The Primary Care PT Podcast

Season 5 kicks off with a special cross post episode from the AAOMPT Podcast. Dr. Katie O'Bright sits down with Dr. Antigone Vesci, PT, DPT, SCS, FAAOMPT, founder of Elavate PT and a leader on the AAOMPT research committee, to talk about the expanding role of physical therapists in primary care.

Katie and Antigone dig into what primary care PT actually means, including the newly published primary care PT consensus definition that Katie served as lead author on. They get into how PTs act as primary care providers in their own right, why first contact doesn't mean replacing the physician, and how warm handoffs and being part of the initial visit dramatically raise patient engagement. They also make the case for building risk reduction into the PT evaluation.

In this episode: what primary care PT means and the new consensus definition, PTs as primary care providers, improving access through warm handoffs and first contact, building risk reduction into the eval, and the latest AAOMPT primary care research.

Connect with Dr. Antigone Vesci and ElaVate PT: https://www.elavatept.com/our-team. Listen now (link in bio).

Connect with Dr. Katie O'Bright: @katieobright on LinkedIn @redefinehealthed on Instagram

Consensus Definition Citation:

Katie O’Bright, Alyson M Cavanaugh, Ashley Cassel, Jennifer C Turner, David Macchia, Evan E Kelley, Layne Compton, Riley J Luetkenhaus, Steven Wentz, Micah A K M Wong, Primary care physical therapy: 2025 consensus definition, Physical Therapy, Volume 106, Issue 6, June 2026, pzag035, https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzag035

In the Season 4 finale, Dr. Katie O'Bright sits down with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Christian Pean, better known as "The Techy Surgeon," for a wide ranging conversation about where technology, Medicare policy, and musculoskeletal care are all heading.

Katie and Christian dig into CMS's newly released ACCESS program, why the fee for service model in physical therapy is no longer sustainable, and how 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal moment for value based MSK care. They also get into the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSP), the awareness gap among frontline clinicians, and what a collaborative, team based model could mean for PTs who have never fit the traditional business model, including Katie's own move to cash based care.

In this episode: what CMS's ACCESS program is and why it matters, why fee for service is no longer sustainable for PT, value based payments and the 2026 inflection point, the Medicare Shared Savings Program and clinician awareness gaps, collaborative and team based longitudinal care, and finding opportunity in a changing model.

Connect with Dr. Christian Pean, The Techy Surgeon, on LinkedIn and Substack. Stay awesome, and go check out the ACCESS program.

In this episode, I got to chat with Missy Criss and Mike Puthoff, 2 PT researchers leading the charge in the recognition of functional decline in older adults, an incredibly costly (and deadly) theme in our aging population. Missy and Mike, along with their colleagues, led the Annual Mobility Assessment Task Force under APTA Geriatrics. This assessment, meant to be performed in 20-30 mins, attempts to detect early changes in mobility that could then lead to interventions to prevent further decline.

For anyone interested in the concept of a PT annual visit, this is a MUST LISTEN.

Link to the mobility assessment and repository:

https://aptageriatrics.org/annual-mobility-assessment

Descriptive Study of the AMA

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950307826000172

PTJ Perspective Paper on the AMA: https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/106/2/pzag002/8417198?redirectedFrom=fulltext

In this episode, I sat down with 2 PTs legends - yes, straight up mover/shaker types - Hosts of the Future Proof PT podcast, Drs Dana Strauss and Alex Bendersky. We discussed their vision for PT and what inspired them to start their show. Bottom line - we're in a pivotal time in healthcare, but especially in PT - now more than ever before. Dana and Alex shed light on what might happen if the PT industry does nothing, but also what COULD BE if we adapt our practice model toward value based primary care! There are tremendous opportunities on the table right now that we must latch onto. Adapt or Perish...

Go listen to their show (The Future Proof PT Podcast) and follow them on LinkedIn.

In this episode, I sat down with Ron Blehm who served as a primary care PT within the VA system. We discuss the importance of the primary care PT serving as more than just a quick MSK consult manager, yet shed light on how this idea may not always align with the organization's vision of your role. We also discussed the importance of communication, collaboration and patient advocacy when serving as primary care PTs. Don't miss this one!

