Great News on Issue with Medicare Recognition of PT Compact Privileges

The PT Compact Commission has received great news from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officials that their general counsel has determined that the compact privilege is considered a valid, full license for purposes of meeting federal licensure requirements. They are providing guidance to the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to accept compact privileges moving forward and to re-open any applications that were denied under this basis and continue processing. CMS is also drafting a a Medicare Learning Network (MLN) Matters article that will provide guidance to PTs and PTAs practicing with compact privileges and the Medicare enrollment process. While we are still waiting on an exact timeline on the publication of the article and expect the notification to MACs will take at least a few days, this is obviously fantastic news for PTs and PTAs! 

Special thanks to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) as important partners in getting this resolved.

Once we are provided the MLN article we will also share it with our email distribution list. If you have any issues with Medicare or other insurance provider enrollment please contact the PT Compact Commission at info@ptcompact.org or 703-562-8500.

Arkansas Will Begin Issuing Compact Privileges February 28

The Physical Therapy Compact Commission (PT Compact) is pleased to announce that compact privileges will be available for the state of Arkansas starting Friday, February 28, 2020, at 9 a.m. EST. This will bring the total number of states issuing compact privileges to nineteen.

Physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) whose home state is Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington will be able to go to ptcompact.org to verify their eligibility and purchase compact privileges. Practitioners can purchase compact privileges for one or more of the other remote states, giving them the ability to provide physical therapy services in those states.

Interested PTs and PTAs should review information on state jurisprudence requirements, associated fees, and waivers. Additional resources, such as eligibility requirements, the purchasing process, and an FAQ are also available . Read the full news release.

Wisconsin Enacts PT Compact legislation

On February 5, 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed SB 390 to enact PT Compact legislation making the state the twenty-seventh to join. Efforts are already underway to implement the requirements of the PT Compact to be ready to actively issue and accept compact privileges as soon as possible.

Several States Introduce PT Compact Legislation in 2020!

Things continue to move in a positive direction toward the ultimate goal of having all jurisdictions join the PT Compact. In addition to Massachusetts, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, which are still considering legislation introduced in 2019, six more states have introduced legislation in recent months. These jurisdictions include Alabama, California, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington, DC. Efforts continue to assist other states in introducing Compact legislation this year. As always, the current status of PT Compact states can be found on the website.