Shifting Public Perception of PT with Data (Feat. Dana Strauss)

On this episode of Strata Stories, we talk with Dana Strauss – DPT, Health Policy and Government Affairs Professional

In this episode, Paul and Dana dive into:
1. The real reason prior authorizations exist and how to adapt
2. Lessons from optometrists and podiatrists to change public perspective
3. How to get doctors to think “Therapy First”
4. Using data to prove therapy’s value and win over payers

Episode Highlight:
“Going back to the theme of why we need to work with primary care, we need them to buy in and understand and truly believe that instead of when my patient calls or I see them because they make an appointment for something that can be managed by a PT, that I change my practice pattern from referring for imaging and a specialist to referring to PT. They hold the keys and the big opportunity for therapists to see a 50 % increase reimbursement to PTs, OTs, etc. We are much more affordable than specialty medical care.”

Connect with Dana on LinkedIn here

Strata Stories are conversations between Strata’s CEO, Paul Singh, and leaders in the OT & PT world. We interview practice owners, therapists, consultants, and coaches disrupting healthcare to make a positive change!

Be sure to check out all of our resources and subscribe to our newsletter!If you’d like to learn more about Strata EMR & Billing and achieving a 99.99% reimbursement rate for your PT, OT or SLP Clinic head over to stratapt.com and book a call with our team! 

If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, reach out at hello@stratapt.com

Dana is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with 15 years of a wide range of clinical experience prior to moving into the Population Health space. She has deep expertise in health care delivery, traditional and alternative payment methodologies along the whole care continuum, post-acute, home health, and hospice. She’s also an expert in VBC policy and program development and implementation all along the care continuum. She has since held roles in client success and business strategy, and her SME in Medicare and VBC Policy led to a career shift into Healthcare Public Policy.

In her full-time role, she now leads value-based care and Medicare policy for a Fortune 10 Company, supporting the organization across business lines as part of the Public Policy and Government Affairs team. She leads the relationship with CMS and the CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) for value-based care policy and contributes to internal and external thought leadership. 

In her role, she also supports the internal advocacy team, business and strategy leaders, and represents the organization on several key coalitions. She is also an elected member of the National Association of Accountable Care Organization’s (NAACOS) Policy Committee, co-lead of  Accountable for Health’s Specialty Care Committee, and on the Board of Moving Health Home. She is also active with America’s Physician Groups (APG).

She has a long-held passion for innovative policies and perspectives that may improve the care and lives of complex and seriously ill populations through aligned payment and policy incentives. She also believes PTs and OTs are the most under-valued members of the traditional care team and that these professions are at one of the most critical inflection points in their existence. Value-based care and other at-risk organizations need their expertise to be successful in managing a much larger breadth of the population at pivotal points in the care journey (upstream and downstream), starting in advanced primary care. She is on a personal mission to help these professions succeed in a new paradigm of healthcare.

After hours, publishes a free newsletter called Timeless Autonomy, written for healthcare professionals who want to improve their careers and/or businesses by leveraging health policy information and opportunities as well as building non-clinical skills. She tries to break down concepts for readers to make them more digestible. She is also working on courses in value-based care fundamentals and critical skills to succeed as a knowledge worker for those looking to expand and grow outside or alongside direct patient care.

You can subscribe to her newsletter here, and all former posts are available on the site.