Medical Rehab Matters

In our final episode of season 4, we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, with AMRPA's policy team. Our guests are Kate Beller, President of Government Relations and Policy, Troy Hillman, Director of Quality and Health Policy, and Joe Nahra, Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Policy. Read more about AMRPA's Policy Priorities on our website. This episode is hosted by Patricia Sullivan, AMRPA Director of Content & Marketing.

Meet AMRPA's first Chief Clinical Officer, Dr Karl Sandin. In this episode, Dr. Sandin talks about the how's and why's of this new role. Our other guest is AMRPA President Kate Beller. Hosted by Patricia Sullivan, AMRPA director of communications. Email Dr. Sandin at cco@amrpa.org. https://amrpa.org/podcast/

  Each October, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) celebrates National Physical Therapy Month. In this episode, AMRPA Board Chair Chris Lee talks his career, which started in physical therapy, the importance of physical therapy in inpatient medical rehab, and how his training in PT impacts his work both as the vice president and chief operating officer of Madonna Hospitals and with AMRPA. We also talk with Derek Stepp, Senior Director in the APTA's certification department about the value of physical therapy specializations and certifications.   You can learn more about APTA's Certifications at https://specialization.apta.org/   Learn more about inpatient medical rehab at www.amrpa.org.  

National Rehabilitation Awareness Week, Sept. 16-22, 2024, is an initiative started by the National Rehabilitation Awareness Foundation and held during the third full week in September of every year. In this episode, we talk about what it is, why AMRPA is involved, and how you can participate as well. Our guest is Adam Robertson, senior marketing manager for AMRPA. Hosted by Patricia Sullivan, Director of Communications for AMRPA.   You can learn more about NRAW and download the toolkit at https://amrpa.org/Advocacy-News/National-Rehabilitation-Awareness-Week.  

Our fourth season kicks off with a discussion and update on the Review Choice Demonstration or RCD as it expands into Pennsylvania in June. Our guests are Dr. Alberto Esquenazi, Chief Medical Officer at MossRehab in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and a member of the AMRPA Board of Directors; Andrew Baird, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, Legislation, and Regulations at Encompass Health and co-chair of AMRPA's RCD Workgroup; and Joe Nahra, AMRPA Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Policy.  This episode is hosted Kate Beller, AMRPA President of Government Relations. 

Recorded at the 2023 AMRPA Fall Conference and Expo, we present a panel discussion looking ahead ‎at the future of inpatient medical rehabilitation featuring Kate Beller, JD, EVP for Policy Development and Government Relations, AMRPA; Anthony Cuzzola, Vice President, JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute; Troy Hillman, Director of Quality and Health Policy, AMRPA; and Joe Nahra, Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Policy, AMRPA. 

In this episode we're talking about the AMRPA Medical Rehabilitation Managment Certification -- or MRMC. We talk with two of the team that created and manages the program, and two people who earned their MRMC in 2021, Scott Littig, MBA, MRMC, MA, CCC/SLP, and Renee Lomax, MSN-Admin, BSN, RN, CRN-C10, MRMC. And certificants  Misty A. Brady, PT, DPT, MRMC, and Belinda Lemcool, MSN, RN, CRRN, MRMC. Learn more about earning your MRMC at www.amrpa.org/certification. Hosted by Patricia Sullivan, AMRPA Director of Communications. 

CMS' Review Choice Demonstration will begin impacting inpatient medical rehab hospitals and units in Alabama summer 2023. We discuss possible implications for patients, including possible access to care issues. This episode is intended to be educational as we approach the start of the program. Additional information was released while we were recording. And we'll address that, and other updates, in future episodes as the RCD moves forward.   Our guests are Anthony Cuzzola, chair of the AMRPA Board, and Joe Nahra, AMRPA's Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Policy.  Hosts: Dr. Robert Krug, past chair of the AMRPA Board of Directors, and Kate Beller, Executive Vice President for Policy Development and Government Relations.

