Policy Priorities & Advocacy Resources

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• Policy Priorities
  • Legislative One-pagers
    • Primary Health Services Enhancement Act (H.R.5365) to enable private practice PTs to contract to provide care at Community Health Centers
    • Overview of APTA Private Practice telehealth legislative priorities, Expanded Telehealth Access Act (H.R.2168) language remains first choice
    • Supporting Medicare Providers Act (H.R. 6020), to prevent steep cuts to Medicare reimbursement on January 1, 2022 by preserving the 3.75% payment adjustment for another year.
    • Mitigate the impact of the PTA/OTA differential and establish a general supervision requirement across all settings with S.5 and a provision of H.R.5536
    • Enable all physical therapists to use a locum tenens--regardless of where their clinic is located, Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act (S.2612/H.R.1611)
    • Reduce Prior Authorization Burden in MA Plans, Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act (S.3018/H.R.3173)
    • Permit direct contracting between Medicare beneficiaries and qualified health care professionals, Medicare Patient Empowerment Act (S.826/H.R.3322)
    • Expanded Telehealth Act (S.3193/H.R.2168), seeking permanent Medicare coverage of physical therapist services provided via telehealth
    • Don't Reinstate Medicare Sequestration During COVID-19 PHE, the Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act (H.R.315/S.748)
    • Override IRS and make Provider Relief Funds non-taxable, Eliminating Provider Relief Fund Tax Penalties Act (H.R.2079)

2021-2022 Legislative & Advocacy Priorities

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Congressional Communications

• APTA Private Practice and 103 other physician and non-physician providers point out the need for substantive Medicare payment reform and call on Congress to hold hearings and begin long-term payment reform efforts. (January 2023)
• 83 Republicans call on House leadership to avert Medicare reimbursement cuts while noting that economic challenges of providers are putting patient access at risk (December 2022)
• 113 Representatives sent a bipartisan letter to House and Senate leadership as well as President Biden calling for a total mitigation of the CY2023 Medicare payment cuts (December 2022)
• Letter sent to Congressional leadership by APTA Private Practice and 100 other provider groups requesting a 4.5% funding boost to completely offset the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule conversion factor cuts in 2023 (December 2022)
• APTA Private Practice and other rehabilitation therapy organizations thank Senator Carper (D-DE) for introducing S.5 to remove Medicare's direct supervision requirement for PTAs and OTAs in private practice settings (November 2022)
• 46 Senators declared support for Congressional action to prevent deep cuts to the physician fee schedule's conversion factor (November 2022)
• APTA Private Practice shares private practice physical therapist insight and offers suggestions to the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule (September 2022)
• PPS is one of more than 100 members of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Coalition calling for Congress to pass legislation to provide another buffer to the Conversion Factor and other economic supports of Medicare reimbursement (July 2022)
• PPS and 6 other rehabilitation therapy organizations' joint Statement for the Record to House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for the hearing entitled, "Protecting America's Seniors: Oversight of Private Sector Medicare Advantage Plans" (June 2022)
• Rep. Tonko (NY-20) calls on Energy & Commerce Committee colleagues to include the Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act (S.2612/H.R.1611) in CURES 2.0 legislative package (March 2022)
• PPS urges Congress to keep 2% Medicare sequester on hold for the rest of the Public Health Emergency (February 2022)
• PPS and 95 other organizations urge Congressional health care committees to examine potential reforms to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (February 2022)
• PPS and rehabilitation stakeholders urge Congressional leaders to include the Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy (SMART) Act (H.R. 5536) in the upcoming Continuing Resolution
• Record-making 247 Representatives urge House Leadership to address looming Medicare payment cuts to physical therapists and other health care providers (October 2021)
• APTA Private Practice and 16 other rehabilitation therapy organizations send a letter of support to Reps. Bobby Rush (IL) and Jason Smith (MO) thanking them for introducing the Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy (SMART) Act which seeks to mitigate the impact of the impending Medicare 15% payment differential for services furnished by physical therapist assistants (PTA) and occupational therapy assistants (OTA) beginning on Jan. 1, 2022. (October 2021)
• APTA Private Practice and 108 other stakeholders urge Congressional leadership to maintain stability within the MPFS by retaining 2021's 3.75% increase to the conversion factor through at least 2022 and 2023 (July 2021)
• APTA Private Practice and 48 other stakeholder organizations urge Congress to extend the 2% Medicare sequester moratorium and waive PAY-GO requirements to protect Medicare (March 2021)
• APTA Private Practice and 74 other stakeholders thank Representatives for reducing Medicare cuts in 2020, while arguing for additional relief (February 2021)
• PPS and 74 more stakeholders thank Senators for reducing Medicare cuts in 2020, while arguing for additional relief (February 2021)
• PPS is one of 43 organizations calling on Congress to delay the return of the 2% Medicare sequester until after the Public Health Emergency (February 2021)

Regulatory Communications

• APTA Private Practice and 8 other rehabilitation therapy stakeholders urge CMS to promptly align the expiration date of the use of telehealth codes with existing law--December 31, 2024 (February 2023)
• PPS, APTA and other rehabilitation therapy stakeholders request waiver from HHS to put off PTA/OTA differential for one year (or longer if the PHE extends into 2023) (January 2022)
• APTA Private Practice comments on the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, including challenging proposed 3.75% reimbursement cuts and implementation of the PTA differential while recommending general supervision for PTAs and removal of administrative burdens such as signature on a plan of care (September 2021)
• APTA Private Practice recruits Members of Congress to advocate for CMS to change PTA supervision changes and exempt rural practices from PTA differential (May 2021)
• Prior Authorizations Regulation Comment Letter (January 2021)
• APTA Private Practice Comment to Proposed Measure 4.3 (February 2021)

Private Payer Communications

• PPS and 6 other organizations encourage Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield - Virginia to reconsider the unilateral material change imposed on providers on or around October 1, 2020.