RICK GAWENDA, PT, is a licensed physical therapist with over 30 years of experience and currently serves as the founder and President of Gawenda Seminars & Consulting, Inc. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, in 1991.

He has provided valuable education and consulting to hospitals, private practices, skilled nursing facilities, and rehabilitation agencies in the areas of CPT coding, ICD-10 coding, billing, documentation compliance, revenue enhancement, practice management, and denial management as they relate to outpatient therapy services. Mr. Gawenda has presented nationally since 2004 and has provided over 1000 on-site seminars and webinars.

In addition, Mr. Gawenda is retained by attorneys to serve as an expert in regard to legal or physical therapy state board issues regarding documentation, billing, supervision, and utilization of support personnel and compliance with insurance rules and regulations as well as physical therapy state board requirements.

Mr. Gawenda is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and Michigan Physical Therapy Association (MPTA). Mr. Gawenda is a Past President of the Section on Health Policy & Administration of the APTA. He is the current Chair of the APTA Private Practice Payment Policy

Mr. Gawenda is also the author of “The How-To Manual for Rehab Documentation: A Complete Guide to Increasing Reimbursement and Reducing Denials” and “Coding and Billing for Outpatient Rehab Made Easy: Proper Use of CPT Codes, ICD-9 Codes, and Modifiers”.

Bob Hall works for the Private Practice Section by serving as the Senior Consultant handling payment issues. He helps health professionals maximize their collective impact as Executive Chair of a solo consulting firm focused on improving access to quality, affordable health care. From 2016-2018, Bob was the Director of Government Relations at the American Academy of Family Physicians. Bob directed all legislative and regulatory advocacy for the AAFP, including changes to the Medicare fee schedule’s treatment of primary care and oversight of the Academy's Center for State Policy. Bob was also elected to represent AAFP as the first Co-Chair of the Partnership for Medicaid, a nonpartisan, nationwide coalition made up of 23 organizations representing doctors, health care providers, safety net health plans, counties, and labor. Bob spearheaded the access to care portfolio at the American Academy of Pediatrics from 2006-2016, leading efforts to improve insurance coverage for children. Prior to his tenure at AAP, he served as Director of Government Relations for the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, Counsel to US Senator Mark Dayton, Attorney Advisor to the US Securities and Exchange Commission and Chief Clerk to the Texas House of Representatives Insurance Committee. He holds a Masters in Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law and a BA from Haverford College.

Kallie Slette earned her DPT at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY, and has focused her dedication to patient care and the profession at Movement for Life Physical Therapy since 2013. Over her decade of experience in patient care, Kallie completed a residency to become board-certified in orthopedics and has since acquired certifications in digital health care delivery with a strong commitment to providing excellent care that goes beyond the clinic walls. With a deep-seated passion for patients' well-being, Kallie places their needs and aspirations at the very core of her practice. She firmly believes in the transformative potential of conservative musculoskeletal care as a solution to the complex challenges within our current healthcare system.

Kallie's role in Clinical Operations takes an approach that emphasizes collaborative efforts among various healthcare providers, striving to ensure that patients receive comprehensive and timely access to the MSK care they deserve.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Kallie treasures her family life. In 2011, she married her high school sweetheart, and together, they are raising two young boys. During her leisure time, you'll often find her and her family skiing, hiking, boating, or enjoying the magic of Disney.

Andrew Amari, JD, is a specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit, advocating on regulatory policy issues affecting physical therapists in a variety of practice settings. Before joining the association in March 2022, Andrew was a regulatory analyst at the Association of American Medical Colleges, focusing on hospital payment and graduate medical education policy issues. Andrew received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University and a JD from the University of Wisconsin School of Law. He is a member of the Wisconsin Bar.

Alice Bell, PT, DPT, is a senior specialist in health policy and payment at APTA, a role she has held since joining the association in 2016. Her duties include engaging with commercial payers to advocate for positive physical therapy policies and address member issues and challenges, representing APTA on public and private workgroups to advocate for physical therapy, developing member resources related to payment and advancing opportunities for physical therapists in alternative payment models and quality payment programs. Alice received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Montana. Her professional activities include serving on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Technical Expert Panels, APTA staff representative to the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC), APTA appointee to the NDHI Opioid Crisis Workgroup, National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Action Team, and the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Steering Committee, member of the National Quality Partnership Leadership Consortium, APTA representative to the National Quality Forum Measure Applications Partnership for Post-Acute and Long Term Care, APTA representative to the MACRA Wave 4 Low Back Pain Cost Measure workgroup, and member of the Battelle Partnership for Quality Improvement Cost and Efficiency Workgroup. Most recently Alice was appointed to the American Institutes for Research®️ (AIR), Functional Assessment Expert Workgroup. Dr. Bell works with public and private payers to promote policy changes to support the delivery of physical therapy. Dr. Bell is engaged in value based and alternative payment model development and clinical innovations in integrating digital health into the practice of physical therapy.

