In my presidential addresses, I have emphasized that occupational therapists need to be at the table where policy and important recommendations are made. This year, I have experienced more intensively than in the past what it is like to be engaged in this kind of public service.
For example, I was appointed to the California Department of Managed Care Autism Advisory Task Force. AOTA and the Occupational Therapy Association of California successfully advocated to have occupational therapy listed in California Senate Bill 946 among the “behavioral health treatments” provided for individuals on the autism spectrum. The bill mandates that no later than July 2012, every health care service contract and health insurance policy that provides medical or surgical coverage shall also provide coverage for behavioral health treatment for pervasive developmental disorder or autism.
In conjunction with this law, our task force is charged with two goals. The first is to identify the behavioral health treatments that are scientifically based and how their outcomes are monitored. The second is to determine the definition of an “adequate network of providers” and make recommendations on the qualifications unlicensed individuals must meet for provision of these services.
At the first task force meeting last week, I was impressed by the stature of the other members of the committee. Here’s an overview of the group:
Members-at-large
· The former director of the California Department of Finance
· A federal court judge with 27 years of experience in this role
· A distinguished professor and dean of a law school
· The former assistant secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency
Health Plan Representatives (all physicians)
· The chief medical officer for external affairs of United Behavioral Health
· The chief medical officer of Blue Shield of California
· The regional director of Pediatric Subspecialties and Pediatric Rehabilitation of Northern California Kaiser Permanente
Research Experts
· The former executive director of the M.I.N.D. Institute, who is now professor and vice chair of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco
· The Joseph Campbell Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UCLA-NPI-Semel Institute
· The director of the Anderson Clinic at Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, UCSF
Advocates
· A multiple award-winning attorney, who is founder of one of the largest African-American law practices in Southern California, author of The Everyday Advocate: Standing Up for Your Child with Autism and Other Special Needs, and appears on Dr. Phil, the CBS Early Show and numerous Fox News programs
· The former Secretary of the California State Senate, who founded the support group Families for Early Autism Treatment (FEAT)
· The co-founder and president of Autism Deserves Equal Coverage
· The vice-president of State Government Affairs of Autism Speaks
I am included as a representative of treating providers. Among us are a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, a behavioral services provider who is a board certified behavioral analyst, and an occupational therapist (me!).
The task force is chaired by the director of the California Department of Managed Care. We have eight remaining meetings scheduled through August, when our report is due, and I anticipate this will be another broadening experience for me.
I would love to hear any tips you have on how I can be a highly effective member of this task force.
It has been too long since I last blogged, and I am happy to be back at it. The fall was an incredibly busy time for me, especially November and December. In that time period, I attended the AOTA/NBCOT Student Conclave in Providence, Rhode Island, gave the keynote address at the Annual Meeting of the Maryland Occupational Therapy Association, connected with two autism research foundations—the Autism Research Institute and the Organization for Autism Research—attended the AOTA/AOTF Summit in which we envisioned ways to enhance alignment of the two organizations, presented at the AOTA/AOTF Accelerating Clinical Trials and Outcome Research (ACTOR) conference, attended the AOTA Autism West Specialty Conference, and attended the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research Celebration.
So many events! So much activity! So much travel! Here are the special things that sparked my enthusiasm at each event:
The AOTA/AOTF Student Conclave: I was invigorated by the open discussion the students were able to have with a distinguished panel of occupational therapy leaders, including Paul Fontana, Amy Lamb, Paul Grace, Maureen Peterson, Chris Bluhm, Chris Alterio, and myself. And how thrilling it was that 80% of the more than 400 students present made the Centennial Commitment indicating they plan to maintain their AOTA membership through 2017.
The Maryland Occupational Therapy Association Conference: My keynote built on the theme of high definition occupational therapy (HD-OT) I have been discussing throughout my Presidency. This talk was the first one I presented that addressed how we can internalize a vision of ourselves as evidence-based practitioners. My spirit was ignited when a small group of attendees informally chatted with me about their takeaways from my talk. I was thrilled that they provided me with valuable input that has helped me conceptualize the Presidential Address I will give in Indianapolis on HD-OT in 3D.
Connecting with autism research foundations: This is only a piece of all the work I have been doing in the area of occupational therapy evidence-based practice and autism. It was certainly uplifting that these two organizations are interested in supporting occupational therapy intervention research related to autism and it was exciting to begin to build these linkages.
The AOTA/AOTF Research Summit: What was uplifting about this meeting was having the opportunity to share perspectives on how the two organizations are complementary. I like to envision bright futures, and, after the meeting, I began to see concrete paths to achievement of the Centennial Vision that the two organizations could take together.
The ACTOR Conference: This meeting, made possible through Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) funding, was truly inspiring—a gathering of our most seasoned scientists with those at various stages in their research career trajectory. I cherished the opportunity to share knowledge on the pragmatics, politics, and multi-faceted aspects of research programs with the wonderful attendees and, truly, saw this as a landmark event that would accelerate clinical trial and outcomes research in occupational therapy.
The AOTA Autism West Specialty Conference: I had attended the Autism East Conference and this West Coast version was equally worthwhile. What I liked most about it was getting a sense of the wide range of evidence-based practices that occupational therapy practitioners employ in the diverse settings in which they work. Also fantastic was the consumer panel—hearing about how occupational therapy had benefitted each of them in their own heart-rending words.
The NCMRR Celebration: What an event! Did you know that NCMRR has been in existence since 1991? From 1998–2002, I was on its National Advisory Board and it was lovely to see how the agency’s portfolio had grown. My key takeaway was to once again perceive the close alignment between NCMRR’s research priorities and occupational therapy’s focus on participation.
So, one would think I would have been exhausted after so much travel. But the excitement of it all is actually rejuvenating. Do let me know if you have engaged in similar, upbeat, and inspiring activities!