8-8-07
Centennial Vision Priorities & AOTA's FY ’08 Budget
AOTA’s 2008 fiscal year budget includes funding for the second year of work supporting the Centennial Vision priorities identified by the Board last year. The six Board priorities are:
- Increased public awareness and image-building activities;
- Heightened focus in advocacy and reimbursement activities on key areas as defined by the Board and RA (mental health, private payers, workers’ compensation);
- Projects to build stronger linkages between research, education, and practice;
- Development of a contemporary research agenda in collaboration with AOTF;
- Development of a model curriculum for OT and OTA education programs; and
- Start-up of the process for creating a universal computerized outcomes database.
Image-Building Campaign
Flowing directly from Board directives and under the Five-Year Public Awareness Plan approved in 2005, the FY ’08 budget includes funding for contracted services of an outside public relations firm and funds to continue ongoing media relations and outreach activities.
This project supports specific objectives related to the Centennial Vision statement and the goals:
Goal I: Build the capacity to fulfill the profession’s potential and mission
Goal II: Demonstrate and articulate our value to individuals, organizations, and communities
AOTA took the image of the profession to many new audiences in FY ’07. The Association used new methods to promote occupational therapy, including participation in two nationally televised press conferences. One press conference focused on National School Backpack Awareness Day, and the other focused on rheumatoid arthritis (in collaboration with Amgen/Wyeth Pharmaceuticals). Those activities have resulted in either coverage of occupational therapy or reporter inquiries from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo!, Newsweek, and other major publications. Specialized media such as the cable Retirement Network and Channel One, a cable network for schools, also picked AOTA and occupational therapy for showcase pieces. The articles and stories that resulted from those efforts reached millions of people.
FY ’07 activities included the process of crafting a plan, organizing preferred tactics, and hiring a public relations firm.
The major tasks of the firm are to:
- Gather opinion, information, and facts from AOTA staff, leaders, members, and consumers about occupational therapy
- Craft a message to synthesize occupational therapy
- Use that message to develop materials for advocacy, member use, promotion with insurers and payers, and in media for general or specific publics.
Advocacy To Ensure Funding for OT
The FY ’08 budget includes continuing funding for advocacy at the Congressional, federal, and agency levels. AOTA engaged in intense advocacy efforts in FY ’07 around key issues including quality improvement, the scope of OT practice, licensure, Medicare regulatory requirements, and challenges by other providers (e.g., athletic trainers).
This project supports specific objectives related to the Centennial Vision statement and the goals:
Goal I: Build the capacity to fulfill the profession’s potential and mission
Goal II: Demonstrate and articulate our value to individuals, organizations, and communities
In FY ’08, AOTA will continue to be vigilant in monitoring and influencing Capitol Hill, state capitols, and regulatory agencies to assure that current and new areas of practice are recognized and reimbursed. Issues of focus will include codes related to mental health practice, certification for wheelchair evaluation, the expansion of licensure in states that have weak regulation, and the prevention of imposition of the Medicare cap or a harmful alternative. Resources also are allotted for supplemental contract lobbying and research support to address mental health and scientific research support.
AOTA will use the new Web site to more effectively to promote member advocacy. The Association also will encourage members to come to Washington, D.C., in September or to meet with their representatives at home to promote occupational therapy federal issues. AOTA will continue to monitor the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and provide aggressive responses to challenges to occupational therapy. AOTA will assist states, including Colorado and Michigan, in efforts to promote licensure.
Working under the direction of the Representative Assembly and Board, AOTA will continue work on mental health recognition, private payer advocacy, private practice support (including the dissemination of a new packet of informational materials for entrepreneurial occupational therapists and assistants), and workers’ compensation guideline development. In regard to mental health, the implementation of recommendations from various recent ad hoc group reports will focus efforts to enhance public policy recognition of occupational therapy in this practice arena at the state and federal levels.