This episode features two speakers from the AMRPA Spring Conference. Theirs are stories of serious injuries, hope and advocacy.  Jamie MoCrazy, founder and CEO of MoCrazy Strong, and Sam Porritt, the founder and board chair of the Falling Forward Foundation. Jamie was a professional skier who experienced a serious accident in a competition. Sam was seriously injured while on vacation in Italy. Their stories are different but both have experienced remarkable recoveries and both work to give hope, motivation, advocacy and support for others who come after them.  Cohosted by Robert Krug, MD, past Chair of the AMRPA Board, and Patricia Sullivan, AMRPA Director of Communications.  

We're celebrating Nursing Week with two rehab nurses who exemplify the profession: Amanda Hansen, RN, is the nurse manager of acute rehab, and Terasa Farlin, BSN, RN, CRRN, is vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska.   Co-hosts: Dr. Robert Krug, former chair of the AMRPA Board of Directors, and AMRPA Communications Director Patricia Sullivan.

In this episode, we address a proposal by CMS to cover seat elevation equipment in Group 3 power wheelchairs. Our guests are Joe Nahra, Co-Coordinator of the ITEM Coalition, and Ali Ingersoll, a disability strategy consultant, Ms. Wheelchair America 2023, and a day trader. Co-hosts are Patricia Sullivan, AMRPA Director of Communications, and Kate Beller, AMRPA Executive Vice President for Government Affairs.   Take action and learn more about seat elevation coverage at www.rise4access.org.  

Welcome to Medical Rehab Matters. Our guest in this episode is Leela Baggett, a Senior Associate at Powers Law, who talks with co hosts Dr. Robert Krug, and Kate Beller, about one of AMRPA's top policy priorities in 2022, the 3 Hour Rule modernization bill. You'll learn what the three hour rule is, its history, and what it means for inpatient medical rehab care. 

In this episode we're celebrating AMRPA's 25th anniversary with a panel discussion recorded at our 2022 Fall Conference. You'll hear about how AMRPA was founded, the changes in the field, and a look ahead to what the next 25 years may bring. This session was moderated by Dr. Bruce Gans, AMRPA Chief Policy Officer and AMRPA Board Chairman from 2009-2011, 2014-2017. Our panelists are Kate Beller, AMRPA EVP for Policy Development and Government Relations, Chris Lee, Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals, Mark Tarr, President and Chief Executive Officer, Encompass Health, and Kathleen Yosko‎, President, KCY Healthcare Advisors.  

In this episode, we hear from Richard Diegel, the Patient Perspective Speaker at the 2022 AMRPA Fall Conference. Rich overcame the worst of what COVID-19 could throw at him and then transitioned to St. Mary's Rehabilitation Hospital. Rich is joined by his wife Donna, and Carly Bixler, his physical therapist.  

In this episode, we discuss the value inpatient medical rehab brings to health systems and learn about a new physical medicine and rehab residency program that started in Connecticut in July. Our guests are Subramani Seetharama, MD, Program Director of the PM&R Residency Program at UConn and chief of the Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and medical director at Hartford Healthcare Rehabilitation Network; and Chris Carlin, Vice President of Rehabilitation for the Hartford Healthcare Rehabilitation Network.    Episode hosts: Robert Krug, MD, former chair of the AMRPA Board and Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Advisory Group, and Patricia Sullivan, AMRPA Director of Communications.  

In this episode, we're talking the value of AMRPA. In the first segment we talk with Doug Baer, President and CEO of Brooks Rehab, and Amanda Osborne, Vice President of Operations and Administrator for the Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital – University Campus. In the second segment we talk with John Ferraro, AMRPA Executive Director. Our cohosts are Robert Krug, MD, former chair of the AMRPA Board, Kate Beller, AMRPA's Executive Vice President for Government Relations and Policy Development and Patricia Sullivan, AMRPA Director of Communications. 

In this episode of Medical Rehab Matters, we talk about pediatric rehab. Our guests today are Doug Henry, MD, the director of the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital pediatric program; and Andrea Dennis, DPT, manager for the Mary Free Bed Kids Outpatient Therapy Program. She graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy. She joined the Mary Free Bed team in 2009, completing a post graduate residency in pediatric therapy. Andrea is certified in Neuro-Developmental Treatment for the management of children with Cerebral Palsy and other Neuromotor Disorders and she's certified through the Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy School.    This episode is co-hosted by AMRPA Director of Communications Patricia Sullivan, and Robert Krug, MD, former chair of the AMRPA board of directors and Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Advisory Group.    

