Orchestrating Care: Advanced PT at Lawrence University

The team behind the Lawrence University Conservatory

As the physical therapist serving music students at her alma mater, Amber Lisowe knew what question was coming first. She answered it before it was even asked.

“No, I don’t have any musical skills. None whatsoever.”

Her patients at Lawrence University don’t really care. They are less concerned with any musical predisposition she might share with them and more interested in the skills she brings diagnosing and treating their musculoskeletal issues.

And those issues can be considerable.

“These students are practicing and playing for hours, every day,” said Lisowe. “Imagine being in these athletic positions, using your arms and hands, your back, for that long.”

Her use of the term “athletic” is deliberate.

“There are a lot of similarities between collegiate musicians and their counterparts on the field,” Lisowe said. “Both are passionate, and both deal with injury.”

While Lisowe might deem her history of musical pursuits minimal, her athletic undertakings were anything but. A multisport athlete in high school, Lisowe went on to play basketball at Lawrence. As with many athletes who follow the path toward a career in the medical sciences, Lisowe was familiar with injury.

“At Lawrence, I tore my ACL,” said Lisowe. “Twice.”

The first happened early in her freshman season, a devastating blow but one she was determined to overcome. An ACL tear is a season-ending injury with a rehabilitation period of 9-12 months, but Lisowe was passionate about her sport and getting back to it as quickly as possible.

There’s a period of mourning, Lisowe says, that can last until you’re back on the hardwood. The rehab process means you don’t get back to practicing on the court for a full five months. By this time, any concerns of re-injury were the furthest thing from her mind.

“I’d already done running things in therapy, some jumping and cutting, so by the time you get a ball in your hands, your body just kind of takes over and falls into those routines,” Lisowe said. “When you’re back to playing competitively, your focus has shifted from thinking about the leg itself to the dynamics of the game.”

Lisowe would tear her other ACL in her senior year.

“With the first injury, I knew I could work hard and return for my sophomore season. This time there was no next season for me. Definitely a big thing,” she said.

Those serious injuries led to firsthand physical therapy experiences, which in turn kindled Lisowe’s burgeoning interest in the field. Following Lisowe’s time at Lawrence (she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts from Lawrence in 2014), she went on to earn her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science. She joined Advanced Physical Therapy soon after to work in their Neenah clinic.

The opportunity for Lisowe to work with Lawrence University Conservatory of Music students happened when LU’s longtime physical therapist, Advanced PT’s Phil Sorensen, looked to cut down on his hours. Lisowe jumped at the chance to return to Lawrence.

“Coming from a smaller town, Lawrence was such a great place for me to find myself,” said Lisowe. “The growth and experiences I had there, the friendships I made, really helped shape who I am today. Athletics got me on campus, but the academics and everything Lawrence offers is what really drew me in.”

Lisowe now finds herself at Lawrence one hour a week, providing physical therapy sessions for her student-patients. She sees a range of musicians—freshmen to seniors, flute to clarinet, oboe to piano—with a variety of orthopedic issues.

“A lot of what I do is helping them to manage their pain, figure out what’s causing it, getting them stronger and finding the best positions to hold their instrument,” she said. “There’s not a certain group of people that appear to be more at risk. I enjoy training and teaching them all.”

Sorensen, who worked with LU’s music students for nearly a decade, describes the experience there as unique.

“There’s just such joy there. These students will walk out of a session and begin playing their horn, and stuff like that. It’s just a really cool atmosphere. It makes you young again.”

Lisowe too recognizes the special nature of the gig, one that gives as much as it gets.

“I just love being back here. I think it was meant to be,” she said. “I love being able to make a difference for such a diverse group of talented individuals.”

Mentioning the variety of students she helps, Lisowe notes the common trait all these musicians possess. And despite being “non-musical,” it’s a characteristic she shares with them, as demonstrated throughout her athletic career.

“They are all very motivated to get better so they can continue doing what they love,” said Lisowe.

Click here to learn more about Amber and Phil and the clinics they serve at in addition to their responsibilities at Lawrence.

Near-Site Care for School Districts

Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine's location at 402 Eureka Street is part of a multi-specialty clinic delivering high quality, low cost services to Ripon Area School District employees in 2023.