Wanda K. Evans, PT, DPT, MHS, is a senior payment specialist at APTA. Her responsibilities include communicating with members and insurers on inquiries regarding third-party, billing, CPT coding, and payment policies; providing resources in policy development; monitoring trends; and assisting in association efforts to advance payment policies. She remains a treating clinician in the outpatient setting. Before joining APTA, she was the clinical documentation and utilization review coordinator for Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital Network. Prior to that she was the supervisor of physical therapist and occupational therapist services for Kaiser Permanente Mid Atlantic. She has been an APTA member since she was a student. She received her bachelor of physical therapy and doctor of physical therapy degrees from Howard University, and a master of health science degree in orthopedic and sports physical therapy from the University of Indianapolis. She also is a certified kinesio taping practitioner. 

Rachel Miller, MPH, is a health policy and payment specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit as of August 2022. Rachel advocates to federal regulators on policy issues that affect the physical therapy profession. Before joining the association, she was working towards her master's degree in health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While continuing her education, Rachel showed community members how to obtain health insurance as Certified Application Counselor in a student-run clinic. Before that, she helped stop the spread of COVID-19 as a case investigator at a local health department. She obtained her bachelor's degree in public health from the University of South Florida.

Stacey Schwartz, DPT, JD, joined APTA's Health Policy and Payment team as a Sr. Specialist in 2025. Prior to joining the Health Policy and Payment team, Stacey worked on APTA's practice team. Before that, she practiced primarily business litigation as an attorney and then sports and outpatient orthopedics as a PT for six years.

Sharon West, JD, joined APTA as Director, Commercial Payment and Policy in late 2024 and now serves as Vice President, Health Policy and Payment encompassing both commercial payment and federal regulatory affairs as of January 2025. Prior to joining APTA, Sharon was Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs at the American Clinical Laboratory Association. She also served as Director, Economic & Regulatory Affairs at the College of American Pathologists. Prior to her roles with associations, she was Senior Corporate Counsel for WellCare Health Plans. She also led negotiations and managed relationships with key health systems, hospitals, facilities, physicians, and other providers for Aetna, NYLCare Health Plans, and Prudential Insurance Company. She received a bachelor’s degree from Miami University (Ohio) and her law degree from George Mason University School of Law. She is a member of the Virginia bar.

Nathan Carlson, PT, DPT is a running-specific physical therapist and practice owner based in Kansas City. He specializes in the treatment of tendinopathies and bone stress injuries in runners of all ability levels. He teaches both nationally and internationally on the management of bone stress injuries and strength training for endurance athletes. He is also a reviewer for the International Journal of Exercise Science.

Andrew Amari, JD, is a specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit, advocating on regulatory policy issues affecting physical therapists in a variety of practice settings. Before joining the association in March 2022, Andrew was a regulatory analyst at the Association of American Medical Colleges, focusing on hospital payment and graduate medical education policy issues. Andrew received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University and a JD from the University of Wisconsin School of Law. He is a member of the Wisconsin Bar.

Alice Bell, PT, DPT, is a senior specialist in health policy and payment at APTA, a role she has held since joining the association in 2016. Her duties include engaging with commercial payers to advocate for positive physical therapy policies and address member issues and challenges, representing APTA on public and private workgroups to advocate for physical therapy, developing member resources related to payment and advancing opportunities for physical therapists in alternative payment models and quality payment programs. Alice received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Montana. Her professional activities include serving on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Technical Expert Panels, APTA staff representative to the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC), APTA appointee to the NDHI Opioid Crisis Workgroup, National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Action Team, and the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Steering Committee, member of the National Quality Partnership Leadership Consortium, APTA representative to the National Quality Forum Measure Applications Partnership for Post-Acute and Long Term Care, APTA representative to the MACRA Wave 4 Low Back Pain Cost Measure workgroup, and member of the Battelle Partnership for Quality Improvement Cost and Efficiency Workgroup. Most recently Alice was appointed to the American Institutes for Research®️ (AIR), Functional Assessment Expert Workgroup. Dr. Bell works with public and private payers to promote policy changes to support the delivery of physical therapy. Dr. Bell is engaged in value based and alternative payment model development and clinical innovations in integrating digital health into the practice of physical therapy.

