the essential medical experts in value-based evaluation, diagnosis, and management of neuromusculoskeletal and disabling conditions.

Physiatrists are indispensable leaders in directing rehabilitation and recovery, and in preventing injury and disease.

Physiatrists are vital in optimizing outcomes and function early and throughout the continuum of patient care.

As a physiatrist, you are essential, indispensable, and vital in health care as you work to support your patients through this pandemic. As your Academy, we recognize your importance and want to empower you as a physician on the frontlines. That's why we are endlessly working to provide you with the resources and connections you need to work through these challenging times. We are here for you and together, we will break through.