“Data can demonstrate your efficacy and the value of physical therapy on a broad scale. And as value-based payment, merit-based incentives, and interprofessional care teams become more prevalent, communicating the impact of physical therapy will be crucial.”

Perspectives magazine, published by the American Physical Therapy Association, addressed topics of particular relevance to early-career physical therapists and physical therapist assistants (PTs and PTAs). This 2019 story explored ways to use various kinds of practice data to highlight the value of physical therapy and its practitioners – for educating others in healthcare, working with interprofessional teams, and for boosting a practice’s success. I spoke with leaders in established physical therapy practices and newer practitioners who are taking advantage of industry tools for analysis and benchmarking.

Challenge

With a wordcount limit and interviews with eight individuals, I had to identify themes across the conversations and home in on each interviewee’s most important contributions. I sought to deliver in this article insights and practical approaches that early-career PTs and PTAs could put to work in furthering their own careers, raising the profile and understanding of their profession, and, of course, caring for patients. I was delighted that APTA chose to use this feature as the issue’s cover story.