Guest guest Posted November 19, 2011 Report Share Posted November 19, 2011 Your Daily Posterous Spaces Update November 18th, 2011 Stam: Change would aid physical therapy | Lansing State Journal | lansingstatejournal.com<http://ptmanagerblog.com/daniel-stam-change-would-aid-ph\ ysical-therapy> Posted about 9 hours ago by [image: _portrait_thumb] Kovacek, PT, DPT, MSA <http://posterous.com/users/1l1oCkDWEWjv> to PTManager<http://ptmanagerblog.com> [image: Like this post]<http://posterous.com/likes/create?post_id=80717915> Stam: Change would aid physical therapy 7:34 PM, Nov. 17, 2011 | Comments <http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/comments/article/20111118/OPINION02/11118031\ 0/-Stam-Change-would-aid-physical-therapy> I am a student physical therapist concerned about patient access to rehabilitation services. When my patients need care, every day and every mile they have to travel to get that care counts. The Michigan Public Health Code has an unnecessary restriction on consumer access to physical therapy services by requiring that a person have a physician prescription prior to receiving treatment by a physical therapist. These burdensome requirements cause delays and at times can deny access for patients to receive cost-effective interventions provided by physical therapists. Consumers in 46 states and the District of Columbia already have the ability to see a physical therapist without a referral, and it's time the people of Michigan are given the same option. A bill has been introduced, H.B. 4603, that would allow consumers in Michigan to receive treatment from a physical therapist without a prescription or referral. Readers, patients of physical therapy, and their families should urge state legislation to support this effort. A new study, led by Jane Pendergast, Ph.D., professor of biostatistics and director of the Center for Public Health Studies at the University of Iowa, was published Sept. 23 ahead of print in the journal Health Services Research. It provides further evidence to support direct consumer access and H.B. 4603. The researchers found that: • The average cost for physical therapy claims was lower for patients who visited a physical therapist directly. • Patients who visited a physical therapist directly for outpatient care had fewer visits (86 percent) on average than those who were referred by a physician. • And direct consumer access to physical therapy is also safe - many states have had this type of law in place for decades, and no state has ever repealed it. via lansingstatejournal.com<http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20111118/OPIN\ ION02/111180310/-Stam-Change-would-aid-physical-therapy?odyssey=mod%7Cnews\ well%7Ctext%7COpinions%7Cs> [image: Posterous] <http://posterous.com> Want your own?<http://posterous.com> Change your email settings<http://posterous.com/email_subscriptions/hash/gspsqucxgqviGogjvCufJwAxB\ xkgmH> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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