Building Better Decisions: How PT-PENCIL Shapes Acute Care

Show Notes:

How do physical therapists decide who needs therapy today—and how often—when resources are limited and patient needs change by the hour?

In this episode of Acute Conversations, hosts Leo Arguelles and Daniel Young sit down with Joshua Johnson, Sandra Passek, and Brittany Lapin to unpack the development and validation of PT-PENCIL, a clinical decision support tool designed to help acute care PTs prioritize care using real-world data.

The conversation goes beyond algorithms. The guests walk through how a multidisciplinary learning community shaped PT-PENCIL, why documentation quality matters more than we think, and how predictive models can support—rather than replace—clinical judgment. They also tackle the realities of “it depends,” workflow integration, and why identifying patients on the fence may be where therapy makes the biggest impact.

This episode is a must-listen for clinicians, educators, and leaders navigating triage, staffing, and value-based care in today’s hospitals.

Today’s Guests:

Joshua Johnson PT, DPT, PhD

joshua.johnson@duke.edu

Sandra Passek PT, DPT, Rehabilitation Manager Clinical Informatics at Cleveland Clinic

Brittany Lapin PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics

lapinb@ccf.org

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-lapin-004710b/