MINNEAPOLIS, February, 28, 2008 - Working with specialty societies, the MMA has won concessions protecting patient safety and continuity of care in a compromise bill that also allows physical therapists more autonomy.

For the past several years, the MMA has fought the efforts of physical therapists to expand their scope of practice to the point where they could treat patients for an unlimited amount of time without a referral from a physician.

Also in the forefront of this fight were several specialty societies, working hand in glove with the MMA.

This year, the MMA has helped won concessions that alleviate previous concerns.

The latest version of the bill, H.F. 1189 and companion S.F. 1018, would extend the time a physical therapist could treat a patient without a referral from 30 to 90 days. However, physical therapists could see patients for an unlimited amount of time without a referral, if the purpose of the treatment is prevention, wellness, education or exercise.

To protect continuity of care, the bill would require physical therapists to consult with a referring physician when altering a treatment course prescribed by that physician.

Finally, the bill would require physical therapists to practice for one year before treating patients without referrals.

“Our concern all along was related to ongoing treatment based on a misdiagnosis that may be beyond a physical therapists training,” said Dave Renner, the MMA’s director of state and federal legislation. “This compromise ensures a physicians’ involvement that can prevent such cases.”

The MMA opposed previous versions of this bill that completely eliminated the need for a physician referral because of patient safety concerns. Without a physician’s referral, a patient could receive indefinite treatment for back pain, for example, without ever getting the cause of the pain diagnosed. This could be dangerous considering back pain can be a symptom of malignancies in the spinal column; kidney tumors; a diseased pancreas, or hip ailments.

The House version of the bill was heard in the House Health and Human Services Committee in February and is expected to pass this session.