Only a generation ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find a school district in Wisconsin self-funding their health insurance.

Oh, how times have changed.

About 40% of school districts statewide are now self-funded, and that number continues to trend upwards. With self-funding, employers pay for claims out-of-pocket as they are presented instead of paying a pre-determined premium to an insurance carrier for a fully funded plan.

In essence, the employer becomes the insurance company.

One of the most recent to join the ranks is the Ripon Area School District (RASD), which will go self-funded in 2023. They will add a near-site medical clinic as well, with multiple care providers including a primary care physician, cardiologists, an orthopedic surgeon, and physical therapists available free to RASD staff.

Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, a leader in direct contracting and onsite/near-site physical and occupational therapy care, will supply the physical therapy at the near-site clinic.

School districts must be laser-focused on the cost of health care, generally the second biggest budget outlay after salaries. With rising health care costs, districts know that money has to come from somewhere, and the simple truth is this: when revenue doesn’t increase and the cost of health care and operations does, those dollars will come from just about every student-centered program in the district.

Becoming wise consumers of health care is on every district’s and employer’s agenda—looking at data, doing their homework, finding the best care at the best cost—so money that is saved can go to the education of students, facility needs, or employee cost of living increases.

To learn more about the money-saving steps being taken in Ripon and other districts across the state, read Bethany Gengler’s article from the Ripon Commonwealth Press here:

https://www.riponpress.com/news/ripon-area-school-district-will-make-switch-to-self-funded-insurance/article_873ec986-605e-11ed-a2af-17529821152a.html

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October is National Physical Therapy Month!

By Adam Wirtz, PT, DPT

In celebration of Physical Therapy month, I thought it would beneficial to share some facts about our profession:

Physical therapists (PTs) are movement experts who optimize the quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education.  PTs and the licensed physical therapist assistants (PTAs) may team up to provide care across the lifespan to anyone of any ability.

There are many benefits to physical therapy. Some of these include the following:

Ø It can maximize your movement. PTs can identify, diagnose, and treat movement problems.  Pain-free movement is essential for good quality of life, your ability to earn a living, and your ability to remain independent.

Ø Personalized care that meets your specific needs.  PTs design individualized treatment plans to address each patient’s needs, challenges, and goals.  PTs and PTAs improve patient mobility, manage/decrease pain and other chronic conditions, recovery from injury/surgery, and aim to prevent future injury and chronic disease.

Ø Accessibility.  PTs and PTAs provide care in a variety of settings, including hospitals, private practices, outpatient clinics, homes, schools, sports and fitness facilities, work settings, and nursing homes.  During these uncertain times during the pandemic, choosing to see a PT first can help to reduce patient traffic in physician offices.  This can allow physicians to focus more on caring for patients that are more critically ill or are at risk of becoming critically ill from COVID-19 or other illnesses such as influenza.  It also means that you do not have to risk being around patients at a hospital or clinic that may possibly be ill with a contagious pathogen.

Ø Active participation in care.  PTs and PTAs empower and motivate people to be active participants in their care.  They also work in collaboration with other medical professionals to make sure patients receive high-quality care.

Ø Reduces the use of opioids.  In certain situations, when dosed appropriately, prescription opioid medications can be an appropriate part of medical care.  However, current CDC guidelines are urging medical providers to consider safer alternatives to opioids like physical therapy for most long-term pain.  Opioids have several risks including depression, overdose, and addiction, plus withdrawal symptoms when stopping use.

Ø Avoid surgery.  Before undergoing expensive or invasive surgery, consider physical therapy first.  There is mounting evidence that physical therapy can be as effective or in some cases even better than surgery for conditions such as meniscal tears and knee osteoarthritis, rotator cuff tears, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disk disease.

Now that you are aware of some of the benefits of PT, let’s address the topic of direct access.

Did you know that you have the freedom to choose your own physical therapist?

Ø  Currently, you may be evaluated by a PT without a physician’s referral in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  In addition, all 50 states and the District of Columbia allow some level of treatment by a PT without a physician’s referral.  This is referred to as “direct access” to physical therapy services.

Ø  Some insurance policies may require you to see a primary care provider or physician prior to seeing a physical therapist.  Also, some insurers may limit your access to preferred providers only.  Contact your insurance company to make sure you are aware of any of these policies.

