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Letter from Diana Godwin, Executive Director, outlining her skills and services for PPSIG members
As an example of my services, I recently sent out an introductory letter and a short memo on PTA licensure to everyone who was still included on the ppsig email list. Unless you join PPSIG , you will not receive any of these important memos. Let me outline the new benefits and services that are now available to PPSIG members. New Public Relations and Advertising Benefits PPSIG has a new contract with Lucinda Kay, a marketing and public relations specialist, to move full steam ahead to implement PPSIG’s public relations and paid media plan. Here’s what PPSIG is doing on behalf of its members to enhance public awareness of the value of private PT practice and to challenge and counter-act the referral for profit trend:
New Legal Services for PPSIG As your executive director and legal counsel I will be tackling projects that affect our private practice members, particularly reimbursement, billing and regulatory issues I have represented the physical therapy profession as an attorney in Oregon since the 1980s. (I anticipate admission to the Washington Bar within the next 3 months or so.) Since 1992 I have been the executive director and legal counsel for Oregon Physical Therapists in Independent Practice (OPTIP), a trade group of 130 private practice physical therapy clinics. I handle many of the same issues that affect private practice in Washington (i.e., changes in Medicare rules and reimbursement, Workers’ Comp – L&I – rules and reimbursement, licensing board rules, HIPAA, PIP reimbursement, PPO issues, etc.) I routinely attend the national APTA Private Practice section meetings each year to keep up on national issues. My practice on behalf of physical therapists has grown to the extent that I now effectively limit my practice to promoting and protecting their interests. PPSIG has now made this experience available to its members. (I anticipate admission to the Washington Bar within the next 3 months or so.) I to track issues and send out group e-mail memos when there is something you need to be informed about. For example, I am sending out a memo later this week to alert PPSIG clinics about new contract solicitations from several PPOs: Coventry (First Health), Aetna, TechHealth and Universal SmartComp, and about a rash of “payment proposals” being sent out by a variety of companies (they pop up like moles) to try and get you (or your busy clinic manager) to agree to take a discount on a bill that a 3rd party payer already owes you. New Legal Services for PPSIG Members In addition to my work on issues that affect PPSIG as a group, individual PPSIG members can call or e-mail me with quick questions or matters that you need some help on. You may have a question on a particular rule regarding Medicare or L&I or MVA's, or you may need a sample letter of protection to use in an MVA case or a sample letter for terminating a third party contract that no longer benefits your clinic. I keep track of my time responding to these telephone or e-mail questions and that time is billed to PPSIG. In addition, if your clinic needs individual legal assistance from time to time on any one of the myriad business, reimbursement or regulatory issues that are involved in running a private practice clinic, as a PPSIG member you can retain me individually at the reduced rate of $140/hr. My office will also provide administrative services for PPSIG, such as sending out yearly membership renewal notices and helping with conference organizing, to help the organization run smoothly and serve its members. In closing, let me say how excited I am to be working with PPSIG and I look forward to hearing that you have re-joined and then getting to know you individually. It’s your move! Diana Godwin PPSIG Executive Director and Attorney at Law 1500 NE Irving, Ste 370 Portland, OR 97232 (503) 224-0019 Fax: (503) 229-0614 e-mail: dianagodwin@earthlink.net
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