April 2018
ELITE Physical Therapy Lagniappe (318) 443-3311
www.elitephysicaltherapy.us
Pay It Forward
Several months ago, my daughter was picking up food at a restaurant. When she got to the register, she placed her order. But as she went to pay, she was told by the cashier that her meal had already been covered. The person in front of her had paid for her food. No act of
fortune to others. So, we gave our employees a stress-free way to pay it forward.
she started the job, the woman’s phone broke. Using her $100, Jayme gave the woman the money to buy a replacement phone, which just happened to cost $99. This allowed the woman to keep and save the $100 she was making from her work. It made a big difference to her. Kelsey used her money to purchase food for a man who is homeless. Julia also thought of those without a home, and she donated her money to the Homeless Coalition. Jessica used her money at the grocery store to anonymously purchase groceries for others. She noticed one young couple who were buying a birthday cake for their child. Jessica used some of the money to purchase the cake for them. Another man was carefully counting out his money to buy a meal and something to drink, when Jessica quietly paid for his food. Hearing about our staff’s random acts of kindness was so inspirational and heartwarming, and we know it made them feel good as well. It reminds us that there are endless ways to share our good fortune with others, and we are determined to pay it forward more often this year. Lona used the $100 to buy gift cards for some of our former patients.
As part of our Christmas party, we gave everyone $100 in an envelope and asked them to pay it forward in whatever way they saw fit.
Has someone ever done this for you? Or have you done it for the person in line behind you? Doesn’t this random act of kindness feel so nice, whether you’re on the giving or the receiving end? Being charitable produces positive feelings for everyone involved — even the person at the register. There’s no motive for spontaneous kindness other than sharing happiness with others. It is often called “paying it forward.” We feel very fortunate for the positivity our team and patients infuse into our lives every day, and we wanted to spread that good
The best part? It was undoubtedly seeing the generous, life-changing ways our staff put that concept into action. Abby heard about a girl who had been adopted by a local person. At 18 years old, the girl was getting the opportunity to go to college. Abby used her $100 to put together a basket of items that would be helpful to the girl as she starts the next, exciting phase of her life. Jayme knew of a woman who was doing some work for her family and was going to make $100 from the job. Well, around the same time that
How will you pay it forward?
–Bart Jones
Elite PT • (318) 443-3311 • 1
Family Scavenger Hunts Made Easy Searching for Spring
Take Pictures Since everyone has a camera on their phone, why not use it? By taking pictures, you don’t have to worry about losing anything you find, and your teams can more safely collect certain items. For example, bird feathers are a great item for a spring scavenger hunt, but you don’t want your kids to touch them. Make a rule that a team member must appear in every picture so no one can cheat by finding photos online. Customize Your List There are plenty of scavenger hunt lists online, but it’s more fun to brainstorm with your family. Have everyone think of three to five spring- related items, like yellow flowers, a kite, or a rabbit-shaped cloud. Do some research into your local flora and fauna. If you put a bluebird on the list, you might want to make sure there are bluebirds in your area.
Don’t Forget the Prizes! Prizes don’t have to be elaborate to be fun. It can be something simple, like Popsicles or fake medals, or maybe the winning team gets to pick a restaurant for dinner. Scavenger hunts are one of the best ways to create lasting family memories this spring without breaking the bank. Just get your list, gather your family, and have fun. Happy hunting!
Spring is in bloom, and there’s no better time to get some fresh air. If you are looking for a way to get your family outside and away from their screens, why not plan a spring-themed scavenger hunt? More than just a fun way to spend the afternoon, scavenger hunts build problem- solving skills, encourage teamwork, and get your family to exercise their minds and bodies. Here are some tips on how to plan a memorable family scavenger hunt. Play in Teams Your whole family can participate together, but it can also be fun to strike up some friendly competition with teams. Have at least one parent or an older, responsible sibling on each team to make sure everyone stays safe and follows the rules.
Client Testimonial “My journey started in April 2017 for a left knee replacement. Abby and Jayme helped me through
therapy and all the complications I experienced with it. This took several months. In late 2017, the right knee was replaced. There is no slacking around with these ladies. It’s 100 percent or nothing. Even though we established a friendly and laid-back relationship, these girls always had a professional control on my progression and progress. I have been to other PT facilities, and they truly care about each client. They are very attentive to their clients and push them to progress to where the client can continue on their own. Thank you a hundred times over for all you have done for me.” -Buddy Garner
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The Death of the Therapy Cap
What It Means for You
Thankfully, those pains should be put to rest now — with some small caveats.
