Hello Angie: I am in 100% agreement that OT has not found an effective way to articulate our services. However, I am not sure that the approach you suggest is the best approach. In my experience doctors don't really care about how injury/illness impacts a client's life. Well, that is not correct. They do care, but what they care about is the injury/illness. After all, from the medical perspective, IT IS the injury/illness that is the problem. I think it might be a waste of time for me to go to a doctor and say something like: "You know, OT can help your stroke patient's live better lives by increasing their ability to dress themselves" I don't know, it's late! Maybe I'm missing something here!
Ron ----- Original Message ----- From: angela jones <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 To: OTlist <[email protected]> Subj: [OTlist] And Yet Another Stupid OT Situation <cut> aj> Wouldn't it make sense to put together OT marketing material that aj> targets doctors. For example: Sitting on the toilet requires at least 90 aj> degrees of hip flexion and a grade of ......strength. Opening the car aj> door in order to get to the doctors office requires IR, ER ....basically aj> a breakdown of some normal and relevant human requirements but in their aj> terms. (Ok, I knoe the examples aren't good ones but I'm trying to make aj> a point) I think it's imperative to speak the language that your target aj> audience understands in order to be effective. aj> What I'm trying to say is that until doctors have a good understanding aj> of our practice we will continue to be lumped into PT. A basic premise aj> of any organization is that what is or isn't happening at the top will aj> always leak down into the system. aj> So far, OT's have not found an effective way to articulate the services aj> we provide. Maybe we need to target our audience instead of coming up aj> with one basic and obviously unclear description. aj> I'm curious to hear other opinions of how to be a part of improving the aj> situation and therefore protecting our profession while highlighting its aj> importance. aj> Tnaks or listening.....this one just really struck a cord with me. aj> Angie Jones aj> aj> From: Ron Carson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> aj> Reply-To:[EMAIL PROTECTED] aj> To:[EMAIL PROTECTED] aj> Subject: [OTlist] And Yet Another Stupid OT Situation aj> Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 17:07:03 -0500 >>A former patient, just discharged from the hospital today, requested to >>have me as his therapist. So, the hospital d/c planner who has a >>prescription for PT, calls me. Of course, I say that I'm an OT and she >>asks if I have PT at my company. I tell her "no" but that I can handle >>Mr. Wilkin's needs. She says in a sort of disbelieving voice: "You can >>do PT". After setting her straight, I tell her to call the Doctor and >>get the script changed to OT. She goes on to say that Medicare won't pay >>for OT to be 'stand alone' in home health. So, I explain that my company >>is not a HH agency and that I'm an outpatient provider doing in-home >>therapy. She replied: "I've never heard of that". Finally, she said that >>she'd call the doctor. >> >>Well, a few minutes later the d/c planner calls back saying that she had >>talked with the patient and that they agreed that a PT would be sent to >>the house and that if they thought it appropriate, OT would be ordered. >>Well, by now, I'm about ready to come unglued!! I said to her something >>like, "how does this relate to me and what about what the patient >>wants". The planner says that this is what the patient agreed to and >>added that the patient was under the assumption that I was a PT. I told >>the planner that this is one of the banes of being an OT and that I face >>the same battle of being called a PT day after day. >> >>That was about it. I called the patient explained the whole situation >>and that no one could tell them what type of therapy or from who to get >>it from. The patient's wife said she would call the doctor and get it >>straightened out!! >> >>I'm tell you what, other peoples' concept of our profession stink!!! At >>least, in my experience. >> >>Ron >> >>P.S. For those of you inclined to point out my typos (and you know who >>you are) , please forgive any errors. <LOL> >> >> >> >> >>-- >>Unsubscribe? >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >>Change options? >> www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com >> >>Archive? >> www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] >> >>Help? >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] aj> Find just what you're after with the new, more precise MSN Search - try it now! -- Unsubscribe? [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] Help? [EMAIL PROTECTED]
