Tyler's Thoughts: January 2024

Published in Complex Rehab on January 17, 2024

By Tyler Mahncke, President, U.S. Rehab

Dear U.S. Rehab Members, 

I sincerely hope that you all had a great holiday season and new year. 2024 is a clean slate and U.S. Rehab is excited to continue our work for YOU, our members, and to continue to build upon what we did in 2023. U.S. Rehab is seeing some changes going into 2024. I am excited to be taking over the role as President of U.S. Rehab as Greg Packer retires. I want to thank Greg for all of his work for U.S. Rehab over the years. He has made a massive impact in the CRT community. 

I am also excited to announce that Ted Metcalf is going to be joining the team as Director of Business Development, previously the VGM Regional Account Manager for TX, OK, and NM. He is the perfect fit for this role as he has many years of CRT experience both on the provider side and the manufacturer side. Please reach out to him at Ted.Metcalf@vgm.com with any questions that you may have and to congratulate him on his promotion!

First, we are thrilled to announce that we are launching new and improved online tech training courses coming early in 2024. These courses will cover everything from lift chairs to beds, manual CRT, power CRT, actuators, and electronics. You will be able to access these courses anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace. I am excited to bring these to you, so please keep your eyes out for more details as the first quarter rolls along. 

Secondly, we have been working hard at revamping our Assistive Technology Training Program (ATTP). Shortly after the online tech training is complete, you’ll see the ATP Academy course for those of you who are planning to sit for the Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) Exam. This course will prepare you for the exam by providing you with comprehensive and up-to-date information on the core areas of assistive technology practice.

Thirdly, we want to let you know that we are going to be working hard in Washington DC.. and at the state level to advocate for yours and your client’s interests as assistive technology providers. We are going to fight for the right to repair issues. We are also going to push for legislation that supports the provision of power standing equipment. And we are going to lobby for bills that allow for upgrades to devices with carbon and titanium materials.

Lastly, we are going to continue improving our functional mobility assessment (FMA) outcomes measure, which is a tool that helps us evaluate the impact of assistive technology on mobility and independence. We are going to collect more data, refine our methods, and validate our results. We want to make sure that our outcomes measure is reliable, valid, and useful for you and the clinicians that you partner with.

While these highlights represent just a glimpse of our collective achievements, they underscore the strength, resilience, and unity of our U.S. Rehab community. As we look toward the future, we are excited about the opportunities for further collaboration with all of our U.S. Rehab members. 

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1. complex rehab