Frequently Asked Questions

AOTA is a great resource for many OT-related questions. Contact www.aota.org or by phone at 1-800-377-8555 or 301-652-2682. The Practice Framework is a document developed by AOTA and is copyright protected. Anyone interested in obtaining the Practice Framework can order it from AOTA.

Continuing Education

What is MOTA's cancellation policy?
Refunds are available if cancellation occurs before the cancellation date for the specific CE event. A MOTA member who does not cancel prior to the cancellation date for an event will receive a certificate good for a MOTA Conference, Continuing Education event or video library, less the processing fee.

How can I get a course certified for credits?
MOTA does not certify that any CE course offered by MOTA or any other provider will be accepted for CE credit by the MN Department of Health. The MN Department of Health does not pre-certify that any CE courses. For more information, refer to the particular category the course falls under in the OT Practitioner Rules and talk to the Dept. of Health with questions. CE providers can award contact hours through a certificate of attendance with the date, title, speaker (name and credentials), and number of contact hours that is distributed to attendees at the end of the course.

How do I get MOTA to sponsor or co-sponsor a continuing education event?
To do a course as a MOTA sponsored event, contact one of the Education Chair as there are policies and procedures for MOTA CE.

Is MOTA an AOTA Approved Provider?
Yes. Read more information HERE.

Education

Degree Requirements for Occupational Therapist

• In 2007, AOTA will no longer accredit baccalaureate degree programs in OT. That means that after 2007, all programs will move to the master's degree as the entry level into the profession.
• All current OT programs in MN are at the master’s degree level, although some allow students to begin their graduate coursework before they get their baccalaureate degree. These are called dual degree programs. Students earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree while in the program. Both the College of St. Catherine and the College of St. Scholastica offer this format.
• The College of St. Catherine also offers a weekend format dual degree and entry-level master's program.
• The University of Minnesota offers an entry-level Master of Occupational Therapy. A learner centered hybrid (blended) educational model combines distance and traditional educational methodologies to afford learning-in-place and learning-on-demand. Students are admitted to either the UofM-Twin Cities or UofM-Rochester performance sites for their on-campus learning experiences.
• Links to all three programs can be found on the Resources pages of this web site.
• While a master's degree is not currently required to be eligible to sit for the national certification exam, you can expect that in a few years, it will be.
• Nationally, there are very few baccalaureate programs still offered. Prospective students can go to http://www.aota.org/, and go to the prospective student web page to find out what programs are offered in each state.

Degree Requirements for Occupational Therapy Assistant

• OTA education is at the associate degree level, 2-year programs.
• There are 3 in MN: College of St. Catherine, Minneapolis campus, Anoka-Hennepin Technical College, and East Grand Forks TC. Links to these programs can be found on the Resources pages of this web site.

What are the admissions requirements to become an OT or OTA?
The requirements will vary somewhat depending on the program (OT or OTA) and the school. It is best to check the web site of the individual programs for this information.

MOTA Board

Can a board member give someone a proxy to represent them at a board meeting?
Yes, they need to send a written message to the secretary, It can be an email, a hand written note at the time of the meeting or a letter prior to the meeting.

Can I buy labels of MOTA members?
Yes, if it’s for an education course, labels can be purchased for $35 flat fee for members/ $50 for nonmembers plus $.05/name unless it’s a MOTA sponsored event, then it’s free. Labels can be pulled by geographic area and/or specialty.

Who gets the MOTA newsletter?
All members, newsletter advertisers, AOTA office. And the MN Chapter APTA office, MN Chapter APTA President.

What does it cost to rent a video from the Videotape Library?
Members may rent videotapes from MOTA’s videotape library for a handling fee of $15 plus tax. The videos are listed on the video library page in the Resources section of the MOTA web site.

Jobs

Is salary information available?
Yes, from AOTA. It is also available from the Minnesota Department of Economic Security, whose web address is http://www.mnworkforcecenter.org/ Click on salary survey and then search by job title and region in Minnesota.

Where can I find information on current job openings?
Click on Employment on the left side of the MOTA web pages.

What is the job outlook for OT’s in MN?
The outlook is good. Minnesota Employment Outlook by Occupation, 2000-2010 Projects Occupational Therapists’ jobs will increase by 31.4% through 2010. http://www.deed.state.mn.us/lmi/tools/projections/display.asp?geog=2701000000Minnesota&data=21020&code=291122
Approximately 30% of the fastest growing occupations in MN are in the Allied Health Professions U.S. Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics (2004) Fastest Growing Occupations, 2002-2012, lists Occupational Therapy as one of 30 fastest growing professions in USA and projects that occupational therapists’ jobs will increase by 35% (29,000 jobs) through 2012. “Employment of occupational therapists is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through 2012." (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004, http://bls.gov/oco/ocos078.htm)

Why is the need for occupational therapy increasing?

1. Growth in the population 75 years and older—an age group that suffers from high incidences of disabling conditions and the aging baby boomer generation will increase the number of elderly needing services.
2. Technological advances are saving more high risk, premature infants who need occupational therapy services to aid normal development.
3. More efficient and effective medical care is saving victims of trauma who need therapy services to regain independence.
4. Employment growth in schools will result from the expansion of the school-age population and extended services for disabled and at-risk students. Therapists will be needed to help children with disabilities prepare to enter special education programs.
5. There is an increased need for occupational therapists to rehabilitate members of the US armed forces wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Licensure

Continuing Education Requirements

How many contact hours do I need to keep my license? In Minnesota, occupational therapists need 24 contact hours every 2 years, and occupational therapy assistants need 18 contact hours every 2 years. A contact hour is an hour of continuing education activity. The licensure law is very specific about what types of continuing education activities, and how many contact hours in each category of continuing education may be applied to the requirements for licensure renewal. Links to the full statute can be found in the Government Affairs pages of the MOTA web site.

