OT in Primary Care

For years, “Occupational Therapy in Primary Care” has felt like a professional aspiration—a “gold standard” we discussed in classrooms but rarely saw in job postings. Today, that reality is shifting. Following the 2020 statutory mandates in Norway and Sweden that solidified OT as a required primary care service, the global tide is turning.

In the United States, we are moving past the era of mere “co-location” toward true interprofessional integration. Driven by the rise of Alternative Payment Models (APMs) and the 2026 Medicare updates to Advanced Primary Care Management, the door is finally opening for OTs to lead in chronic disease management, mental health, and aging-in-place.

On today’s episode, we sit down with Dr. Ashley Halle, a leading voice in this movement and co-author of the foundational AJOT research on the topic, to discuss how clinicians can finally step out of the “hypothetical” and onto the primary care team.

1. You will be able to identify occupation-based assessments for OT professionals in primary care.

2. You will be able to recognize evidence-based interventions for OT professionals in primary care.

• Intro

• Discussion

  1. Tell me the story of your interest in OT in primary care?

  2. Tell about the work you did in primary care.

  3. What models exist for OT in primary care outside of the United States?

  4. How so you currently see the state of OT in Primary Care in the United States.

  5. What would it look like logistically for OTs to work and bill in primary care? And what are the barriers?

  6. What is your overall advice for stepping into a such a broad scope of assessment and treatment like primary care?

  7. What specific assessment and treatment intervention were your go-tos in primary care. And, are there any specific intervention tools you wish you had in your toolbox?

  8. What do you think are the consequences of us NOT being part of primary care.

  9. What advocacy do you think need to happen for us to really step into our role in primary care.

• Live Q&A

• Closing

• Exploring Occupational Therapists’ Experiences in U.S. Primary Care Settings: A Qualitative Study

• The value of the occupational therapy workforce in primary care: A rapid review

• Acceptability and exploratory effects of an occupational therapy intervention to improve recovery and return to work of workers with mental health disorders in primary care: a mixed methods study protocol

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in this topic.

Speaker interests: Ashley Halle has no financial interest in this topic to disclose.