Senate Bill 1992 has been filed in the Florida legislature that if passed would provide direct access to physical therapy services. Florida Statutes currently permit patients to receive treatment from a physical therapist for 21 days before a referral to a medical doctor is required for proper diagnosis of the underlying medical condition. The bill, filed by Senator Charlie Justice, would eliminate the need for a physician diagnosis, allowing the therapist to continue to treat the patient indefinitely. A copy of the entire legislation is included below.
Download sb_1992_physical_therapy_direct_access.pdf
Disclaimer: Legislative content posted on the blog is informational only. It does not represent the official position of the association on any pending legislation. To obtain our official position on any legislation, please contact the FOS office, fcobbe@tampabay.rr.com.
The PT Direct Access Bill has been referred to the Senate Health Regulation Committee and the House Healthcare Council. The bill has not been scheduled for a hearing in either as of yet. The FOS will notify our members when it has been scheduled.
Posted by: Fraser Cobbe | March 09, 2007 at 06:12 AM
The physical therapists have successfully filed this direct access bill in the Florida House of Representatives as well. Representative Juan Zapata from District 119 in Miami, filed HB 1165 on Tuesday, February 27th.
Posted by: Fraser Cobbe | February 28, 2007 at 06:54 AM