Dogwood News
ALEXANDRIA VA, April 30,
2002 A bill that will allow Medicare patients to have direct access
to physical therapists was introduced in the United States Senate
today by Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Arlen Specter (R-PA).
The legislation is the Senate's companion bill to the House "Medicare
Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act" (H.R. 3363). The American
Physical Therapy Association (AFTA) strongly supports this legislation,
which will make physical therapist services more accessible to
Medicare beneficiaries. "This legislation is critical to Medicare
Part B beneficiaries," AFTA President Ben F Massey, Jr. PT, said.
"It will enable them to access services provided by physical therapists
in the quickest, most cost-effective manner possible, whereas
the current Medicare statute fails to achieve this goal for seniors
and individuals with disabilities."
Under the current law, a physician referral
is required to initiate physical therapists' intervention under
Medicare Part B, causing delays in delivering health care to those
who need it. These delays result in higher costs, decreased functional
outcomes, and frustration to patients. "By allowing Medicare recipients
to go directly to a physical therapist, Congress will ensure that
patients recover faster and that Medicare costs are reduced,"
Massey said. "Our nation's seniors should no longer be forced
to bear the unnecessary burden imposed by regulations that delay
access to the care they need."
The newly introduced legislation would lift these burdens by:
* Defining a Qualified Physical
Therapist. The bill amends Medicare law to add a definition
for "qualified physical therapist." No statutory definition currently
exists in Medicare law for a qualified physical therapist.
* Eliminating Required Physician
Referral.
The bill amends Medicare statute to eliminate the requirement
that a Medicare beneficiary obtain a referral from a physician
to receive outpatient physical therapy under Medicare Part B.
The legislation also recognizes direct access as defined by state
laws. This would allow Medicare patients who live in direct access
states to have the same access to physical therapists as other
Non-Medicare patients. It addresses services provided by a physical
therapist in the following settings: private practice, rehabilitation
agency, public health clinic, and Part B services in skilled nursing
facilities, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities,
and outpatient hospital departments.
* Preserving Existing Law for
Occupational Therapy and Speech- Language Pathology Services.
The bill makes technical corrections to the current Medicare statute
as it relates to outpatient rehabilitation services. These corrections
separate physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy
services into three distinct sections. However, they do not change
the delivery or scope of occupational therapy or speech-language
pathology services in any practice settings under Medicare Part
B. With this change, speech therapy could not be considered a
part of physical therapy under the $1,500 limit on therapy services
under Medicare.
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