#70: Feb 11, 2019: Rehab Dept Protests OHSU Productivity Changes, Comment Period Deadlines, APTA's Public Policy Priorities, & ft. Whitney Doiron, Live from Haiti

It’s Monday, February 11, 2019: Download the episode here on iTunes or here on Stitcher (or, where ever you listen!) Headlines: Rehab providers at Oregon Health & Sciences University medical system are protesting a recent change to their productivity standards. Their union chapter, Local 328, outlines the complaints about productivity demands here, and the impact on patients here. You can check out the petition to OHSU Leadership here.  There are several deadlines coming up if you want to comment on rules and regulations! Go to the APTA's Regulatory Action Center. Some highlights:  Ending today is the comment period for modifying HIPAA. The Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights is looking for information on how HIPAA laws may discourage or limit information sharing needed for care coordination or the evolution to value based care. The Department of Defense proposed rule adding PTAs and OTAs as eligible providers--the APTA is aware of the errors in this rule, and will be submitting comments for language and terminology changes.  Those comments are due by February 19th. The Pain Management Best Practices Interagency Task Force is looking for feedback on its draft report. This is a federal advisory committee established by the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 to propose updates to best practices and issue recommendations that address gaps or inconsistencies for managing chronic and acute pain. If you work with the chronic pain population, please submit your comments by April 1, 2019. The APTA provides form letters for comment. The APTA has released their 2019 Public Policy Priorities. Featuring correspondent Whitney Doiron, live from Haiti, with the patient perspective. Check out our series on STAND: The Haiti Project.