On April 1st a news article was released by the APTA about a bill that was introduced in the House of Representatives on the previous day that would make it easier and more efficient for Medicare beneficiaries who need physical therapist services to obtain treatment. The Bill, The Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act (HR 1829), was introduced by three representatives, Representatives Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Tim Murphy (R-PA), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The bill will allow physical therapist to evaluate and treat patients who are beneficiaries under the Medicare B plan, who require outpatient physical therapy services in states where direct access is authorized, without a physician’s referral or certification of the plan care.
According to the APTA, these beneficiaries include seniors and persons with disabilities and they usually need physical therapist services more. They are usually faced with unnecessary barriers in order to have access to a physical therapist with the current referral/certification plan. This plan often cause delays and prevents these patients from getting the care they need in a timely manner. This bill will reverse this; making the services of physical therapist readily available and more cost-effective for Medicare beneficiaries.
Again we see representatives introducing bills that can help the people of this great nation by providing services that can improve their health and well being. First it was our veterans now it is our civilians who need it more, including our seniors and people with disabilities. I applaud these representatives, I am happy to see that there are more representatives that care about the people of this country and want the best for them health and other wise. Again I hope this bill is passed and that more is done to make physical therapist more accessible and affordable for all. This is another step in the right direction for our people and the profession of physical therapy. Thank you!
For more information about this bill visit the website at:
http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Media&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=57241
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I am glad that this bill was introduced. United States medical care is very expensive and medicare and medicaid generally only cover the bare minimum. So with this bill the people who need physical therapist the most and in a timely manner will be able to get it. This is a really great thing to hear about and I also hope that this bill get passed.
ReplyDeleteAZ