Here are some resources we discussed:

Book: "The Best Care Anywhere" by Phillip Longman

Articles:

Slippery Slope of Aging: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232171672_Community-Based_Exercise_Programs_for_Older_Adults/figures?lo=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic

Goldman 2016, PMID: 27434271

Kojima 2018, PMID: 29040347

Gordon 2020, PMID: 32143634

Zhao 2026, PMID: 41763488

Longman, 2012 ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1609945174

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1609945176

Wait... PTs do ECGs?

Don't you remember back in DPT school when we learned all of the ins and outs of ECGs? Applying it, testing it, reading the different results? Yeah... you did that!

In this episode, I went into it with the fabulous Dr Karlyn Green who is dual board certified in ortho and cardiovascular/pulmonary. We discussed how it's not uncommon for our outpatient orthopedic colleagues to forget that cardiovascular and pulmonary competencies are not only included in our entry-level training and scope of practice, but also that they should be incorporating this clinical reasoning in patients that are presenting with cardiac history or risk factors.

With increasing issues with primary care access, many of our patients will present with these issues and it's extremely important that we leverage our clinical reasoning skills to be able to help them navigate it.

And I'll reiterate for the people who are going to inevitable come here and say something about it - we're not diagnosing heart failure or COPD - but we ARE screening, monitoring, and helping patients navigate the healthcare system to get the care that they need. Our fundamental skillset is to MOVE and EXERCISE with patients. The cardiopulm system drives that function. With the rising trends of CVP disease combined with challenging primary care access, we must be applying the skills in which we've been trained.

Don't miss this one! Subcribe and leave a 5-star review for The Primary Care PT Podcast on Apple and Spotify.

#primarycarePT

Some references:

1) APTA CVP Academy: https://www.aptacvp.org/

2) Dr. Green's Scoping Review:

Green, Karlyn J. PT, DPT, OCS, CCS1; Montavon, Luke PT, DPT2; Jackson, Megan SPT1. Assessing the Risk of a Cardiac Event Before Initiating Aerobic Exercise: A Scoping Review. Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal 36(4):p 292-303, October 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/CPT.0000000000000299

Get in touch with Dr. Green at [email protected]

I had the pleasure of sitting down with a true pioneer in the PT Athletics space - Dr. Jill Thein-Nissenbaum, who has worked in the athletics space for nearly 3 decades at UW Madison. Jill shared how her experiences as a team PT were enriched by the collaboration of the team as a whole, particularly with the athletic trainers.

We also talked about the importance of autonomous PT decision making - knowing when to escalate care with imaging, referrals, or involvement of the team physicians. This is a theme of all my discussions - the right care, at the right time, for the right patient, with the right provider.

Additionally, we discussed the future of our profession - the barriers that need to be addressed, especially as it relates to insurance restrictions, in order for our profession to truly practice at the top of our scope. We talked about the utilization of imaging by PTs and the future with prescriptive authority.

If you'd like to get in touch, Jill's email is [email protected].

In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Paulius Mui, a family medicine physician who is deep into tech/AI innovation to enhance process workflows and provide better care. He also has a hybrid DPC practice in Boston.

Dr. Mui had some questions about how PCPs and PTs could work together to solve primary care problems. I did my best to answer his questions about PT knowledge, scope, industry issues and differences between PT and OT.

It's easy for PTs to make assumptions that physicians should already know what we do and how we can help their patients, but the truth is... unless they've been thoroughly exposed, they might not know. Great discussion!

Here's that ABPTS PT specialist directory I referred to in the show:

Follow Paulius on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauliusmui/

And check out his website here: https://www.xprimarycare.com/

In this episode Dr. Lissa and I discussed the Livara Health PT model. One of the biggest issues in primary care right now is poor access - long wait times, inefficient booking systems, cost, and the whole 9 yards. Livara offers a hybrid solution with quick access for MSK needs. We talked about how their system works, the future with the new CMS ACCESS model, and more.

Follow her on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lissa-taitano-pt-dpt/

https://livarahealth.com/

NEW EPISODE!! Season 4, Episode 2 features Dr. Emily Herndon discussing Montana's landmark SB 109 legislation recognizing physical therapists as treating physicians in worker's comp. Dr. Herndon discusses her passion for serving communities in rural Montana and identifies key areas of advocacy for the future.

Dr. Herndon will be presenting at the Primary Care PT Start-Up Workshop on Wed May 20. Check out our website, comments or the link in bio for more details. #primarycarePT