Standardized workforce data collection in physical therapy is critically important to help inform policy decisions and support the healthcare workforce effectively. This article is based on a presentation at the 2024 Annual Education Meeting by Mario Baker, Katie Brittain, and Meghan Warren.
Workforce data collection has been a topic of great importance in health policy making, particularly considering the challenges posed by the recent pandemic. The pandemic stretched the healthcare workforce to its limits, leading to burnout and an exodus from healthcare fields. Policymakers are increasingly seeking detailed and accurate information to inform their decisions, making workforce data collection a regulatory issue of paramount importance.
States regulate healthcare occupations to safeguard the welfare of their constituents. Having a complete understanding of the workforce in a jurisdiction is important for public protection. Without this knowledge, addressing shortages and understanding burnout is challenging. Understanding, finding, and removing barriers to access is essential for public protection. State boards are in a unique position to collect and maintain workforce data. All licensed professionals must maintain their licenses to engage in their practice and the state license renewal period provides a regular and systematic way to collect such data.
Workforce data can be broadly categorized into regulatory and supplemental data. Regulatory data typically includes identifiers such as name, date of birth, Social Security number, and address. It also covers license qualifying information like education and exams. Supplemental data delves deeper into the specifics of practice, including role, specialty, location, hours worked, types of services provided, and future employment plans. This comprehensive data collection enables a better understanding of workforce distribution and needs. For example, just the number of PTAs is not enough to understand the data—four PTAs working 10 hours a week equals one full-time PTA.
Not only is workforce data necessary to promote public protection, but, additionally, by taking on the role of collecting workforce information, regulatory boards can enhance their value in the eyes of their stakeholders. Therefore, beginning in 2020, several national healthcare regulatory associations recognized the strategic importance of workforce data collection:
The group partnered with the Healthcare Regulatory Research Institute (HRRI) and Veritas Health Solutions to develop a Cross Profession Minimum Data Set (CPMDS) tool as a consensus list of eighteen core questions and six supplemental questions designed to standardize data collection across various health professions. This framework allows for consistent and comparable data, facilitating more effective workforce planning and policymaking.
Implementing workforce data collection is not without its challenges. Jurisdictions and professions might encounter several barriers, including convincing stakeholders of the value of data collection, ensuring regulatory authority, funding the data collection process, and addressing concerns about data ownership and confidentiality.
The first barrier is often convincing the relevant boards of the value of workforce data collection and the unique position regulatory boards are in to collect workforce data at the time of license renewal. This requires demonstrating the value of data as it relates to evidence-based regulation and minimizing the perceived burden on boards. Data can be used to inform educational pipelines, gauge workforce shortages, support legislative efforts, and help with budgeting and resource allocation.
Another significant challenge is ensuring that there is a regulatory authority to collect workforce data. In many cases, states may need to pursue legislative changes to grant boards the necessary authority. FSBPT has language in the Model Practice Act that can help states navigate this process.
Another hurdle is funding the data collection process. States can consider various funding options, including state appropriations, private foundations, grants, and cost-recovery mechanisms. FSBPT can also serve as a resource, offering systems and grants that substantially decrease the burden of data collection and its impact on licensees.
Addressing concerns about data ownership, confidentiality, and sharing is crucial. The recommendation is to treat the data as public, ensuring it is aggregated and devoid of personal identifiers. This approach can mitigate concerns about confidentiality while still providing valuable insights.
Determining the framework for data collection involves deciding whether to partner with other organizations or undertake the process independently. It also requires selecting the entities that will collect the data, such as boards, universities, research institutions, or professional organizations. The specifics of what data will be collected must also be clearly defined.
In 2020, the Arizona Board of Physical Therapy approved a data committee to examine workforce data. The committee included board staff, board members, the Arizona APTA president, and licensed physical therapists. Over twelve months, the committee met eight times and presented its report in March 2022.
The data collection process involved sending renewal requests to physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, including additional questions about demographics and workforce participation. The final dataset included responses from 4,631 physical therapists and 1,564 physical therapist assistants. The data revealed insights into the race and ethnicity distribution of physical therapists in Arizona, highlighting disparities compared to the state population.
The Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy used the report to inform new rules about data collection for all health professionals in the state. For example, the new rules require that each board request information from applicants on an annual basis during the initial licensure and renewal processes. The data is now housed at the Arizona Department of Health Services, providing a centralized resource for workforce analysis. The Arizona APTA also used the data to understand workforce distribution and identify areas in need of support.
State boards can take proactive steps in implementing workforce data collection practices. By addressing barriers, using available resources, and committing to standardized data collection, boards can unlock critical insights that support effective policymaking and workforce planning.
Better data leads to better outcomes. Standardizing data collection across professions supports comparisons and analyses that can inform policy, programs, legislative efforts, and research. Workforce data is essential for understanding demand and availability, justifying funding requests, and demonstrating the value of regulatory boards. This data enables evidence-based, informed decision-making on critical matters.
HRRI offers a variety of resources to support workforce data collection, including a comprehensive toolkit, best practice guidelines, briefs based on specific stakeholder audiences, and customizable templates tailored to the needs of individual states or boards. Specifically, A Roadmap for Enhancing State Health Workforce Data: CPMDS Implementation Guide, is a step-by-step guide for states to use to navigate the hurdles to data collection and implement change. These resources simplify the process of data collection and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Engaging with other states and organizations that have successfully implemented data collection can also provide valuable insights and support.
It’s not just about data collection, but also what we do with the data. The Arizona Health Workforce can offer ideas and inspiration for the many ways this data can help advance important initiatives related to public health and public protection.
State boards should assess their current data collection practices and consider the benefits of standardized data collection. Whether starting from scratch or enhancing existing processes, the path forward involves identifying opportunities, addressing barriers, and leveraging resources to implement effective workforce data collection.
Mario Baker
Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Mario Baker, PT, DPT, MS, is an Assistant Professor of physical therapy at the University of Findlay. He is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, the Ohio Physical Therapy section of the Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers board, the Continuing Competence Committee for FSBPT, and the OTPTAT joint board.
He is an APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor and a board-certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist. He earned his bachelors of science degree in applied health science at Bowling Green State University, masters of science in biomedical sciences with a focus in physical therapy at the University of Toledo, and doctor of physical therapy at Arcadia University.
Katie Brittain
Workforce PT-CPMDS Task Force Member
Katie Brittain's goals have always been to achieve a meaningful impact on healthcare outcomes. Katie has been an active participant in the “legs” that impact the healthcare outcome “stool” including government, regulation, research, advocacy, education, payment, policy, business management, behavioral management, and quality.
One specific area of focus for Katie has included the need to ensure access and availability of healthcare providers in the state of Louisiana. Gathering data on the physical therapist workforce has been a starting point. Katie’s work in access and availability has been supported by work on the MDS and CPMDS.
Meghan Warren
Senior Program Officer at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Meghan is a Senior Program Officer at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and adjunct faculty in the department of public health at San Diego State University. Before that, she was a faculty member in the department of physical therapy and athletic training and Program Director of the interdisciplinary health PhD program at Northern Arizona University from 2006 to 2020.
Meghan is a physical therapist with over twenty-five years of experience and completed her master of public health and PhD in epidemiology. She was appointed by the Arizona State Physical Therapy Board for a Data Committee for licensee information from 2021 to 2022.