PT Compact Commission, APTA, FSBPT, and other Allies Successfully Resolve Medicare Issue
In late 2019, the Physical Therapy Compact Commission (PTCC) staff learned that an individual with a compact privilege was not allowed to enroll as a provider with Medicare in a member state and therefore could not make claims for services.
Since that time, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), PTCC, and FSBPT have been working closely to resolve the issue. The APTA has been instrumental in helping the PTCC determine the extent of the issue and coordinate a strategy to resolve it as quickly as possible.
The PT Compact Commission recently received great news from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officials that their general counsel determined that the compact privilege is considered a valid, full license for purposes of meeting federal licensure requirements. They are providing guidance to the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to accept compact privileges moving forward and to re-open any applications that were denied under this basis and continue processing. CMS is also drafting an MLN Matters article that will provide guidance about the Medicare enrollment process to PTs and PTAs practicing with compact privileges. Although there is not an exact timeline on the publication of the article and the notification to MACs is expected to take at least a few days, this is obviously fantastic news for PTs and PTAs!
The successful resolution of this important issue demonstrates the power of health care organizations working together. To receive more updates on the Medicare issue and other happenings at the PTCC be sure to sign up for their email distribution list.
Trauma’s Impact on Boundary Violation Investigations Training
So far, more than seventy participants including FSBPT members and related health care regulators from other professions and countries will be attending this important event.
The registration fee is $300 and all travel costs will be the responsibility of the participant. FSBPT will cover lunch for all participants on both days of the workshop.
Register by March 18! (Please note, the registration deadline for funded members has passed).
Funded Members for the Leadership Issues Forum and the Annual Meeting
This year FSBPT will fund the following attendees at LIF and the Annual Meeting. We emailed administrators instructions on selecting delegates (voting and alternate) and identifying the funded administrator. Administrators, if you haven't received this email, please contact us.
Leadership Issues Forum, July 18-19, Alexandria, Virginia
- Voting delegate
- Board administrator
Delegate Assembly & Annual Meeting, October 22-24, Orange County, California
- Voting delegate
- Funded alternate delegate
- Board administrator
Regulatory Training for Members and Board Staff (Deadline March 15)
This training provides an in-depth understanding of your role as a regulatory board member or staff person in protecting the consumers of physical therapy services. We also provide an overview of the services FSBPT provides to our members. All board members and board staff (administrators, licensing specialists, and attorneys) are eligible to participate.
The training will be held June 19-21, 2020, in Alexandria, Virginia. Costs are covered by FSBPT. Current (new and seasoned) regulatory board members and administrators can request to attend by completing this form. Requests must be received before March 15, 2020, for consideration. Attendance is limited and priority is given to first time attendees. Read our Frequently Asked Questions about Regulatory Training for more information.
INPTRA Webcast: Performance Measurement of Regulatory Bodies: The Ontario Experience
How do we know health profession regulators are doing a good job? Regulators around the world are increasingly challenged to show proof of their effectiveness to the public and government. Meaningful, quantitative key performance indicators are often just out of reach for many of the complex realities of regulation. In Ontario, Canada, a performance measurement system has been developed with active engagement by the twenty-six health regulatory Colleges. This presentation will explore critical success factors in developing a provincial system, the performance measurement framework content, and early methods for implementation.
Speaker: Daniel Faulkner, Regulatory Consultant, Chair of the Ontario Working Group to develop College Performance Measurement Framework; former Deputy Registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, twenty-five years of regulatory experience.
New Ohio Jurisprudence Assessment Module
Ohio’s Jurisprudence Assessment Module (JAM) became available on February 19. The module is optional until January 31, 2022, at which point it will be mandatory for licensure renewals. Ohio is keeping its FSBPT-developed Law exam for initial licensure applicants.
The FSBPT JAMs are convenient, easy-to-use learning opportunities for applicants for physical therapist licensure, and for PTs and PTAs renewing their licenses, to meet certain jurisdiction-specific requirements. FSBPT works with each state to develop, review, and finalize the content for each JAM. Ohio is the seventh state to work with FSBPT on a JAM, joining Georgia, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, and Texas.
If you’d like to learn more about partnering with FSBPT to create your Jurisprudence Assessment Module, please contact Jeff Rosa.
Call for Nominations for CBA Leadership Positions
This year there are two leadership positions open for you to serve the FSBPT Council of Board Administrators.
If you have attended the FSBPT Annual Meeting in the past and you plan to continue participating, you’re just the person to think about stepping up!
Please consider nominating yourself or someone else by Friday, February 28, 2020. Submit names to cbanominating@fsbpt.org.
Here are the open positions:
CBA Vice Chair: (Fall 2020 – Fall 2022)
- Along with the Chair, develops and runs the CBA Forum during the annual meeting with staff providing administrative/logistical support.
- Member of the CBA Nominating Committee. Develops the slate for CBA leadership positions with staff providing administrative/logistical support.
- Member of the FSBPT Education Committee. Participates in their webinars and provides logistical support for the annual meeting sessions.
- Time commitment: approximately six to eight 30-60 minute conference calls throughout the year. CBA Forum planning and other follow-up tasks may be required outside of the conference calls.
- Attendance and participation at the FSBPT annual meeting.
- Attendance and participation at the Leadership Issues Forum.
CBA Nominating Committee: (Fall 2020 – Fall 2023)
- Develops the slate for CBA leadership positions with staff providing administrative/logistical support.
- Time commitment: approximately two to three 30-60 minute conference calls throughout the year. Follow-up tasks may be required outside of the conference calls.
PT Compact Updates
Wisconsin recently signed the PT Compact bill into law, becoming the twenty-seventh state to join the compact! Things also continue to move in a positive direction toward the ultimate goal of having all jurisdictions join the PT Compact. In addition to Massachusetts, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, which are still considering legislation introduced in 2019, six more states have introduced legislation in recent months. These jurisdictions include Alabama, California, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington, DC. Efforts continue to assist other states in introducing Compact legislation this year.
To see the jurisdictions that have introduced or passed legislation, view our PT Compact map.
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Stay Informed
Make sure that you receive the notifications you want by subscribing directly to the following communications:
- The Faculty Newsletteris published by the FSBPT as one mechanism to communicate with educators in PT and PTA programs. This effort to provide ongoing communication includes current information and updates on the NPTE as well as information on other regulatory issues that might impact or be of interest to program educators.
- INPTRA Network News: INPTRA is organized and operated to support physiotherapy regulation. Educational and collaborative activities, communication, participation, and interaction are the key to our success.
- PT Compact Notifications: Updates from the Physical Therapy Compact Commission.
- This monthlyNews Briefprovides important updates and timely information to FSBPT members and stakeholders.
Call for Presentation Proposals and Ideas for the 2020 Annual Meeting (Deadline March 3)
We are accepting presentation ideas and proposals for the 2020 Annual Meeting!
Please submit your proposal by March 3, 2020.
If your proposal is chosen, up to two presenters will be funded to attend the FSBPT Annual Meeting in Orange County, California, October 22-24.
If you have a topic of interest but you do not have suggested speakers or an official proposal, please share the topic with us. We welcome ideas!
North Carolina and the PT Minimum Data Set (MDS)
By Kathy Arney, Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners
The North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Board) has collected a uniform set of data elements from all PT/PTA licensees at annual renewal for many years. In aggregate, data are submitted to the Cecil B. Sheps Center at the University of North Carolina Physical Therapy where the data are securely stored. The data set is publicly accessible, with Board permission, for research, governmental, and other purposes. The Sheps Center currently publishes information on the workforce of health care professions in North Carolina through interactive maps.
The Board supports incorporating PTMDS data elements into the renewal application to promote the use of nationally accepted consistent data elements. The updated elements can be used in both the state of North Carolina and nationally to better understand the physical therapy profession workforce collectively. As a state regulatory board, we are the single entity in North Carolina able to capture all licensee information annually. Collecting the data currently assists our Board in answering public requests for licensee information. It also answers questions about the PT/PTA workforce volume, which enables the Board to plan for resources to best serve the public.
PT MDS incorporates data elements not previously collected in North Carolina. Most importantly specific information regarding location, patient populations served, and work status. These elements would allow our Board and state insight into how to plan the future physical therapy workforce. These additional elements can help provide specific answers to many questions:
- Do patients have adequate access to PT services?
- Is the workforce diverse enough for patient needs?
- Are there enough PT/PTA academic educational programs to serve our population?
- Are licensees staying in North Carolina?
- Is the workforce sufficient where licensees chose to locate?
- Are there ways to incentivize licensees practicing in underserved areas?
- What are the employment opportunities for PT/PTA licensees?
- What regulatory resources are required for public protection in NC?
What challenges have you encountered with this process? Opportunities?
Challenges
Because there are no barriers to data collection in North Carolina, as it has been collected since the 1970s and there is a mechanism for aggregate data storage and security, the primary challenge has been securing programming funding and personnel to complete the transition to PTMDS and tying those to our current online renewal process.
Opportunities
- Implementation: If there was a publicly available “PT MDS test model” for other jurisdictions to use, implementation could be eased by minimizing the need for initial programming or related expenditures. North Carolina anticipates implementing PT MDS as an integrated part of the license renewal application process in November 2020. Once NCBPTE completes a working model, it may be able to make a test model publicly available.
- Data usage: In aggregate the data set is de-identified and publicly available; therefore, the possibilities to use this data to answer questions and assist future regulatory planning are seemingly endless.
What advice do you have for other jurisdictions who may want to do something similar?
State-based collection of workforce information alone or non-PT MDS data elements is insufficient to answer research questions or plan for regulation of the physical therapy profession as a whole. Larger data sets improve reliability, validity, and statistical significance in answering research questions. Collection of PTMDS by all jurisdictions generates the data to answer questions and helps envision resource creation to assure regulatory boards are able to meet their mission of public protection and safety.
Assess the pressing regulatory matters in your jurisdiction and consider the basis for your current PT regulatory decisions. Are decisions data driven? Would it be helpful to have national aggregate data to compare to your jurisdiction? The answer may support the priority of implementing PTMDS to enhance public protection. If that makes the case for collection of PTMDS, then assess the barriers to data collection in your jurisdiction. Are there statutory or regulatory limitations? Data storage and security? Personnel? Funding? If so, there is assistance available through many entities including FSBPT, Rural Health Centers, Health Workforce Technical Assistance Center, other agencies in your state, and other jurisdictions currently collecting PTMDS, such as Missouri, North Dakota, and the Virgin Islands. Seeking further information and resources may make collection of PTMDS easier.
North Carolina welcomes your questions and thoughts on this topic. Please reach out to Kathy Arney, Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners.
Occupational Licensure Reform Resources
In recent years, external pressure on regulatory boards to demonstrate value, efficiency, and effectiveness has increased significantly. Occupational licensing regulated by state boards has come under significant scrutiny as a detriment to the labor market. In light of this criticism, licensing boards need to be diligent in demonstrating their role and effectiveness in protecting the public and demonstrate the necessity of physical therapy regulation. Responding to members’ concerns, the FSBPT Board of Directors directed staff to create resources supporting the regulation of physical therapy providers and state-based regulation. These resources can be found in the Member's Area.
Educators' Satisfaction Survey
FSBPT strives to provide the most effective and useful tools for educators. If you are an educator, we are interested in your opinion on the services and products that we offer to you.
Please take a moment to complete the survey. Your input is extremely valuable and it helps to ensure that we are providing the best tools for now and into the future.
FSBPT Forum: Overcoming Roadblocks to PT Compact Implementation—The State Perspective
There are multiple advantages to joining the PT Compact, but there are some challenges to getting there. However, FSBPT and the PT Compact staff and members are here to help. This article is based on a presentation by T.J. Cantwell, Kathy Arney, Claire Covert-ByBee, Scott Majors, and Charlotte Martin at the 2019 FSBPT Annual Meeting.
Spotlight on Member Resources: Webinar: An Impossible Dream? Practice Advice in Physiotherapy Regulation
The most recent members' webinar is now now available in the FSBPT Members' Area.
Our Gratitude for Volunteers
his month, we thank the generous volunteer members of these groups for their support of our mission:
Item Writers Task Force
In the News
"Changes in Quality of Care after Hospital Mergers and Acquisitions," Beaulieu et al., January 2, 2020, New England Journal of Medicine
"The hospital industry has consolidated substantially during the past two decades and at an accelerated pace since 2010. Multiple studies have shown that hospital mergers have led to higher prices for commercially insured patients, but research about effects on quality of care is limited."
"Health Care Spending in the United States and Other High-Income Countries," Papanicolas et al., March 13, 2018, The Journal of the American Medical Association
"In 2016, the United States spent nearly twice as much as 10 high-income countries on medical care and performed less well on many population health outcomes. Contrary to some explanations for high spending, social spending and health care utilization in the United States did not differ substantially from other high-income nations. Prices of labor and goods, including pharmaceuticals and devices, and administrative costs appeared to be the main drivers of the differences in spending."
"More Americans Delaying Medical Treatment Due to Cost," Lydia Saad, December 9, 2019, Gallup
"A record 25% of Americans say they or a family member put off treatment for a serious medical condition in the past year because of the cost, up from 19% a year ago and the highest in Gallup's trend. Another 8% said they or a family member put off treatment for a less serious condition, bringing the total percentage of households delaying care due to costs to 33%, tying the high from 2014."
"Therapist who used phone to read summaries of fantasy novels during massages admits to misconduct," Bethany Lindsay, January 27, 2020, CBC News
"A B.C. registered massage therapist who admitted to using one hand to read book synopses on his phone during appointments has been disciplined by his professional regulator. Chris Elson, who practises in Surrey, has also admitted lying to investigators from the College of Massage Therapists of B.C., and acknowledged that his actions constitute professional misconduct, according to a public notice on the college website."
"CA Healthcare Tax Blocked by Trump Administration," February 7, 2020, Capitol Journal
"The Trump administration has denied California’s request to impose a tax on managed care organizations that administer the state’s Medicaid plans."
"Governors Warn New Fed Rule Might Mean Big Medicaid Cuts," February 7, 2020, Capitol Journal
"Governors from both parties expressed concern last week that a new fiscal responsibility rule being implemented by the Trump administration could lead to major cuts to state Medicaid programs."
"Acting in the Public Interest: Learnings and Commentary on the Occupational Licensure Literature," Benton et al., July 2019, Journal of Nursing Regulation
"There is increased interest in reforming the way occupations are licensed. However, most of the current dialogue focuses on the rapid growth in the number of people who need a license to pursue their chosen occupation. Consequently, significant questions are being raised as to the appropriateness of such requirements for groups that do not appear to present any tangible threat to public safety. Recent research has demonstrated that health professions have failed to articulate the need and value for licensure and how health regulators are addressing the many concerns being raised by the current debate."
"Can Digitization of Health Care Help Low-Resourced Countries Provide Better Community-Based Rehabilitation Services?" Joseph Kimuli Balikuddembe and Jan D. Reinhardt, February 2020, Physical Therapy
"In the wake of globalization, proliferation of digital technologies (DTs) is rapidly changing many activities across sectors, including influencing health to “go digital.” Harnessing opportunities of DTs can be a pathway for delivery of health services, such as community-based rehabilitation (CBR) to the vulnerable groups of populations, particularly those in countries with low resources where health systems are weak and experiencing a deficit of trained health workers necessary to effectively deliver a full spectrum of health services. This perspective explored how some DTs can be leveraged in delivery of CBR services in rural and remote areas of countries with low resources. This is described based on information access and exchange, social satisfaction, shortages of rehabilitation workforce, professional development, and capacity building. However, since seizing advantages of DTs can inevitably be associated with spillovers and limitations, including needs prioritization, skills and language limitations, internet addiction and censorship issues, professionalism and ethical dilemmas, and sustainability, if proper measures are not taken, a caution is made. Moreover, as DTs are revolutionizing various activities across sectors, including health, this is not meant as a substitute for traditional health care activities, including those delivered through CBR, but rather to augment their delivery in settings with low resources and elsewhere."
"The Importance of Health Workforce Data in Decision Making," Center for Health Workforce Studies
"While many health professions labor markets are local, most policy levers affecting the training and deployment of health professionals can be applied at the state, regional, and national levels. Analysis of basic health workforce data is essential to plan for educational programs, shape regulatory policies, identify shortage areas, forecast employment needs, and justify funding requests. Health workforce data analysis can also be used to evaluate the impact that policy decisions have on the health workforce. Reform that focuses on mental health or Medicaid, or changes in medical, dental, or physical therapy school admissions policies often rely on health workforce data analysis for support. Robust information about the current health workforce is necessary to evaluate existing programs and to plan for future needs."
Board Liaisons to Jurisdictions
Members of the Board of Directors serve as liaisons to multiple jurisdictions. Current liaison relationships are listed here for your reference.
 Tom CaldwellArkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas |  Ruggie CanizaresColorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah |  Ellen DonaldAlabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina |  Joni KalisAlaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming |
 Nancy KirschConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont |  Adrienne PriceDelaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia |  David RellingIowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands |  John YoungThe public member of the board does not serve as a liaison to jurisdictions. |
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Staff Contact Information
Staff Contact Information
If you have questions, challenges or ideas, we want to hear from you!
(703) 299-3100
| Subject | Point of Contact/Email Address |
| ADA accommodations | Christine Sousa |
| Assessment or examination development questions | Lorin Mueller, PhD
Susan Layton
npte@fsbpt.org |
| Continuing competence | Jeffrey M. Rosa
competencestaff@fsbpt.org |
| Credentials review | Jaime Nolan, FCCPT |
| ELDD- Exam, Licensure and Disciplinary Database participation | eldd@fsbpt.org |
| Exam registration processing | Christine Sousa |
| Foreign educated issues | Leslie Adrian |
| Immigration | Jamie Nolan |
| JAM- Jurisprudence Assessment Module | competencestaff@fsbpt.org |
| Legislation or Model Practice Act | Leslie Adrian |
| Meeting arrangements | Paul Delaney |
| NPDB reports/questions | Angela Burnham |
| PTC- Physical Therapy Compact | compact@fsbpt.org |
| PEAT®- Practice Exam & Assessment Tool | peat@fsbpt.org |
| Reimbursement of expenses
Other financial matters | Bill Aronson
Linda Michelsen |
| School reports | schoolreports@fsbpt.org |
| Score transfer & reporting | Christine Sousa |
| SCP PET- Supervised Clinical Practice Performance Evaluation Tool | scppet@fsbpt.org |
| Security issues | Susan Layton
security@fsbpt.org |
| Anything else, including news to share with members | William A. Hatherill
Francois Marjorie
Caitlin Jennings
Communications@fsbpt.org |
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| | Sign off: That’s all the news today ffrom the Red & Yellow Twig Dogwood banks of the Potomac, where the fish are faster, the fishing boats are longer, and the fishermen are still full of stories. - William A. Hatherill, CEO
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