In this episode, we're talking about the policy work AMRPA does every day. We talk with three guests about the policy work they do for AMRPA in particular, and the inpatient medical rehabilitation field and patients, in general. Our guests are Kate Beller, AMRPA Executive Vice President for Government Relations and Policy Development; Jonathan Gold, Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Counsel at AMRPA; and Remy Kerr, Director of Health Policy and Quality. This episode is hosted by Patricia Sullivan, AMRPA Director of Communications. 

In this episode we talk with Miguel Escalón, MD, about physical medicine and rehab physicians, how they're trained and their work in an inpatient medical rehabilitation hospital or unit. Dr. Escalón is a physiatrist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, as well as chair of the Resident Fellow Program Directors Council of the American Academy of Physiatry. He is also the residency program director for the PM&R resident program at Mount Sinai, and fellowship director of the Brain Injury Medicine Fellowship. He is board certified in PM&R, Brain Injury Medicine and Spinal cord injury medicine. This episode is hosted by Patricia Sullivan, AMRPA director of communications.  

In this episode, we talk with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her speech pathologist, Fabi Hirsch, PhD. On January 8, 2011, the Arizona congresswoman was shot in the head at pointblank range when an assailant opened fire during a constituent event outside a grocery store in Tucson.  Eleven years after the shooting, she still lives with aphasia, a communication disorder frequently associated with traumatic brain injuries and strokes. She and Dr. Hirsch, talk about aphasia, Gabby's on-going recovery and more in this episode. Our cohosts are Kate Beller, AMRPA Executive Vice President for Government Relations and Policy Development, and Dr. Robert Krug, immediate past chair of the AMRPA Board of Directors and Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Advisory Group.  

In this episode we continue our discussion of Medicare Advantage plans and prior authorization with a focus on the impact of prior auth on the health system at large. Our guests are Vishwa Raj, MD, Medical Director at Carolinas Rehabilitation; and David Storto, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy & Growth Officer for Well Force and a former member of the AMRPA board of directors.   Our cohosts are Kate Beller, AMRPA Executive Vice President for Government Relations and Policy Development, and Dr. Robert Krug, immediate past chair of the AMRPA Board of Directors and Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Advisory Group.

In this episode we look at Medicare Advantage plans and prior authorization and a recent report by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General. Our guests are Robyn Pauker, an attorney, and her husband, David Honig, a healthcare attorney, who talk about Robyn's father's experience with prior authorization, and Dr. Brian Moore, Chief Medical Officer for Physician Advisor Services at Atrium Health. Our cohosts are Kate Beller, AMRPA Executive Vice President for Government Relations and Policy Development, and Dr. Robert Krug, immediate past chair of the AMRPA Board of Directors and Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Advisory Group.    

This is the second of two episodes on a report on The Role of IRH/Us During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.   As we discussed in our last episode, in 2021 AMRPA retained ATI Advisory (to conduct quantitative and qualitative research on the role of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals (IRHs) during the pandemic. A presentation and panel discussion were held during the 2022 AMPRA Spring Conference and we are presenting it in two consecutive episodes of this podcast. In this episode, we present the panel discussion that featured some of the leaders of AMRPA answering questions about IRFs and COVID and related issues.

This episode is the first of two on a report on The Role of IRH/Us During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. We think you'll find it informative. In 2021 AMRPA retained ATI Advisory (ATI) to conduct quantitative and qualitative research on the role of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals during the pandemic. A presentation and panel discussion were held during the 2022 AMPRA Spring Conference and we are presenting it in two consecutive episodes of this podcast.   In this episode, you'll hear important insights from the report. Guests are Tyler Cromer, who leads ATI Advisory's Medicare Innovation Practice, and Connor Esworthy, who advises ATI clients on matters concerning financial and operating strategy.  

