Health Services Research on the Rise

— Today more than ever, physical therapist researchers are focusing on health services research to validate the value and cost effectiveness of physical therapy services. One such researcher is two-time Foundation scholarship recipient Adam P. Goode, PT, DPT, PhD. Goode joined the Foundation-funded Center on Health Services Training and Research (CoHSTAR) initiative in 2015 as the program’s first faculty fellow. Under the mentorship of Anthony Delitto, PT, PhD, FAPTA, and Kelley Fitzgerald, PT, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, Goode worked on the development of integrated and collaborative care models between physical therapists and primary care physicians, and worked with CoHSTAR collaborators in the developing patient-reported outcome measures to be included in electronic health records for patients with knee osteoarthritis. As one of many Foundation-funded researchers who go on to secure add-on funding, Goode recently was awarded a $2.4 million R01 grant from NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to study biomarkers to advance clinical phenotypes of low back pain. From this longitudinal study, Goode hopes to use biochemical biomarkers related to mechanical cartilage degradation, inflammation, and pain to better understand individuals who may develop low back pain from intervertebral disc degeneration or facet joint osteoarthritis.

Select Foundation Grants and Scholarships Awarded

Goode was able to further explore the world of HSR when he joined the Center on Health Services Training and Research (CoHSTAR) in 2015. After the 43rd Mary McMillan Lecture, titled “Face into the Storm,” was presented to attendees at the NEXT Conference & Exposition in 2012, a nationwide call was made to members of the profession to take a front-seat role and become proactive in devising, implementing, and evaluating health policy and cost-effective health care. 2012 would prove to be a pivotal point in the profession and spur the creation of this multi-institutional center dedicated to advancing health services and health policy research in physical therapy. Among its faculty fellowship recruits was Adam Goode.

Goode joined CoHSTAR as its first faculty fellow. Under the mentorship of Anthony Delitto, PT, PhD, FAPTA, and Kelley Fitzgerald, PT, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, Goode worked on developing integrated and collaborative care models between physical therapists and primary care physicians, and worked with CoHSTAR collaborators in the developing patient-reported outcome measures to be implemented in electronic health records for patients with knee osteoarthritis. The hope is that this would improve access and efficiency of musculoskeletal care and improve patient and provider satisfaction, as well as improve the efficiency of measuring functional outcomes for patients with knee osteoarthritis while simultaneously improving the ease of measuring functional outcomes for large-scale clinical studies.

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

ADAM P. GOODE, PT, DPT, PhD

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

  • Allen KD, Arbeeva L, Callahan LF, Golightly YM, Goode AP, Heiderscheit BC, Huffman KM, Severson HH, Schwartz TA “Physical therapy vs internet-based exercise training for patients with knee osteoarthritis: results of a randomized controlled trial”

  • Erik Carvalho, Janet P Bettger, Lynn Bowlby, Marissa Carvalho, Daniel Dore, Misty W Corcoran, Ashley A Harris, Jennifer Bond, Adam P Goode “Integration of musculoskeletal physical therapy care in the patient-centred medical home (IMPaC): protocol for a single-site randomised clinical trial”

  • Carvalho E, Bettger JP, Goode AP “Insurance Coverage, Costs, and Barriers to Care for Outpatient Musculoskeletal Therapy and Rehabilitation Services”