Payment Committee:

2026 Spring Payment Webinar

April 22-23, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM 

Location: Virtual via Zoom

Hosted by the Payment Committee

This seminar provides essential regulatory and payment updates affecting physical therapy providers across the care continuum, including hospitals, private practices, CORFs, Rehab Agencies, Home Health, and Skilled Nursing Facilities. Participants will review current federal and state initiatives aimed at improving payment and access to PT services, as well as key compliance and ethical considerations in coding, billing, and defensible documentation. The session will examine recent regulatory changes and their impact on reimbursement, highlight ongoing advocacy efforts to strengthen payment policies, and outline developments in existing and emerging payment models. Attendees will also explore opportunities to expand services through innovative technologies and hybrid models of care. The seminar concludes with an overview of current compliance trends and regulatory requirements influencing provider payment and physical therapy practice.

Speakers:
Thomas M. (Tom) Howell, PT, MPT is the Payment Specialist for APTA-PA and Chair of the APTA-PA Payment Committee. Tom is from Philadelphia and graduated from Hahnemann (Drexel) but then spent 25 years out West returning to PA in 2017. He has been an APTA member since 1988 and held the position of Payment Specialist with the Idaho Physical Therapy Association. Tom is past President of the IPTA and served as the IPTA Federal Affairs Liaison. He is a member of the APTA HPA the Catalyst section and a former member of the HPA Bylaws committee. He was a private practice owner for 12 years out West and currently works for Strive Physical Therapy doing OP PT @ Home (also known as mobile PT).

Deborah Alexander, CHC, CHPC, PMP, DPT, MEd, ATC R, CSCS, is a seasoned physical therapy and healthcare compliance expert with over 40 years of professional experience across outpatient orthopedics, acute care, home health, and skilled nursing settings. A graduate of Thomas Jefferson University (PT), Temple University (MEd), and Simmons University (DPT), she has dedicated the past two decades to healthcare compliance consulting with specialized expertise in HIPAA, audit defense, coding and billing accuracy, compliance program development, risk analysis, and policy creation. She also serves as project and product manager for multiple healthcare compliance and documentation SaaS solutions.

Deb has held significant leadership roles, including Director of Post Acute Care and Compliance Advisory at LW Consulting, Inc., CEO of PT Compliance Group, and Regional Director of Clinical Operations for a large skilled nursing provider overseeing PT, OT, SLP, and respiratory care. She currently works as a Senior Consultant and project/product manager with LW Consulting, Inc., and provides compliance auditing within a multi disciplinary practice serving early intervention, pediatric, and adult populations in Virginia.
A Payment Specialist and active member of the APTA PA Payment Committee, Deb holds certifications in healthcare compliance, healthcare privacy, and project management. She is a frequent national and state level speaker and has contributed content for APTA Digital Health training, PPS Impact Magazine, and APTA HPSO risk assessment and licensure protection resources.

Nuket Curran, PT, DPT, CHC is a Payment Specialist for the APTA-PA, member of the APTA-PA Payment Committee and currently serves as the SWD Chair for the APTA-PA. She is certified in Healthcare Compliance and works for US Physical Therapy as the National Director of Clinical Services and Compliance. Nuket has worked in compliance departments both as director and compliance officer for over 15 years. She owned two small outpatient PT practices in the greater Pittsburgh area and in Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK) providing orthopedic Part B services and more recently a compliance consulting business. She serves as an adjunct lecturer at Chatham and Duquesne University teaching compliance and business topics to students. Nuket completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh and completed her PT degree at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, UK. She attended Utica College to complete her transitional Doctorate in Physical Therapy where she also served as a faculty member.

Contact Hours:5.5 General Hours and 1 Ethics Hour available. You must attend both days to receive all credit hours. Day 1 - 2.5 general hours. Day 2 - 2.5 general hours and 1 ethics hour.

Registration is $130 for members, $275 for non-members, and $10 for students. After registering, be sure to save your confirmation email, as it contains the Zoom link needed to join the event on the day.