Season 2 begins with a look back on three episodes in last season covering prior authorization, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. You'll hear from guests Kerry Maher, MD, Senior Vice President of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Consulting and Education at Brooks Rehab, and Michael Long, Rehabilitation Division President at Vibra Healthcare. Kate Beller, JD, AMRPA EVP for Government Relations and Policy Development, on prior authorization; Christopher Comey, MD, of Advanced Neurosurgery Associates, LLC, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and James Wilson, DO, and Michael Kelly, MD, of MetroHealth in Cleveland, talk about traumatic brain injury; and Richard Kunz, MD, a physiatrist and associate professor at VCU and Chief Medical Officer, Sheltering Arms Institute, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Daniel W. Klyce, PhD, LCP, ABPP, a licensed clinical psychologist and board certified rehabilitation psychologist talk about spinal cord injury.

In this bonus mini-episode, we're talking about spinal cord injury. Our guest is Margi Williams, PhD, RN, MSN, CRRN, FNP-BC, FABDA, FARN, a rehab nurse with many years of experience working with spinal cord injury patients. She's also been actively involved with the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) for more than 25 years. She has given numerous conference presentations, authored rehabilitation nursing guidelines, author-presenter of a CARF Webinar and two ARN Webinars, and author-presenter of several presentations for ARNs PRN (Professional Rehabilitation Nursing) course, in addition to other ARN volunteer activities.

Our guests are Richard Kunz, MD, a physiatrist and associate professor at VCU and Chief Medical Officer, Sheltering Arms Institute, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Daniel W. Klyce, PhD, LCP, ABPP, licensed clinical psychologist and board certified rehabilitation psychologist. He serves as the rehabilitation psychology advisor at the Sheltering Arms Institute.

Nearly 18,000 new spinal cord injuries occur in the US each year and nearly 300,000 people live with spinal cord injury. Whether from a traumatic event, such as a car crash, or a fall within the home, spinal cord injuries can have life altering effects. We talk with Christopher Comey, MD, a neurosurgeon with Advanced Neurosurgery Associates, LLC, affiliated with Northside Hospital in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and James Wilson, DO, Director, Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, and neurosurgeon Michael Kelly, MD, of MetroHealth in Cleveland, Ohio.

In this episode, we hear from Tim Callahan, the Patient Perspective Speaker at the 2021 AMRPA Fall Conference. Tim suffered a severe spinal cord injury and doctors said he would never walk again. Listen to his amazing and inspiring story after an introduction by AMRPA Board Chair Anthony Cuzzola. 

In this episode, we discuss about Prior Authorization and its impact on patients. Our guests are Kerry Maher, MD, Senior Vice President of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Consulting and Education at Brooks Rehab, and Michael Long, Rehabilitation Division President at Vibra Healthcare. Cohosts: Robert Krug, MD, past chairman of the AMRPA Board of Directors and VP of Medical Affairs for Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Advisory Group, and Kate Beller, AMRPA EVP for Government Relations and Policy Development. Audition Template: 1 Mono Host track (with Speech Volume Leveler), 1 Mono Interview track (with Speech Volume Leveler), 1 Stereo Sound FX with effects, 1 Stereo Music Bed track. 44.1k, 16 bit, Stereo Master.

Welcome to Medical Rehab Matters. In the weeks since this podcast began, we've learned a lot inpatient medical rehabilitation and about podcast production, including that it's not always possible to include everything we record. In this episode, we're going to present some of the things we couldn't earlier – from our episodes on stroke, cancer, and amputation. We hope you enjoy this episode and it inspires you to go back and listen to the full episodes on these topics. Guests: Dr. Vish Raj, a cancer rehab specialist at Carolinas Rehab, and Sarah Mullan, an occupational therapist and Manager of Cancer Rehabilitation at the Levine Cancer Institute. Dr. Michael Stubblefield, Director of Cancer Rehab at Kessler. Roseann Sdoia, who lost her leg in the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013,  David Crandell, MD, Medical Director of the Amputee Program at Spaulding in Boston. Scott Riddle, Vice President of Orthotics, Prosthetics and Bionics at Mary Free Bed. Dr. Jaclyn Barcikowski from Moss Rehab, Dr. Argye Hillis, Director of the Center of Excellence in Stroke Detection and Diagnosis, at the Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute, Brian Reid, a patient who suffered a stroke in May 2020, and his wife Veronica. Cohosts Dr. Robert Krug, immediate past chairman of the AMRPA Board and Vice President of Medical Affairs for Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Advisory Group and Patricia Sullivan, AMRPA director of communications.