Linking Research, Education, and Practice
This priority envisions efforts to foster greater connectivity and collaboration among the education, research, and practice communities within the profession. During FY ’07, an ad hoc committee was created to advise AOTA on projects and activities that will build stronger linkages among these communities.
The Ad Hoc Committee on Linking Education, Practice, and Research will have completed its work and submitted its recommendations to the Board of Directors in October; it is anticipated that their recommendations will have implications throughout the organization and that there will be significant staff time involved in coordinating their proposed objectives. These recommendations will be far reaching and long term, with changes anticipated in how our publications will be integrated, how annual conference might foster linkages among our diverse members, and how we might develop the concept of “practice scholarship.”
Research Agenda
The budget includes funding for a Research Director position that will work closely with the AOTF Director of the Institute for the Study of Occupation and Health. The director will oversee and coordinate research-related activities for the Association, including monitoring funded research activities, collaborating with AOTF, and interacting with potential granters. The director will disseminate research-related information to AOTA members as appropriate. The director will work closely with the Public Affairs staff relative to research-related policy issues, as well as lend staff support to the AOTA/AOTF Research Advisory Panel (RAP). The RAP will act as a resource and lend expert opinion and advice to the research-related activities of the Association. The budget reflects a face-to-face meeting for the RAP, as well as electronic or phone meetings as needed.
FY ’08 priorities include providing leadership for the Association in the area of research; understanding the funding priorities of federal agencies; staying current on research-related policy issues; providing staff support to the RAP; and providing the occupational therapy perspective at selected meetings related to research at the federal and national level. The outcomes anticipated include:
- Articulation of a research agenda for occupational therapy
- Alignment of occupational therapy research priorities with those of federal funding agencies
- Ongoing documentation of funded research in the occupational therapy community
- Tracking of policy issues related to research
Model Curriculum
The Model Curriculum project is a key initiative as we move to raise the bar of excellence among our educational programs. It’s also key to our achieving greater consistency in the education and training of our students to meet the Vision’s objective of preparing occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants for the 21st century.
During the last year, two separate ad hoc committees were formed to address the development of model curricula for occupational therapy education and occupational therapy assistant education. Both committees met five times during the fiscal year. The meetings focused on gathering data and developing a foundation for FY ’08 activities that will lead to the development of the model curricula. These activities led to the following outcomes:
- Definition of a model curriculum and identification of key objectives for each committee;
- Identification of key stakeholders;
- Identification of core threads and themes for OT and OTA education;
- Identification of the key elements generic to all OT/OTA curricula and those that are specific to the institution.
Each committee will have regular scheduled conference calls and one face-to-face meeting in FY ’08. The objective is to complete the model curriculum by the end of FY ’08. The committees will continue to submit interim progress reports to the Board.
Outcomes Database
The FY ’08 budget also includes funding to continue work toward the Vision priority project—the development of a universal computerized outcomes database to meet the growing demands of consumers, payers, and policymakers to demonstrate the value of occupational therapy services and how they meet the health, quality of life, and participation needs of society.
This project supports specific objectives related to the Centennial Vision statement and the goals:
Goal I: Build the capacity to fulfill the profession’s potential and mission
Goal II: Demonstrate and articulate our value to individuals, organizations, and communities
Phase I of the project was initiated in FY ’07. An ad hoc group was established and held one face-to-face meeting to specifically deal with the “identification of the constructs essential for OTs to measure across the life span.” In addition to a number of committee members with expertise in outcomes and outcomes databases, the work of the ad hoc was informed by officials from external organizations, representatives from an accrediting organization, professional associations, and database management companies. The final report of the ad hoc group was delivered to the Board with a number of recommendations. The report will discuss the need to collect process data (variables about occupational therapy services) in addition to outcomes data, and that the areas of occupation identified in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (2002) are the appropriate constructs for an occupational therapy outcome measure.
The next phase of this project will build on the work of the Phase I ad hoc group, and support AOTA in the development of a system that will contribute to demonstrating and articulating our value to external audiences and to the provision of optimal service delivery to our consumers.