Although the cap is technically gone, we still have some hoops to jump through. Some of the stricter rules are gone, but Medicare is still monitoring the delivery of our care very closely. Technically, the cap has been lifted, but we are still required to report to Medicare when we reach $2,010 of billed services. And when we reach we reach the $3,000 level, we open up that particular case to a possible review of the services that have been provided. So, we must be diligent about how we provide services to our patients, ensuring that we meet the standards that Medicare sets forth. We are very happy that the cap has been lifted. But we expect that, in time, further changes will occur. If you have any additional questions about the repeal of the Medicare cap for therapy services, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here to help, and we want to provide you with the treatment you need.
When President Trump signed the two-year budget deal in Feb. 2018, it raised the level of military spending, raised the debt ceiling, and provided some much-needed funds for disaster relief. Among other things, it also brought about a change physical therapists and patients have been waiting a long time for. Buried deep in Section 50202 of the 652-page document was something very important to physical therapists and their patients: the repeal of the Medicare cap for therapy services. We have covered this issue a few times in previous issues of the Lagniappe newsletter. But with the changes that came about in February,
we’ve been getting a lot of new questions from patients about what they’ve heard. We hope to answer some of those in this follow-up article. The idea of a cap on therapy services was originally included in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. This issue has been fought by therapists, patients, our association, and our congressional representatives since that time. The cap was always considered an ill-conceived plan and an arbitrary limit on reimbursement for services we provided. It put our sickest patients at risk of not getting the care they needed and deserved. We had changes made to the cap with an exceptions process, and we had moratoriums, but most of all, we had a lot of headaches.
Have a Laugh!
Roasted Asparagus With Lemon Breadcrumbs
Ingredients •
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1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 pounds asparagus
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1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
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1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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2 teaspoons lemon zest
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Kosher salt
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Juice of one lemon (not packaged lemon juice)
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Freshly ground pepper
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2 garlic cloves, minced
Directions 1. Heat oven to 425 F. Toss asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and bake for 20–26 minutes, turning asparagus halfway through. 2. When asparagus is nearly done, heat remaining olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add breadcrumbs and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and fold in parsley and lemon zest. 3. Transfer asparagus to serving platter, drizzle with lemon juice, and top with breadcrumb mixture.
Elite PT • (318) 443-3311 • 3
Recipe inspired by Food and Wine Magazine
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Inside THIS ISSUE
• Pay It Forward
• This Season’s Best Family Activity
• Hear From a Happy Client
• Is It Really the End of the Therapy Cap? • Roasted Asparagus With Lemon Breadcrumbs • April Fools’ Pranks From the Pre-Internet Age
3 April Fools’ Pranks From Earlier, More Trusting Times
April Fools’ Day isn’t what it used to be. Sure, it’s still a fun distraction, with Google announcing “scratch and sniff” digital technology and Amazon declaring new features enabling Alexa to understand your pets. But it’s pretty hard for anyone to genuinely pull your leg in the internet age. Back when you couldn’t debunk a hoax with a simple Snopes search, things were a little more interesting. Here are a few of the most hilarious — yet somehow convincing — April Fools’ pranks in history. Nixon for President, 1992 When NPR’s popular “Talk of the Nation” program announced in 1992 that former President Richard Nixon had announced his
candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, listeners were shocked. Never mind that he’d been the center of the largest presidential scam in history, but his campaign slogan, “I never did anything wrong, and I won’t do it again,” left something to be desired. NPR even brought political experts on the show to discuss the ramifications of such a move, and listeners flooded the station with outraged calls — until host John Hockenberry revealed that the on-air Nixon was actually comedian Rich Little. Swiss Spaghetti Growers Enjoy Record Harvest Ah, to be as naive as we were during the early days of television. In 1957, a BBC news show called “Panorama” conducted a special report on a massive spaghetti harvest in Ticino, Switzerland, following a remarkably mild
winter. The black and white images showed farmers pulling huge strands of noodles off tall trees and prompted hundreds of viewers to call into the station and ask how they might procure their own spaghetti tree. Thomas Edison’s Amazing Food Machine When Edison was in his prime, Americans truly believed he could create anything — even a machine that transformed air, water, and dirt into biscuits, vegetables, meat, and wine, as reported by the New York Daily Graphic in 1878. The article was reprinted in newspapers across the country. Thousands of people bought the trick. When Buffalo’s Commercial Advertiser ran an editorial on Edison’s genius in the endeavor, the Graphic reprinted it in full, along with the headline, “They Bite!”
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