In this episode of Medical Rehab Matters, we talk about amputation, prosthetics and inpatient medical rehabilitation. About 185,000 amputations occur in the U.S. each year and approximately 2 million Americans live with limb loss and that number is expected to double in coming years. Our guests are Roseann Sdoia, who lost her leg in the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013, her doctor, David Crandell, MD, Medical Director of the Amputee Program at Spaulding, and Scott Riddle, CPO, a prosthetist and Vice President of Orthotics, Prosthetics and Bionics at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Cohosts: Patricia Sullivan, director of communications for the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association and Robert Krug, MD, who is the immediate past chairman of the AMRPA Board and Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Advisory Group for Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.

In this episode, we discuss innovative technology. We consider some of the key barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing assistive devices and technologies, and what can be done to help address those barriers. We also discuss some of the legislative and regulatory issues related to innovative technology. Our guests are Andrés Gallegos, chair of the National Council on Disability; Bruce Gans, MD, AMRPA's Chief Policy Officer; Peter Thomas, ITEM Coalition Co-Coordinator and Managing Partner of Powers Law Firm; and Joe Nahra,  ITEM Coalition Co-Coordinator and Director of Government Relations for Powers Law Firm. This episode is cohosted by Kate Beller, AMRPA Executive Vice President for Government Relations and Policy Development, and Robert Krug, MD, immediate past chair of the AMRPA Board of Directors and Vice President of Medical Affairs for Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Advisory Group.

In this episode, we talk about traumatic brain injury and inpatient medical rehabilitation. Each year about 1.5 million Americans sustain a TBI, 230,000 people are hospitalized and 80,000 to 90,000 people experience the onset of long-term disability due to a TBI. Our guests are Brent Masel, MD, executive vice president for medical affairs with the Centre for Neuroskills, and a clinical professor of neurology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and a member of the board of the North American Brain Injury Society and the Brain Injury Association of America; and Gary Seale, PhD, LPA, LCDC, regional director of clinical services at the Centre for Neuro Skills Houston, and a researcher and psychologist specializing in brain injury, stroke, and substance misuse, and a panel member on BIAA's TBI Guidelines Project. Cohosts: Patricia Sullivan, director of communications for the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association and Robert Krug, MD, immediate past chairman of the AMRPA Board and Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Advisory Group.

In this episode of Medical Rehab Matters, we talk about cancer and inpatient medical rehabilitation. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 1.9 million new cancer cases in the U.S. this year. Many of them will benefit from inpatient medical rehab at different points during and after their cancer treatment. Our guests are Vishwa Raj, MD, a cancer rehab specialist at Carolinas Rehab, Sarah Mullan, MS, OT, an occupational therapist and Manager of Cancer Rehabilitation at the Levine Cancer Institute, and Michael Stubblefield, MD, Director of Cancer Rehab at Kessler.  Cohosts: Patricia Sullivan, director of communications for the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association and Robert Krug, MD, immediate past chairman of the AMRPA Board and Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Advisory Group.

The first episode of Medical Rehab Matters addresses stroke and inpatient medical rehabilitation. Stroke impacts approximately 800,000 people in the U.S. each year and more than two-thirds of them receive inpatient rehabilitation services after they're released from the hospital. Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability and the fourth leading cause of death. About one quarter of inpatient medical rehabilitation patients are there because of a stroke.  Our guests include Joel Stein, MD, Professor of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College,  Physiatrist-in-Chief at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and Professor and Chair of the  Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons; Argye Hillis,  MD, Director, Center of Excellence in Stroke Detection and Diagnosis, Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute  Professor of Neurology at Johns  Hopkins Medicine; Jaclyn Barcikowski, MD, MossRehab, Associate Program Director Residency Training Program; and Brian Reid, who experienced a stroke in spring 2020. Cohosts: Patricia Sullivan, director of communications for the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association and Robert Krug, MD, who is the immediate past chairman of the AMRPA Board and Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Advisory Group for Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.