Physical Therapy

RRM Category: AMBULATORY CLINICS

Overview

The RRM module estimates the number of staff for physical therapy services using physical therapy visits (PTV). The physical therapy department staff includes licensed physical therapists (PT), licensed physical therapist assistants (LPTA), physical therapy assistants/aides (PT Aides) and clerical staff. The basic staff includes the department supervisor and clerical/aide support. Additional staff is justified based on physical therapy visit volume. Physical therapy can provide both inpatient and outpatient services depending on the health care facility.

Services Description:

Physical therapy provides examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention, and care management for a wide variety of physical conditions including musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular/pulmonary, and integumentary. Care is provided by physical therapists or may be provided by assistants and aides under the direction of a physical therapist. Physical therapists interact and collaborate with a variety of professionals; as well as directly with patients to address risk factors, provide consultation, education, manage and conduct specialty clinics, perform department supervision and general administration. Physical therapy serves a major role in primary care, secondary and tertiary care as well as in prevention and the promotion of health, wellness and fitness.

Physical therapy interventions include:

• Therapeutic exercise
• Balance and gait training
• Physical agents and mechanical modalities
• Electrotherapeutic modalities
• Wound care including sharp debridement
• Orthotic prescription, fabrication and prosthetic management
• EMG and nerve velocity conduction studies
• Manual therapy techniques including mobilization/manipulation
• Airway clearance techniques for management of chronic pulmonary conditions
• Functional Activity Training
• Patient and family education
• Pulmonary Function Tests/Spirometry

Staffing Criteria

Physical Therapy Departments will be considered when a minimum of 1000 Physical Therapy Visits (PTV) are projected for a user population. Physical Therapy staff for populations which produce less than 1000 PTV will be allocated to a pool of professional staff which is used at the discretion of the facilities leadership to purchase appropriate services.

Outpatient:
Physical Therapist staff of 1.0 FTE per department plus 1.0 FTE Physical Therapist or Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant for every 1790 OP PTV above 900 PTV

Clerk/Physical Therapy Aide staff of 1.0 FTE per department plus 0.36 Physical Therapy Aide for every 1790 PTV above 900 PTV.

Example:

• For additional PT/LPTA staff: Projected PTV minus 900 PTV divided by 1790 PTV = additional PT/LPTA
• For additional PT Aide staff: Projected PTV minus 900 PTV divided by 1790 PTV multiplied by 0.36 = Additional PT Aides

Inpatient:
Additional staff to cover the inpatient volume will be determined by the staff formulas described above with the addition of Inpatient PTV (IP PTV). IP PTV will be calculated per average daily patient load (ADPL). The IP PTV will be added to the outpatient PTV (OP PTV) obtained from the above formula. The total will be the Projected PTV for the physical therapy department.

Example:

• OP PTV minus 900 PTV plus IP PTV divided by 1790 PTV = additional PT/LPTA FTE
• OP PTV minus 900 PTV plus IP PTV divided by 1790 PTV times 0.36 = additional PT Aide FTE

Staffing Formulae

Driving Variables:

Department
Outpatient PTV
Inpatient PTV

Personnel Categories:

Supervisory Physical Therapist
Physical Therapist
Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant
Physical Therapy Aide
Clerk

Minimum Staffing Levels (fixed):

Variable Staffing Levels: