Physician Support Needed for AB 783 (Hayashi) June 2, 2011 Advocacy, CMA, Politics and Medicine AB 783, hayashi 0 Your support is needed on AB 783 (Hayashi – CMA Sponsored), which clarifies the ambiguity in law by explicitly allowing medical, podiatric, and chiropractic corporations to employ physical and occupational therapists. Please contact your Senator today to urge him/her to support this bill using CMA’s Legislator Connect Hotline at (877) 362-8455. Background Since 1990, the Physical Therapy Board of California (Board) explicitly determined that the offering of physical therapy services by a corporation, not organized as a professional corporation, was permitted by the Physical Therapy Practice Act. In November 2010, the Board rescinded this policy in response to a non-legally binding Legislative Council opinion. This decision was based on the California Corporations Code’s inadvertent failure to include licensed physical therapists in the list of healing arts practitioners who may be shareholders, officers, directors, or professional employees of medical or podiatric corporations. Consequently, the employment and jobs of occupational therapists, who are also not listed, became threatened as well. What effect does the current ban have on patients? The current ban fragments the delivery of care and impedes a patient’s right to choose integrated, comprehensive care. Patient quality of care may be harmed by eliminating the constant line of communication between physicians and physical therapists; Continuity of care is interrupted by making it impossible for the physician, when chosen by the patient, to oversee all aspects of treatment; and, Convenience of care is undermined when a patient is forced to travel to a separate location for therapy treatment, when they could otherwise be treated in their physician’s office. How do patients benefit if Assembly Bill 783 passes? AB 783 maintains the medical status quo and allows patients the right to choose integrated, comprehensive care. For decades, patients have benefited from the dedication of many California physical therapists who have coordinated patient care with local physicians. The current ban eliminates this benefit and instead, only non-professional corporations owned by those who are completely untrained in the medical arts can legally hire physical therapists, which does not lend itself to the delivery of high-quality medical care to patients. Through a coordinated team approach, a physician has a greater opportunity to interact on a daily basis with a therapist providing services in their office. When the patient has reached the intended goal of the therapy, the physician can discontinue services or modify the original prescription. This integrated model allows physicians to ensure that patients receive efficient, high-quality care, thus reducing long-term health care costs due to complications resulting from lower quality care. Next Steps Please contact your Senator and urge him/her to vote YES on AB 783 (Hayashi). We have provided additional links to: Copy of the bill introduced AB 783 Fact Sheet Talking Points/Sample Letters Comments are closed.
