Current Rhode Island Legislative Activity
APTA RI Public Policy Committee
Current RI Public Policy Activities
Find your state legislator and senator: https://vote.sos.ri.gov/
Chair of the committee: Greg Doucette
Please contact Greg with any questions / involvement
Lobby Day: May 17
Several APTA RI members and leaders particiapated in Physical Therapy Day at the State House.
Thank you to the following RI Legislative Leaders who stopped by to advocate for Physical Therapy:
- Representative Dave Bennett, Lead Sponsor in the House for the Imaging and Copay Bills.
- Representative Michelle McGaw, who was lead sponsor in the House of the PT Compact Bill
- Senator Linda Ujifusa discussed access to care and Healthcare economics
- Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi, and House Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski are pictured above with Greg Doucette and Erin Sayles
2023 Session
Current Legislation (May 1, 2023)
Fair Copay
House Bill 5012 – http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText23/HouseText23/H5012.pdf
Senate Bill 293 - https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/billtext23/senatetext23/s0293.htm
Imaging
House Bill 5013 – https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/billtext23/housetext23/h5013.htm
Senate Bill 101 - https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/billtext23/senatetext23/s0101.htm
Compact
House Bill 5076 – https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/billtext23/housetext23/h5076.htm
Senate Bill 580 - http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText23/SenateText23/S0580.pdf
GPT License
House Bill 5494 – https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText23/HouseText23/H5494A.htm
Senate Bill 577 - http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText23/SenateText23/S0577.pdf
Other information / past hearings
PT Compact
Current National Trends from APTA regarding PT Compact
Will be in RI Corporations Committee
Senator Valverde is the lead sponsor in the Senate SB 580
Rep Mcgaw is the lead sponsor in the House HB TBD
Talking Points:
Why do we need to do this?
- Access to care
- PT Shortage in RI
- Take advantage of geography
How are we going to protect Rhode Islanders?
- Compact privileges are dependent on all of the same protective measures as RI License
Who is in the compact?
- 28 Member States including Maryland and Delaware
- 5 States have passed legislation but not yet issued compact including NJ and PA
- 12 Other states have introduced legislation this year including MA, CT, VT, NY
- Only 5 states have not begun attempts to join the compact
Common practice in many professions, particularly medical professions – RI has passed IMLC legislation and other medical professions with provisions include PCP and Psychologists.
Standards are consistent and allowing a new therapist to reduce bureaucratic burden in order to practice here is vital
GPT Bill
Will be in Corporations Committee
Senate sponsor Matt Lamountain SB 577
House Sponsor Rep Brandon Potter HB TBD
Why do we need this?
- Ensure access to care
- Shortage of clinicians limits that access
- Need the ability to provide licensure in accordance with surrounding states, especially MA
- Economic viability of these clinicians to stay in RI – we are losing our new graduates
- Currently grad PT has less privilege than a student PT
- “Covid Class” – we interrupted their education and are now punishing them twice
- Pass rates 89% in 2021 and 85% in 2022; consistently 91% prior years
- Timing of the test has changed – only 4 dates instead of anytime
- April Exam is no available to many local students due to May graduation dates
What does the bill do?
- Lining up with Massachusetts – as long as a clinician has applied to take their boards they can practice under the license of a PT
Copay Bill
Senator sponsor Demario SB 293
House sponsor Rep Bennett HB 5012
Access to care issue
- Patients do not attend PT and are forced into more dangerous (opiates), invasive (surgery), or functionally limiting (no treatment)
- Downstream costs – Physical Therapy reduces Health Care costs
https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article/101/1/pzaa201/5999910?login=true
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29073842/
https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article/98/5/348/4925484
https://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?m=34873&i=268475&p=12&ver=html5
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22614792/
Primary Care Provider shortages has caused a significant gap in access to care for the community
https://pbn.com/how-to-cure-shortage-of-primary-care-docs/
- Physical Therapist have the education, experience, and expertise to fill the gap in available primary care services if given the resources to provide access to the community
- RI Legislature has recognized Physical Therapists as Primary Care Providers since granting Direct access over 25 years ago
Imaging Bill Talking Points – already testified in both houses
Senate Sponsor Lombardi SB 101
House Sponsor Rep Bennet HB 5013
- Request for extension – no changes to the bill except the sundown date.
- Delayed roll out to members in order to solidify protocols with imaging providers
- As a result, only 12 months ordering so far
- Significant barrier is lack of insurance reimbursement by some carriers (not BCBS) so not all images that have been recommended have been completed due to cost.
- Data given on appropriateness of ordering and all provisions for communication have been met
On March 21, 2023
Dave Pavao, PT, DPT, and Erin Sayles, PT, DPT testified on behalf of APTA RI last night in the House Corporations Committee on two bills introduced by the RIAPTA Legislative Action Committee.
House Bill 5076, The Physical Therapy Compact Act – would allow Rhode Island to join the National Physical Therapy Compact
House Bill 5495, which will allow Graduate Physical Therapists to work under the License of a PT, as long as they are signed up to take the board exam.
Below is the link for video of the committee hearing:
The testimony for HB 5076 begins at 1:07:00.
The testimony for HB 5495 begins at 1:55:30.
https://ritv.devosvideo.com/show?video=ca8487884e12&apg=c1bd29a8
