I wanted to touch on a subject that I think lies at the heart of the future of healthcare that possibly we as New Pro's can affect.
In NY there are a lot of mills. Many "PT clinics" that partake in poor ethics with a focus on profit. I know of clinics that pay patients to come in and then submit claims making money this way. The "treatments" (if they are even performed) tend to consist of heat, ice and maybe even massage. Bottom line is these patients are not going to get better. They drain the healthcare resources (money and possible quality clinicians) and patients who have actual pathology will deal with a condition that does not improve correctly because they most likely do not know any better. Long term these patients drain further resources when they need total joint replacements or spine surgeries, etc. It is a vicious cycle with the owners of these clinics having the last laugh. Sometimes they get caught, but is there more we can do?
At the recent National Student Conclave task panel on transitioning from Student to New Pro, where 20% of the GOXV was on the panel, Allen Eshmoili warned the students to avoid the tempting paycheck that may be offered with working in a mill. We certainly need to try to stop it at the source because they cannot run these clinics without a licensed PT. Furthermore, with the idea of branding our profession this is all a step backwards and the image we have to fight to get quality PT to the forefront.
In my experience reporting these clinics does very little becausehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif a large investigation has to be undertaken. It seems there is some monitorinhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifg of these clinics and it does take years before they are brought down. Here is an article from my state on how to report misconduct, your respective states likely has a similar process.
Also, be sure to check out the APTA's RFP center.
So I would like to hear what you all think CAN be done and if you have had experiences with these types of clinics.
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Stay Healthy (personally and professionally :)
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