Where do I report my contact hours/continuing education credits? The MN Dept. of Health sends each practitioner a continuing education log form with his or her renewal application packet. MN does NOT have a form for each event or session (some states do). MOTA does NOT track individuals’ credits. Refer to the MN Dept of Health licensure statutes to determine whether something they want to attend fits a category. Each practitioner is responsible for completing the continuing education log. It is not necessary to attach copies of certificates of attendance to the form as long as all the required information is recorded on the log. Each practitioner should keep certificates of attendance in a file in a safe place in the event of an audit by the Department of Health. MOTA keeps the attendance sheets of all courses for 5 years. Certificates cannot be reproduced. If a therapist gets audited then the MOTA Education Chair has proof through the sign in sheets that the individual was present.

OTA Supervision Requirements

Are there supervision guidelines for OTAs? Yes.

• The MN Dept. of Health has statutory language regarding the supervision of OTAs which are available to the public from the MN Dept. of Health web site. A link to this web site can be found in the Government Affairs and Resources sections of the MOTA web site. Once at the web site, click on regulatory requirements to see the text of the law.
• American Occupational Therapy Association has guidelines which can be found in the members only section (Practice & Ethics) of its website.
• These documents may also be useful:
  • Guidelines for the Supervision, Roles, and Responsibilities During the Delivery of Occupational Therapy Services (Also in Dec. 2004 AJOT)
  • Roles and Responsibilities of the Occupational Therapist and the Occupational Therapy Assistant During the Delivery of Occupational Therapy Services (Also in Dec. 2002 AJO
  • Parameters for Appropriate Supervision of the Occupational Therapy Assistant (Also in Dec. 2002 AJOT)
  • Standards of Practice for Occupational Therapy (Will also be printed in the Dec. 2005 AJOT)

Temporary License Supervision

Does an occupational therapist with a temporary license need to be supervised?
Yes. See the MN Dept. of Health statutes for information on the amount and frequency of supervision required.

Reimbursement

Medicare

What resources does MOTA offer about Medicare reimbursement?

• MOTA members can contact the Reimbursement Chair with questions about Medicare reimbursement.
• AOTA members have access to a variety of online resources from the AOTA web site (Reimbursement pages).
• All occupational therapists can access the Medicare web site at http://www.cms.hhs.gov

Medical Assistance

How do I appeal a MOTA Peer Review Recommendation (Medical Assistance)?
Contact Medical Assistance Provider Help Desk at 651-282-5545 or 800-366-5411 if you are the provider of services, authorization has been denied, and you wish to appeal the decision. Contact Medical Assistance Recipient Help Desk at 651-296-7675 or 800-657-3739 if you are the recipient of services that have been denied and you wish to appeal the decision.

How do I access medical assistance information?
The provider help desk at the Department of Human Services can be reached at 651-296-6117 for questions regarding billing, thresholds, etc. There is a Medical Assistance Provider Manual that has a Rehab Services Chapter and is accessible online at: http://www.dhs.mn.us/Provider/manual/chapter17.htm. The Rehab Services Chapter contains policy and billing information for providers of occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy.

Other

Billing codes Effective 7/7/03, all payers will accept CPT procedure codes to report services. Medical Assistance will be converting to the CPT code system at that time. The billing office of each provider should have a CPT codebook, Medicare update newsletters, and Medical Assistance provider updates. AOTA's FAX on Request (1-800-701-7735) has a list of commonly used CPT codes for occupational therapy treatment to use as a reference. Cathy Brennan is MOTA's Reimbursement Chair and can answer coding questions.

Special Interest Groups

Special Interest Groups (SIG): Listed in the Member Directory with chairs.

Can a company make a presentation to a Special Interest Group (SIG)?
No, if it is simply to show their products. However, if a company wants to provide a SIG group with relevant continuing education, that may be allowed, at the discretion of the SIG Chair in consultation with the CE Chair. Companies may join MOTA, become a SIG member and therefore be part of a network of therapists who might be interested in their services.

Students

Who Is permitted to supervise students?
For Level I Fieldwork, a student can be supervised by qualified personnel including, but not limited to, occupational therapy practitioners (OT and OTA) initially certified nationally, psychologists, physician assistants, teachers, social workers, nurses, and physical therapists.(off the AOTA web site).

Can a facility bill for the services of a level II fieldwork student?
Minutes of service provided by a level II fieldwork student under Part A Medicare PPS (Long-term care) can count, as long as the student is under direct supervision of an OT. Services provided by a level II fieldwork student under Part B Medicare in any setting may not be billed unless the supervisor is at the student's side during the entire session and in not working with any other clients simultaneously. Medical Assistance in MN does not reimburse for any services provided by students. There's great information for students at www.aota.org, including frequently asked questions, entry-level and post-professional programs, scholarships, financial aid, and fieldwork requirements.

Other

Malpractice Insurance AOTA partners with the Marsh Infinity Group (Seabury). Info is available at: http://www.aota.org/nonmembers/area5/links/link02.asp

Certified Hand Therapists Please refer to the hand therapy certification web site http://www.htcc.org/