ASAE’s Power of A Gold Award recognizes innovative associations working to positively impact the world.
BETHESDA, MD—The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) have together earned a 2018 ASAE Power of A Gold Award for the “Stop The Cap” campaign.
The association community’s highest honor recognizes AOTA’s, APTA’s, and ASHA’s efforts to advocate for an end to the Medicare Outpatient Therapy Cap. For 20 years the therapy cap threatened to undermine the health and quality of life of millions of Medicare beneficiaries by limiting the amount of coverage available for occupational, physical, and speech therapies.
The award recognizes the creation of the Therapy Cap Coalition, which consisted of patient advocacy organizations and therapy providers who worked together to amplify each group’s grassroots messages and outreach to Capitol Hill. The Coalition developed legislative proposals and drafted legislative language to help pave the path for a permanent repeal, collaborated to build Congressional support for repeal, fostered relationships with members of Congress, and shared the real-world stories of how the therapy cap affected Medicare beneficiaries. In February 2018, 241 Members of the House and 37 Senators co-sponsored the bills to repeal the cap once and for all.
“This honor champions the collective victory that AOTA, APTA, and ASHA achieved in repealing the arbitrary therapy cap that for 20 years undermined health services of millions of Americans,” said Sherry Keramidas, PhD, FASAE, CAE, Executive Director of AOTA. “Ongoing advocacy
efforts between our organizations to provide access to therapy services necessary to allowing patients and clients to lead fulfilling lives does not end here, but we are thankful for the recognition of this long-fought battle.”
“This award underscores the importance and power of collaboration and coordination,” said APTA CEO Justin Moore, PT, DPT. “For two decades our associations fought side-by-side for patients’ rights to care and to tear down this arbitrary roadblock. And, we did it. We stopped the cap. That accomplishment was only possible through teamwork. We appreciate this recognition and look forward to continued advocacy on behalf of the people we serve.”
“Stop The Cap was a great win for associations, their members, and those served by their members,” Elise Davis-McFarland, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA 2018 President said. “We are honored to be recognized by ASAE along with our colleagues at the American Occupational Therapy Association and the American Physical Therapy Association. Our joint advocacy to end the Medicare therapy cap exemplifies the great things we can accomplish working together.”
As a Gold Award winner, the Stop The Cap program is one of 16 campaigns under consideration for ASAE’s Summit Award, which will be announced later this summer.
ASAE’s Power of A (association) Awards, the industry’s highest honor, recognize the association community’s valuable contributions on the local, national, and global levels. The Power of A Awards reward the outstanding accomplishments of associations and industry professionals who work tirelessly to strengthen lives, the workforce, our systems and structures, the economy, and the world. To learn more about the award, visit www.ThePowerofA.org/awards or follow #PWRA on Twitter.
Founded in 1917, AOTA represents the professional interests and concerns of more than 213,000 occupational therapists, assistants, and students nationwide. The Association educates the public and advances the profession of occupational therapy by providing resources, setting standards including accreditations, and serving as an advocate to improve health care. Based in Bethesda, Md., AOTA’s major programs and activities are directed toward promoting the professional development of its members and assuring consumer access to quality services so patients can maximize their individual potential. For more information, visit www.aota.org.
The American Physical Therapy Association represents more than 100,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy nationwide. Visit MoveForwardPT.com to learn more about the types of conditions physical therapists treat, and find a physical therapist in your area. To learn more, visit www.apta.org.
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 198,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems, including swallowing disorders. www.asha.org
