President Message

During the temporary absence of a PT, physical therapy care should not be interrupted. The APTA has been working on a provision known as “locum tenens” which provides for continuity of care for Medicare patients during absences of the PT due to illness, pregnancy, vacation, or continuing medical education.

The APTA pressed for locum tenens to be extended to all PTs however the final version of the legislation applies only to PTs in non-metropolitan statistical areas, medically underserved areas (MUAs), and health professions shortage areas as defined by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

APTA supports expansion of Medicare locum tenens policies in ways that would make these provisions available to as many PTs as possible.

https://www.apta.org/advocacy/issues/locum-tenens-in-medicare

Contact APTA NH Board Member, Tracie Adams

The NH State Legislative session continues to move along. Here is the status on just three of the bills we have been following:

• HB66: Establishing a Commission to Study Non-Pharmacological Treatment Options for

Patients with Chronic Pain. This bill would establish a commission to study, collect data, and create a pilot program to encourage and support non-pharmacological

interventions to address chronic pain. This bill has passed both the House and Senate and is expected to be signed into law.

• HB188: Relative to the Duration of Physical Therapy. This bill would remove the

requirement that a physical therapist refer a patient to a health care provider if there is

no documented improvement after 25 days of treatment that is currently part of the NH

PT Practice Act regarding PT Direct Access. This bill has passed both the House and

Senate and is expected to be signed into law.

• HB467: Relative to Playground Accessibility. This bill would require any public

playground in use on or after 01/01/2024 to have accessible pathways made of resilient

rubber, composite surfacing, or a similar solid surface material. The bill has passed the House and is currently with the Senate for review.

More information is about these bills and more can be found at www.nh.gov where you can hover over the Government tab and click on NH State Legislature.

APTA NH State Legislative contact: Mark Mailloux

Action on Workforce: The Senate HELP Committee recently put out an RFI on health care workforce challenges. APTA submitted comments to the Committee with a number of policy proposals for them to consider. Check out the letter on the FAL Hub. APTA, AOTA, ASHA and others are requesting $8 mil. to HRSA to fund the Allied Health Workforce Diversity program that was signed into law in Dec. 2022.

Latest Bill Introduction: Locum tenens (H.R. 1617/S. 793) was recently reintroduced in the House and Senate. The SHARE Act (H.R. 1310) was recently introduced in the House. Visit the Legislative Action Center to take action on both bills and the Patient Action Center to take action on locum tenens and Medicare payment reform.

Contact our Federal Affairs Liaison, Amanda Packard

 Advocacy = Selfcare

Advocacy is selfcare. Feelings of burnout and fatigue are being felt across all practice setting. Having a voice and power in decision making is one way to combat feelings of burnout. The act of practicing small amounts of advocacy can give you feeling of purpose, accomplishment, contribution, connection, and power, which have a positive health benefit. We can’t make change without voices and numbers. If you believe that physical therapists and physical therapy assistants should have a voice in making rules and laws about physical therapy practice, then please take action. The APTA Action App makes it easy and simple. Download the App today!