Summary: <br> Mike and Kathy exemplify the "AT in the Capitalist Economy." Share in the discussion and consider if being an AT business owner is right for you. <br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://sportsmedicinebroadcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/AT-in-the-Capitalist-Economy.png"></a><br> <br> <br> <br> Mike, what does “Capitalist Economy AT” mean to you?<br> <br> <br> <br> What can an AT do and what is the value of our skillset?<br> <br> <br> <br> Will people pay you for your services?<br> <br> <br> <br> We are bridging the gap and speaking directly to the public.<br> <br> <br> <br> Live the American dream<br> <br> <br> <br> This is all about advocacy for me.<br> <br> <br> <br> 17 years ago I started my business D&D Sports medicine.<br> <br> <br> <br> I am worth being paid for the services I am providing.<br> <br> <br> <br> Part of our COPA committee is developing resources for the capitalist AT.<br> <br> <br> <br> Kathy as a business owner where do you see us going?<br> <br> <br> <br> We have become so diverse.<br> <br> <br> <br> Pandemic has caused a lot of ATs to try running their own business.<br> <br> <br> <br> Helping with reimbursement even though “cash is King”<br> <br> <br> <br> Reimbursement opens the doors wider.<br> <br> <br> <br> When the poop hit the fan and sports stopped the earth shook.<br> <br> <br> <br> I made the decision 7 years ago to go out on my own.<br> <br> <br> <br> I try to look at my business as telling the athletes how they can get better.<br> <br> <br> <br> How can we do this to positively impact the profession?<br> <br> <br> <br> This entrepreneur road is a great way to keep good ATS here.<br> <br> <br> <br> Kathy - I have been a mentor each time I switched jobs out of a sense of duty.<br> <br> <br> <br> I constantly get questions about how they can follow my path.<br> <br> <br> <br> “First guy through the fence always gets a little bloody...I was that first guy” - Mike Stella<br> <br> <br> <br> Knowing your “why” is crucial.<br> <br> <br> <br> When I am faced with making a business decision I go back to my core values and see if it fits.<br> <br> <br> <br> State practice ascites were written 20-30 years ago and when ATs were only in sports settings.<br> <br> <br> <br> We need to update them to include a lot of the new settings.<br> <br> <br> <br> READ your state practice act and have a good understanding of it.<br> <br> <br> <br> Standing Orders: keep or trash them and why?<br> <br> <br> <br> Kathy - What we are seeing is a result of a profession that has always worked under the supervision of a physician.<br> <br> <br> <br> In the medical community, there are a lot of providers working under a physician.<br> <br> <br> <br> Mike - Having the medical team in place is important.<br> <br> <br> <br> Working under a physician puts the thumb on us and creates an automatic glass ceiling.<br> <br> <br> <br> I was told, “You can not start a business because you can not hire my boss.”<br> <br> <br> <br> The doctors I worked with decided they wanted a piece of the pie.<br> <br> <br> <br> Now we have to jump through hoops that a massage therapist does not with one year of training.<br> <br> <br> <br> “If we want a different solution or answer then we have to ask different questions.”<br> <br> <br> <br> Access to insurance billing, does it hurt or help, and why?<br> <br> <br> <br> CMS recognition helps as a sign of credibility<br> <br> <br> <br> Do you lose some patients who want to bill insurance?<br> <br> <br> <br> As it stands right now ATs are an expense item on the budget where as PT and Chiro generate revenue<br> <br> <br> <br>