Wanda K. Evans, PT, DPT, MHS, is a senior payment specialist at APTA. Her responsibilities include communicating with members and insurers on inquiries regarding third-party, billing, CPT coding, and payment policies; providing resources in policy development; monitoring trends; and assisting in association efforts to advance payment policies. She remains a treating clinician in the outpatient setting. Before joining APTA, she was the clinical documentation and utilization review coordinator for Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital Network. Prior to that she was the supervisor of physical therapist and occupational therapist services for Kaiser Permanente Mid Atlantic. She has been an APTA member since she was a student. She received her bachelor of physical therapy and doctor of physical therapy degrees from Howard University, and a master of health science degree in orthopedic and sports physical therapy from the University of Indianapolis. She also is a certified kinesio taping practitioner. 

Rachel Miller, MPH, is a health policy and payment specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit as of August 2022. Rachel advocates to federal regulators on policy issues that affect the physical therapy profession. Before joining the association, she was working towards her master's degree in health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While continuing her education, Rachel showed community members how to obtain health insurance as Certified Application Counselor in a student-run clinic. Before that, she helped stop the spread of COVID-19 as a case investigator at a local health department. She obtained her bachelor's degree in public health from the University of South Florida.

Stacey Schwartz, DPT, JD, joined APTA's Health Policy and Payment team as a Sr. Specialist in 2025. Prior to joining the Health Policy and Payment team, Stacey worked on APTA's practice team. Before that, she practiced primarily business litigation as an attorney and then sports and outpatient orthopedics as a PT for six years.

Sharon West, JD, joined APTA as Director, Commercial Payment and Policy in late 2024 and now serves as Vice President, Health Policy and Payment encompassing both commercial payment and federal regulatory affairs as of January 2025. Prior to joining APTA, Sharon was Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs at the American Clinical Laboratory Association. She also served as Director, Economic & Regulatory Affairs at the College of American Pathologists. Prior to her roles with associations, she was Senior Corporate Counsel for WellCare Health Plans. She also led negotiations and managed relationships with key health systems, hospitals, facilities, physicians, and other providers for Aetna, NYLCare Health Plans, and Prudential Insurance Company. She received a bachelor’s degree from Miami University (Ohio) and her law degree from George Mason University School of Law. She is a member of the Virginia bar.

David Straight is a doctor of physical therapy, author, consultant, and co-owner of E-rehab, LLC. He and his company has helped over 2000 physical therapy private practice owners in the United States, Canada, and overseas, market their businesses online and offline since 2003. His has expertise in marketing strategy development, content marketing, website design & development, paid online advertising, SEO, video marketing, social media, and reputation marketing. He is particularly interested in how to use artificial intelligence to help private practices communicate their value to their respective communities.

Jason Wambold, MSPT, brings a proven track record of leadership success in the outpatient orthopedic private practice industry, with extensive experience building and strengthening clinical teams and developing effective practice leadership. After years in clinic leadership at Agape PT, Jason founded OnusOne, a platform that designs, installs, and administers variable compensation models for fee-for-service organizations, helping practices align clinician pay with performance and business outcomes. OnusOne was acquired by Prompt Health in 2024. Jason draws on this hands-on experience building and rolling out alternative compensation structures to help rehab practice owners design pay models that support both clinician satisfaction and business sustainability.

Dr. Larry Benz is the co-founder, president, and CEO of Confluent Health, a network of physical therapy, education, and occupational healthcare companies dedicated to developing highly effective clinicians, strengthening private practice, and reducing healthcare costs. A frequent lecturer at physical therapy programs, national conferences, and MBA programs throughout the country, he is a nationally recognized award recipient for his expertise in private-practice physical therapy and occupational medicine.

Dr. Litos is an emeritus board-certified clinician in women's and pelvic health with specialized certifications in pelvic health (CAPP-Pelvic) and obstetrics (CAPP-OB) physical therapy and over 25 years clinical experience. Her clinical background includes founding "No Mom Left Behind PT," a boutique clinic exclusively dedicated to women's health through the lifespan in the Greater Lansing, Michigan area. She is a longtime volunteer of the APTA Academy of Pelvic Health contributing to course content for the CAPP OB courses and served as a national and international instructor, in addition to serving as adjunct professor for the PT Department at the University of Michigan-Flint.

