Physical Therapists Fight Mandatory Referrals
For Chase Bearden, physical therapy is a constant. At 17, the former high school gymnast broke two vertebrae in his neck during a routine practice and was paralyzed from the chest down. Now Bearden, 34, who went from being an athlete to learning to maneuver in a wheelchair, routinely visits his physical therapist to work his back and shoulders and stay agile.
But Bearden can't go straight to his therapist — under Texas law, anyone who wants to see a physical therapist has to first see a physician and get a referral. For a recurring condition like Bearden's, a ...
Comments (4)
Michael B Openshaw
Passing this bill would open a whole new world of fraudulent claims, when outright fraud is already consuming as much as 10% of Medicare/Medicaid funding. And, if you ARE having to undergo constatn physical therapy, an annual meidcal visit is a good thing.
Paul Hardin
This bill does not affect Medicare or Medicaid. Those programs would still require a referral from an approved provider.
chase bearden
Michael, I would have to disagree with you on this one. The way this bill is written Medicare/Medicaid plays no roll in this legislation, mainly because they would have to make a change at the Federal level to include the Medicare/Medicaid population. This bill will only allow a person who is self pay to have direct access to a Physical Therapist. Insurance companies will have a choice on if they wish to participate, or continue to send their insuree to one of their Doctors first to receive a prescription for “PT to Evaluate & Treat”. Nobody would be forced not to see a Doctor you would still have that right, along with an office visit charge to prove it.
Healthy Texan
The docs don't care about patients unless you are talking about the patient's money. They fight tooth and nail to make sure we have inflated costs by restricting access and choices. More malpractice claims are filed against doctors than any other health provider and yet they argue keeping nurse practitioners and other qualified health providers is necessary for patient safety. All they want is the money these valued providers can bring to their practice.
What's worse, the House Public Health Committee is bought and paid for by TMA. Until the physician hold on that committee is broken, public health is just a dream in this state.