Primary Care, Workforce, AI Among Issues Debated in 2024 APTA House of Delegates

If you weren't able to catch the action at this year's in-person meetings of the APTA House of Delegates in real time, the livestreamed sessions held July 21-22 were recorded and are posted on APTA's website. The House met during APTA's Leadership Congress in Kansas City, Missouri, passing 17 motions that adopted new APTA positions, amended existing APTA positions, charged the association with specific actions, and elected a new honorary APTA member. These motions are listed below, with timestamps corresponding to the livestream recordings so APTA members can watch the discussion leading up to each motion's final deliberation. Note that the motions were not necessarily heard in numerical order, so the timestamps are not strictly chronological within the list. Motions that were defeated, referred, postponed, withdrawn, or not considered are not listed.

Generative Discussion

Another important part of the House session was generative discussion among delegates on two critical issues the profession is facing: payment and workforce sustainability. For each issue, questions were posed to the House, and delegates were invited to the microphone to share their thoughts. The questions are listed here with timestamps corresponding to the livestream recordings:

Introduction and Instruction (video 1 of 2, 3:39:45)

Payment:

1. What alternative payments to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule would most benefit the profession of physical therapy? (video 1 of 2, 3:48:19)
2. Given the budget neutrality limiting the physician fee schedule and the limitations of Medicaid in many states, how can access to physical therapists be maintained for individuals who are not able to absorb the cost of care? (video 1 of 2, 4:09:39)

Workforce Sustainability:

1. What changes to our care models should we be considering to address the workforce shortages and/or increased demand? (video 2 of 2, 08:17)
2. What strategies would increase the number of practicing physical therapists in the United States or decrease attrition? (video 2 of 2, 29:55)

One component of the House that was not part of the July sessions was national elections for House officers, members of the APTA Board of Directors, and members of the APTA Nominating Committee. Historically, the delegates voted for candidates around this time, but to better align elections with the calendar-year starts of terms of those in office, elections were moved to November and will be conducted remotely. APTA will announce the slate of candidates on July 31.

The official minutes of the House's July session will be approved and posted in September, and a summary of the House activities will be included in an upcoming issue of APTA Magazine, along with coverage of other events during APTA Leadership Congress - watch for them this fall!

The APTA House of Delegates is the association's policy-making body for the profession. In addition to holding elections and conducting generative discussions relevant to the profession, the House meets annually in person to deliberate over motions that impact the profession, the individuals who are part of the physical therapy community, and the patients and clients we serve.

Motions Passed by the 2024 APTA House of Delegates

• RC 1-24 Amend: PTs as Primary Care and Entry-Point Providers (video 1 of 2, 50:46).
• RC 2-24 Adopt: Equitable and Inclusive Process of Licensure by Endorsement for an Internationally Educated Physical Therapist (adopted on consent, no House discussion).
• RC 3-24 Adopt: Preferred Nomenclature for an IEPT (video 1 of 2, 41:00).
• RC 4-24 Amend: PTs as Practitioners of Choice to Rehabilitate Persons With Vestibular-Related Balance Disorders (video 1 of 2, 41:00).
• RC 6-24 Adopt: Support for Education and Training for Psychological Safety in the Workplace (video 2 of 2, 1:18:55).
• RC 7-24 Adopt: Recommended Education on Trauma-informed Care Across the Physical Therapy Profession (adopted on consent).
• RC 9-24 Amend: Commitment to Interprofessional Education and Practice (video 2 of 2, 2:15:25).
• RC 10-24 Adopt: Fitness and Risk Assessments for Employer Safety and Health Promotion Programs (video 1 of 2, 3:11:11; video 2 of 2, 1:00:20).
• RC 11-24 Adopt: Ethical and Effective Integration of Artificial Intelligence Across Physical Therapist Practice (video 1 of 2, 1:36:52).
• RC 12-24 Adopt: Inappropriate Use of Artificial Intelligence by Payers (video 1 of 2, 1:44:42).
• RC 13-24 Amend: Digital Health Technologies and Therapeutics in Physical Therapist Practice (video 1 of 2, 1:54:30).
• RC 14-24 Amend: Cultural Competence (video 1 of 2, 41:00).
• RC 15-24 Adopt: Family-Friendly Organizational Policies in PT (video 2 of 2, 3:49:24).
• RC 19-24 Election to Honorary Membership in the APTA: Tad Fisher (adopted on consent).
• RC 20-24 Charge: Assessing Existing Workforce and Future Projections in Specialty Growth Areas to Meet Population Health Challenges (video 2 of 2, 1:25:00).
• RC 21-24 Charge: Develop Contemporary Operational Definitions of Terminology Impacting APTA Documents (video 2 of 2, 5:20:20).
• RC 24-24 Adopt: Physical Therapists as Entry-Point Providers (video 1 of 2, 44:36).

2025 House of Delegates Calendar

Here are dates and venues of the 2025 House sessions:

• Feb. 27, 8-9:30 p.m. ET: Virtual meeting.
• July 13-14: In-person meetings, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C.

• Nov. 6, 8-9:30 p.m. ET: Virtual meeting to hold APTA elections for national office.
• Nov. 20 8-9:30 p.m. ET: Virtual meeting, only if needed to hold second election for positions rendered open by earlier election results.