APTA Learning Center

Your Access to Trusted Continuing Education

VETERANS ADMINISTRATION - Population Health for Primary Care Physical Therapy

  • Register
    • Non-Member - $25
    • PT Member - Free!
    • PTA Member - Free!
    • Student - Free!
    • Post-Professional Student - Free!
    • Staff - Free!

In the larger picture of our health care system, it is becoming increasingly important to look at factors that play into population health. The quintuple aim to achieve better health and improved economy has evolved over time to include patient experience, better outcomes, lower costs, clinician well-being and now also health equity. The primary care physical therapist is perfectly suited to impact all of these areas influencing the health care experience and well-being of society. This course aims to provide an overview of the impact of, and the physical therapist's ability to influence population health elements through the patients we serve.  

Learning Objectives:

  1. Recognize the influence of population health for PT in the primary care setting, especially for chronic disease.
  2. Identify the 4 major elements of population health.
  3. Recognize how the primary care PT can contribute to all 4 elements of population health.
  4. Understand how environment can directly and indirectly influence biology and health outcomes.

Ashley R. Cassel

PT, DPT, OCS, CSMT

Ashley Cassel, PT, DPT, OCS  is a board certified orthopedic physical therapy specialist with experience practicing in a direct access, primary care physical therapy setting. Ashley serves as the Chief of Outpatient Physical Therapy at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System where she has 15+ years of clinical experience practicing in an outpatient setting including primary care direct access physical therapy. Ashley is a subject matter expert member of the VHA National PACT PT Diffusion Team working to spread the best practice of embedding PT in Primary Care throughout VHA by 2025. She co-founded and serves on the board of the APTA Federal Primary Care Special Interest Group where she is project lead on the petition to establish Primary Care PT as a recognized area of specialty and residency practice.  

Megan Daman

MAN, APRN

Megan Daman (pronouns she and her) is Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Program Manager for Minneapolis VA Health Care System. She’s been a nurse over twenty years and achieved board certification as an Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist in 2010. Megan has a passion for health and wellness, and supporting everyone – Veterans and staff members - to achieve their defined highest level of functioning. Outside of work, Megan enjoys being physically active in nature with her husband, twin children and wrangling bird dogs.

Molly J. Lahn

DPT, PhD

Molly J. Lahn, PT, DPT, PhD is a clinical specialist with the Minneapolis VA Healthcare System. Her PhD studies focused on the science and practice of mind-body medicine and its central role in our evolving healthcare system. Dr. Lahn has also taught at the graduate level and conducted training for both healthcare professionals and patients in stress resiliency and trauma-informed care. She is a current member of the Biopsychosocial Physical Therapy Mentorship Program serving rural VA sites nationwide.  

Course Instructions

  1. Click on the Contents tab to watch the course recording.
  2. Click the Take Quiz button to complete the assessment. Learners will have 3 attempts to pass and must answer at least 70% of questions correctly.
  3. Click Fill Out Survey under the Evaluation listing to provide valuable course feedback. Scroll down on all questions as there may be answer options that expand past the size of the window.
  4. Click the View/Print Your Certificate button under the Certificate listing. You can view/print your certificate at any time by visiting the APTA Learning Center and clicking the CEU Certificate/Transcript link on the left-hand side of the page. 

Need Assistance?

For assistance logging in, accessing activities, claiming credit, or for other questions or concerns, please e-mail learningcenter@apta.org. 

Key:

Complete
Failed
Available
Locked
Video
Open to view video.
Open to view video.
Assessment
15 Questions  |  3 attempts  |  11/15 points to pass
15 Questions  |  3 attempts  |  11/15 points to pass
Evaluation
19 Questions
19 Questions Your comments are important to us! Submit your feedback about the course through this evaluation.
CEU Certificate
Up to 0.10 contact hours available  |  Certificate available
Up to 0.10 contact hours available  |  Certificate available Download and save certificate for future use.