A Spring Full of Learning, Advocacy, and Purpose

Practice News & Updates

From the anatomy lab to Capitol Hill, here is what we have been up to this season.

Spring 2026

Dear Patients and Friends,

Spring is always a season of renewal, and this year it delivered in the most meaningful ways. Between continuing education, teaching the next generation of physical therapists, and traveling to Washington D.C. to advocate directly on your behalf, I am reminded of why this work matters so deeply. I wanted to share each of these experiences with you.

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01  ·  Continuing Education

The STAR Approach to Hip Replacement — Preserving What Matters Most

Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City

The Greater New York District Executive Board

This spring, the APTA Greater New York District hosted a continuing education event at the renowned Hospital for Special Surgery, focused on the STAR approach to total hip replacement. STAR stands for Superior Transverse Atraumatic Reconstruction, and it is a minimally invasive, muscle-sparing surgical technique that is changing the way recovery from hip replacement looks.

Traditional hip replacement surgeries often require cutting through or detaching key muscles and tendons around the hip, particularly the piriformis tendon, which is one of the most important stabilizers of the joint. The STAR approach is specifically designed to preserve these structures. By working around rather than through them, the surgeon leaves the hip's natural support system largely intact from day one.

"When the muscles that stabilize your hip are preserved during surgery, your body has far less to rebuild, and your recovery can begin from a much stronger starting point."

For patients, this translates to real differences: less post-operative pain and weakness, fewer movement restrictions during recovery, and a faster return to the activities that matter most. Whether that is walking comfortably, climbing stairs, or keeping up with grandchildren, the STAR technique gives both the surgeon and the physical therapist a better foundation to work from on day one.

I am also proud to share that at this meeting, I was reelected as Vice-Chairperson of the APTA Greater New York District. It is an honor to continue serving our professional community and to help shape the future of physical therapy care right here in New York.

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02  ·  Teaching

Back in the Anatomy Lab — Teaching Tomorrow's Physical Therapists

Baylor University Hybrid DPT Program, Texas

Baylor University Donor Lab Anatomy Faculty

One of the most profound experiences of this spring was traveling to Texas to serve as an Adjunct Teaching Assistant in the human doneor anatomy laboratory for Baylor University's Hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

The Baylor DPT students are truly remarkable. They are motivated, compassionate, and genuinely hungry to understand the human body at its deepest level. Working alongside them in the lab, guiding their hands and answering their questions, reminded me of everything I love about this profession. Their dedication and enthusiasm are exactly what the future of physical therapy needs, and it is an extraordinary privilege to play even a small role in their formation as clinicians.

"There is nothing quite like the moment a student sees a muscle, traces its attachment points with their own hands, and truly understands why it matters."

The anatomy lab is a place of profound respect and gratitude. A human donor is one of the most generous gifts one human being can give another, an act of selfless generosity that makes the education of healers possible. To stand in that space, to see the muscles, tendons, nerves, and joints we work with every single day, is to see clinical practice through an entirely new lens. The gluteus medius is no longer just a name on a chart; it is real, tangible, and beautifully designed. Every exercise I prescribe carries renewed meaning after time in that lab.

For my patients: the care I provide is continuously deepened by experiences like this. Teaching a new generation keeps me sharp, humble, and ever connected to the fundamental science that underlies your treatment.

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03  ·  Advocacy

To Capitol Hill — Fighting for Your Rights as a Patient

Washington, D.C. — APTA Capitol Hill Day 2026

APTA New York Members with Representative Tim Kennedy

Perhaps the most energizing experience of my spring was traveling to Washington, D.C. with the American Physical Therapy Association for Capitol Hill Day. This is an occasion when physical therapists from across the country walk the halls of Congress and speak directly with lawmakers about the issues that affect your care. Here is a brief look at what we advocated for on your behalf.

Medicare Fee Schedule Reform Congress has been allowing Medicare payments to physical therapists to shrink year after year, with another roughly 2.5% cut looming in 2027. When payments fall below the cost of providing care, access suffers, especially in rural and underserved areas. We asked Congress to stop the next cut and enact a fair annual inflation-based update so your PT can keep the doors open.

Repealing the MPPR The Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction policy cuts reimbursement when a therapist provides more than one service to a patient in a single visit, directly penalizing the patients who need the most comprehensive care. It was a short-term budget patch enacted 15 years ago with no clinical basis whatsoever, and it needs to be repealed.

PT Workforce & Patient Access Act H.R. 5621 would bring physical therapists into the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, placing more PTs in rural and underserved communities where shortages are most severe. If you have ever had difficulty finding a physical therapist near you, this legislation is fighting for you.

Protecting PT Education Access The Department of Education recently and wrongly reclassified the Doctor of Physical Therapy as a graduate rather than a professional degree, imposing student loan caps that do not cover the actual cost of a DPT education. This threatens to shrink the PT workforce pipeline at exactly the moment when demand for physical therapy is growing most rapidly.

One of the highlights of the day was meeting Representative Tim Kennedy in person. Rep. Kennedy is a former occupational therapist who understands rehabilitation medicine firsthand, and he is actively sponsoring legislation to restore fair student loan access for healthcare professional students. Speaking with someone in Congress who has personally treated patients brought the conversation to an entirely different level.

Rep. Kennedy also graciously hosted us for a visit to the gallery of the United States Capitol building. Standing inside that space and watching the workings of our democracy up close made the advocacy feel weightier and more real than ever. We are there for you.

Every one of these experiences, whether in a continuing education seminar, a human donor lab in Texas, or the corridors of Congress, flows back to the same purpose: giving you the best possible care, and making sure you can always access it.

Thank you, as always, for your trust.

With gratitude, Dr. Marko