Ben Boyle - Presidential candidateBen Boyle, PT, DPT, MsOL, FAAOMPT is the Chief Clinical Affairs Officer for IRG Physical & Hand Therapy focusing on clinical leadership, regulatory, and payer issues for 40 clinics in Washington. He also has demonstrated strong leadership in several key roles including President with APTA WA.  A strong legislative and community advocate, he has led many successful legislative initiatives in the state and continues to serve on several boards in the community.

Candidate Statement

Thank you to the nominating committee for the opportunity to be slated as a candidate for the position of Private Practice Director.  For the past 20 years I have enjoyed professional success as a clinician, administrator, leader, and executive.  My strong orientation toward continuous personal and professional development has helped me acquire the leadership skills that have prepared me to serve as Director on the Private Practice Board. 

Prior to beginning my career in physical therapy, I had the opportunity to work as part of a socio-technical consulting group for large government, for-profit, and non-profit organizations.  Perhaps my biggest takeaway from this experience was the leaders of successful organizations instill or in many cases re-establish responsible autonomy, promote adaptability in the face of complexity, identify meaningful tasks, and delegate the whole tasks based on the individuals or groups respective strengths.  These have been guiding principles for many of my leadership roles throughout my career and provide insight into how I would approach the role of Director.    

I initially began my physical therapy career as a physical therapist in an outpatient setting of a large hospital group.  I was fortunate to have significant support in my clinical development, but also mentorship in the operational aspects of a large health system.  I relocated to Washington in 2009, becoming a Clinic Director for a practice north of Seattle.  Utilizing strong clinical and leadership skills, I was able to significantly increase our revenue while maintaining strong clinical outcomes.  Becoming one of the highest performing clinics in the practice group.  Perhaps what I am most proud of during this time is creating a culture of continuous professional development and mentorship among the clinical staff that has produced several emerging leaders in the private practice setting. 

In my current role as Chief Clinical Affairs Officer with IRG Physical and Hand Therapy I am responsible for the clinical leadership and mentorship of our providers, using peer to peer mentoring, monitoring of clinical outcomes, and providing education and training on best practices.  Additionally, my role encompasses regulatory compliance and development of payer and employer relationships.  My experience in these areas has allowed our organization to successfully navigate the consistently changing regulatory landscape, but also increase payment by successfully participating in CMS MIPS program and implementing organizational wide usage of remote therapeutic monitoring codes.

I am a strong advocate for private practice and the physical therapy profession.  I have been successful in many leadership roles with APTA WA including, District Chair, Delegate, Legislative Chair, and President.  During this time, I have spearheaded the passage of legislation relevant to private practice; focusing on prior authorization, the regulation of health benefit managers, payment parity for telehealth, expedited provider credentialing, reimbursement for pandemic related personal protective equipment, and updating Professional Service Corporation laws to allow physical therapy practices to form partnerships with other healthcare professions. 

I believe the biggest challenges facing Private Practice in the next several years are payment for services, access to services, and expanding our relative presence and social capital in the health care and community environments.  I see several opportunities in the payment arena that include legislative advocacy efforts for inflationary adjustments to commercial provider contracts and scaling our participation in the direct to employer and self-insured marketplace.  We also need to address access barriers in private practice, from both the workforce and administrative burden perspectives.  APTA Private Practice is well positioned to serve as a catalyst and leader in expanding the presence and promoting the upward mobility of physical therapy and private practice specifically in the healthcare and community environments.  A collaborative approach accounting for the strengths of the organization and its members will be instrumental in achieving these goals. 

My diverse experience in multiple practice settings and leadership roles along with a dedication to service, has prepared me for the role of Director for the Private Practice Academy.  As Director I will focus on listening, collaboration, and guiding our organization towards meaningful action on the challenges and opportunities our members face.  I am honored to be nominated to serve the members of APTA Private Practice and humbly ask for your vote.