TY - JOUR T1 - Integrating Physical Therapists Into Primary Care Within A Large Health Care System JF - The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine JO - J Am Board Fam Med SP - 866 LP - 870 DO - 10.3122/jabfm.2021.04.200432 VL - 34 IS - 4 AU - Thomas Bodenheimer AU - Joseph Kucksdorf AU - Alyssa Torn AU - James Jerzak Y1 - 2021/07/01 UR - http://www.jabfm.org/content/34/4/866.abstract N2 - Background: Bellin Health in Wisconsin has pioneered the colocation and integration of physical therapists into primary care pods.Methods: This is an observational study based on one in-person visit and several interviews.Results: For patients with musculoskeletal complaints, providers make warm handoffs to the physical therapist, who is a few steps away. The physical therapist performs most of the visit, providing diagnosis, treatment, and patient education. Research studies show that—compared with physician management—appropriate patients managed by physical therapists have better outcomes, lower costs, and higher patient satisfaction. In a fee-for-service environment, the business case for this innovation requires an increased number of follow-up referrals to the physical therapy department. In the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era, physical therapists can provide video visits with equal quality compared with in-person visits.Conclusion: The Bellin Health program is a blueprint for other primary care practices to integrate physical therapists into primary care teams. ER -