The Physical Therapist is a licensed professional (LPT) responsible for evaluating, planning and implementing physical therapy service to patients in their home or current residence as prescribed by the attending physician. The therapist works as a member of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team.QUALIFICATIONSGraduate of a state approved school of physical therapy accredited by the American Physical Therapy AssociationMinimum of 6 months acute care or rehabilitation center experience. Outpatient therapy experience may be considered if practice included medical/surgical patientsLicensed as a Physical Therapist in the Commonwealth of PennsylvaniaReliable, independent means of transportation to make home visits. Drivers must have a valid driver’s license and drive a car with insurance limits as established in personnel policiesClinical SkillsPerforms the initial start of care assessment for patients admitted for therapy only within 24 hours of receiving the referralPerforms a comprehensive evaluation of patients by applying diagnostic and prognostic muscle, nerve, joint and functional ability testsDevelops the plan of care cooperatively with the physician, patient/family and other team members with revisions based on the patient’s conditionInstructs patients, families and other health care team members in the total physical therapy program including, but not limited to the home exercise program, the proper and safe use of prosthetic, orthotic and assistive devices and safe transfer activitiesSupervises the assigned home health aide every 14 days when the physical therapist is the coordinating health professionalThe admission, carried out after adequate orientation, is comprehensive in nature and follows assessment guidelinesPlans with the patient, family and other team members for the patient’s discharge from servicePhysical Therapy Assistant (PTA) SUPERVISIONThe Licensed Physical Therapist is responsible for the supervision of the care provided to specific patients by the PTA. The PTA may not carry out the initial Physical Therapy evaluation, develop the care plan, secure physician’s orders, or independently discharge the patient. Supervision is carried out by:The Licensed Physical Therapist will provide an on-site visit and actively participate in the patient’s treatment once every 7th visit or every 14 calendar days, whichever occurs first, to re-evaluate the patient based on treatment response, clinical needs, functional status and goal progression.The LPT is responsible for the PTA competency evaluation, any necessary remediation, and the performance evaluation of the PTA.All notes written by the physical therapy assistant will be co-signed by the supervising licensed physical therapist.DocumentationCompletes the PT evaluation within a reasonable time frame per the patients clinical status after acceptance of the referral to determine the immediate care and support needs of the client, otherwise specified by the physician or requested by the clients with permission of the patients physician.Completes required documentation for on-going services on the day of the visitCompletes the discharge order and summary/transferPrepares patient record for recertification, as appropriate