Ø  If you have Medicare as your primary insurance, you are able to see a PT for an evaluation without a physician’s referral.  The PT would then send the plan of care to the patient’s physician for signature.  Once this is signed treatment can be continued.

Ø  Your physician may refer you for physical therapy that is provided in the physician’s office, or to a facility in which the physician has a financial interest.  However, you are not obligated to attend PT in any specific facility or location.  You can choose where you would prefer to attend physical therapy and which licensed physical therapist you would like to see if you have a preference.

Now that you know all about the benefits of PT and your ability to choose your physical therapist, the next time you have an aching knee, a bum shoulder, a sore heel, or an injured lower back, consider finding a physical therapist first to help you get back to moving well!

Our clinics are low traffic, safe environments that allow for continuity of care for those individuals that may not be able to get into their doctor’s office, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.  We have implemented deep cleaning protocols and patient screening procedures to minimize the risk of infected individuals entering our clinics.

You can find a physical therapist by name or location.

October is National Physical Therapy Month!

Adam Wirtz, DPT, PT, OCS

In celebration of National Physical Therapy Month, I thought it would be beneficial to share some facts about our profession:

Physical therapists (PT’s) are movement experts who optimize quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education.  PT’s and the licensed physical therapist assistants (PTA’s) they may team with provide care across the lifespan to anyone of any ability.

There are many benefits to physical therapy. Some of which include the following:

Ø It can maximize your movement. PT’s can identify, diagnose, and treat movement problems.  Pain-free movement is essential for good quality of life, your ability to earn a living, and your ability to remain independent.

Ø Personalized care that meets your specific needs.  PT’s design individualized treatment plans to address each patients’ needs, challenges, and goals.  PT’s and PTA’s improve patient mobility, manage/decrease pain and other chronic conditions, recovery from injury/surgery, and aim to prevent future injury and chronic disease.

Ø Accessibility.  PT’s and PTA’s provide care in a variety of settings including hospitals, private practices, outpatient clinics, homes, schools, sports and fitness facilities, work settings, and nursing homes.

Ø Active participation in care.  PT’s and PTA’s empower and motivate people to be active participants in their care.  They also work in collaboration with other medical professionals to make sure patients receive high quality, comprehensive care.

Ø Reduces use of opioids.  In certain situations, when dosed appropriately, prescription opioid medications can be an appropriate part of medical care.  However, current CDC guidelines are urging medical providers to consider safer alternatives to opioids, like physical therapy, for most long-term pain management.  Opioids have several risks including depression, overdose, and addiction; plus withdrawal symptoms when stopping use.

Ø Avoid surgery.  Before undergoing expensive or invasive surgery, consider physical therapy first.  There is mounting evidence that physical therapy can be as effective, or in some cases, even better than surgery for conditions such as meniscal tears and knee osteoarthritis, rotator cuff tears, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disk disease.

Now that you are aware of some of the benefits of PT, let’s address the topic of direct access.

Did you know that you have the freedom to choose your own physical therapist?

Ø  Currently, you may be evaluated by a PT without a physician’s referral in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  In addition, all 50 states and the District of Columbia allow some level of treatment by a PT without a physician’s referral.  This is referred to as “direct access” to physical therapy services.

Ø  Some insurance policies may require you to see a primary care provider or physician prior to seeing a physical therapist.  Also, some insurers may limit your access to preferred providers only.  Contact your insurance company to make sure you are aware of any of these policies.

Ø  If you have Medicare as your primary insurance, you are able to see a PT for an evaluation without a physician’s referral.  The PT would then send the plan of care to the patient’s physician for signature.  Once this is signed, treatment can be continued.

Ø  Your physician may refer you for physical therapy that is provided in the physician’s office, or to a facility in which the physician has a financial interest.  However, you are not obligated to attend PT in any specific facility or location.  You can choose where you would prefer to attend physical therapy and which licensed physical therapist you would like to see- if you have a preference.

Now that you know all about the benefits of PT and your ability to choose your physical therapist, the next time you have an aching knee, a bum shoulder, or an injured lower back, consider finding a physical therapist to help you get back to moving well!

You can find a physical therapist in your area at www.moveforwardpt.com