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A New England Journal of Medicine. "Study Finds Physical Therapy Just as Effective as Surgery in Patients with a Torn Meniscus and Arthritis of the Knee." Study Finds Physical Therapy Just as Effective as Surgery in Patients with a Torn Meniscus and Arthritis of the Knee. American Physical Therapy Association, 21 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. This is an article depicting a study that showed physical therapy can be just as, if not more, effective as surgery. Most of the patients in the study were 45 years old or older and had some sort of knee injury. Those who went to physical therapy first found that many of their injuries could be fixed through physical therapy and they could avoid surgery altogether. The majority of patients who had surgery first discovered that they could have just as easier fixed the problem by going to therapy, but instead had to pay extra for the surgery and go to physical therapy anyway. "This study demonstrates what physical therapists have long known," explained APTA President Paul A. Rockar Jr, PT, DPT, MS. "Surgery may not always be the best first course of action. A physical therapist, in many cases, can help patients avoid the often unnecessary risks and expenses of surgery.”  "our findings suggest that a course of physical therapy in this patient population may be a good first choice since there were no group differences at 6 months and 12 months in this trial. These findings should help surgeons, physicians, physical therapists, and patients in decision-making regarding their treatment options." This study was done by qualified surgeons, physical therapists, and physicians. This study was done using multiple patients from many different background and allowed them to choose whether they wanted to go through physical therapy or have surgery first. I will be able to use this source to show how having surgery before trying physical therapy can be more harmful and costly than good.

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Percy, Susan. "Georgia's Hospitals: Rural Hospitals In Crisis." Features. Georgia Trends, Dec. 2016. Web. 25 Jan. 2017. This source describes the relationship between local rural hospitals in Georgia and physical therapy. The main subject is how physical therapist help hospitals financially, but also indirectly. When patients come to the hospital the doctors are required to give treatment. Most pay with Medicare or Medicaid. However these programs are causing hospital workers to go unpaid. When patients do not attend physical therapy they are going right back to the doctor over and over again, but with the proper therapy patients will only have to make one visit to the hospital and local rural hospital will be able to slowly get themselves out of debt. Many patients known as “frequent fliers” are using the emergency room for non-emergencies in order to get medical help without having to pay. “Penalties can be especially hard on hospitals that serve large numbers of low-income patients who may have difficulty following physicians’ instructions or taking medications after they are discharged.” -Additional Burdens. Many patients do not have the insurance to go to physical therapy so they don’t and, on average, these people will end up back at the emergency room within 30 days of their initial release. The article is from the Georgia Trend and was written in December 2016. There are multiple quotes from local physicians, doctors, governors, and other governing officials. The article was written only a month ago so it is not old news. I will use this article to demonstrate the connections hospitals and physical therapists have both intentionally and unintentionally.
 

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