Known for pioneering innovative educational advancements, she combines advanced clinical expertise with public speaking to elevate standard-of-care practices and drive development across the women’s health landscape. Her commitment to advancing the field in menopause education is highlighted by her role as co-author of "Pre-Menopause Matters," a ground-breaking comprehensive continuing education course for PTs and other providers specific to evidence-based menopause care. Furthering this mission, she is the co-owner of Snowden & Litos LLC, an online continuing education company focused on providing evidence-based menopause education to clinicians worldwide.

Andrew Amari, JD, is a specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit, advocating on regulatory policy issues affecting physical therapists in a variety of practice settings. Before joining the association in March 2022, Andrew was a regulatory analyst at the Association of American Medical Colleges, focusing on hospital payment and graduate medical education policy issues. Andrew received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University and a JD from the University of Wisconsin School of Law. He is a member of the Wisconsin Bar.

Alice Bell, PT, DPT, is a senior specialist in health policy and payment at APTA, a role she has held since joining the association in 2016. Her duties include engaging with commercial payers to advocate for positive physical therapy policies and address member issues and challenges, representing APTA on public and private workgroups to advocate for physical therapy, developing member resources related to payment and advancing opportunities for physical therapists in alternative payment models and quality payment programs. Alice received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Montana. Her professional activities include serving on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Technical Expert Panels, APTA staff representative to the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC), APTA appointee to the NDHI Opioid Crisis Workgroup, National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Action Team, and the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Steering Committee, member of the National Quality Partnership Leadership Consortium, APTA representative to the National Quality Forum Measure Applications Partnership for Post-Acute and Long Term Care, APTA representative to the MACRA Wave 4 Low Back Pain Cost Measure workgroup, and member of the Battelle Partnership for Quality Improvement Cost and Efficiency Workgroup. Most recently Alice was appointed to the American Institutes for Research®️ (AIR), Functional Assessment Expert Workgroup. Dr. Bell works with public and private payers to promote policy changes to support the delivery of physical therapy. Dr. Bell is engaged in value based and alternative payment model development and clinical innovations in integrating digital health into the practice of physical therapy.

Wanda K. Evans, PT, DPT, MHS, is a senior payment specialist at APTA. Her responsibilities include communicating with members and insurers on inquiries regarding third-party, billing, CPT coding, and payment policies; providing resources in policy development; monitoring trends; and assisting in association efforts to advance payment policies. She remains a treating clinician in the outpatient setting. Before joining APTA, she was the clinical documentation and utilization review coordinator for Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital Network. Prior to that she was the supervisor of physical therapist and occupational therapist services for Kaiser Permanente Mid Atlantic. She has been an APTA member since she was a student. She received her bachelor of physical therapy and doctor of physical therapy degrees from Howard University, and a master of health science degree in orthopedic and sports physical therapy from the University of Indianapolis. She also is a certified kinesio taping practitioner. 

Rachel Miller, MPH, is a health policy and payment specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit as of August 2022. Rachel advocates to federal regulators on policy issues that affect the physical therapy profession. Before joining the association, she was working towards her master's degree in health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While continuing her education, Rachel showed community members how to obtain health insurance as Certified Application Counselor in a student-run clinic. Before that, she helped stop the spread of COVID-19 as a case investigator at a local health department. She obtained her bachelor's degree in public health from the University of South Florida.

Stacey Schwartz, DPT, JD, joined APTA's Health Policy and Payment team as a Sr. Specialist in 2025. Prior to joining the Health Policy and Payment team, Stacey worked on APTA's practice team. Before that, she practiced primarily business litigation as an attorney and then sports and outpatient orthopedics as a PT for six years.

Sharon West, JD, joined APTA as Director, Commercial Payment and Policy in late 2024 and now serves as Vice President, Health Policy and Payment encompassing both commercial payment and federal regulatory affairs as of January 2025. Prior to joining APTA, Sharon was Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs at the American Clinical Laboratory Association. She also served as Director, Economic & Regulatory Affairs at the College of American Pathologists. Prior to her roles with associations, she was Senior Corporate Counsel for WellCare Health Plans. She also led negotiations and managed relationships with key health systems, hospitals, facilities, physicians, and other providers for Aetna, NYLCare Health Plans, and Prudential Insurance Company. She received a bachelor’s degree from Miami University (Ohio) and her law degree from George Mason University School of Law. She is a member of the Virginia bar.