California Needs Your Help!

As a continuation of the last blog I want to discuss an important issue that is being heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee right now!  Supporting this bill will help change the way the public receives health care services to the “new approach” (discussed last week) where the person with musculoskeletal pain can visit their physical therapist before seeing their primary care physician.  This would allow for immediate treatment if it is appropriate, effectively decreasing the amount of time you are in pain. The physical therapist would refer you to a primary care physician if your physical therapist thinks it’s warranted.  You get referred to a specialist for further testing only if necessary. 

“SB 924 will allow consumers to be directly treated by physical therapists just as in many other states.”¹

“SB 924 will streamline health care delivery, increase consumer choice and reduce costs for consumers.”¹

“SB 924 will allow patients to go directly to physical therapist, avoid extra co-pays and if appropriate for physical therapist services, begin treatment immediately.”¹

“Currently, 36 states allow patients to directly access physical therapist treatment (17 with unlimited direct access and 19 with some restrictions) and they have been doing so safely for an average of 25 years. In 36 other states, Medicare pays for the direct treatment by physical therapists before a formal diagnosis is determined by a physician.”¹ 

THIS IS NOT THE CASE IN CALIFORNIA! 

In California Medicare recipients are denied their equal right to direct access to the same physical therapy services afforded to patients in those 36 other states.

“Lastly, physical therapy education and training justifies clarification and recognition by the legislature that the profession is qualified to treat patients' impairments and movement dysfunctions without a formal diagnosis of a disease.”¹

Please call or write the members of the Senate Appropriations committee and  show your SUPPORT for SB 924.

Senate Appropriations Committee:

Kehoe (Chair, D) - (916) 651-4039, fax (916) 327-2188 - Click Here for Support Letter Template
 

Walters (Vice-Chair, R) - (916) 651-4033, fax (916) 445-9754 - Click Here for Support Letter Template
 

Alquist (D) - (916) 651-4013, fax (916) 324-0283 - Click Here for Support Letter Template
 

Emmerson (R) - (916) 651-4037,  fax (916) 327-2187 - Click Here for Support Letter Template
 

Lieu (D) - (916) 651-4028, fax (916) 323-6056 - Click Here for Support Letter Template
 

Pravley (D) - (916) 651-4023, fax (916) 324-4823 - Click Here for Support Letter Template
 

Price (D) - (916) 651-4026, fax (916) 445-8899 - Click Here for Support Letter Template
 

Runner (R) - (916) 651-4017, fax (916) 445-4662 - Click Here for Support Letter Template
 

Steinberg (D) - (916) 651-4006, fax (916) 323-2263 - Click Here for Support Letter Template

Click here to view a copy of SB 924

Click here to view the Legislative Action Center

All references are from the California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA) and California PT Notes

There Is A Fork In The Road: Which Way Will You Go?

Let me start off my asking you a question.  Would you rather have back pain for 20 days or 50 days?  This may sound like a pretty simple question but our current health care system may push you towards the 50 days of pain rather than the shorter time frame.  I will separate these two groups into the “old approach” of thinking of treatment for musculoskeletal pain vs. the “new approach” to treat these symptoms.  The reason these words are in quotation marks is because the old approach is still very prominent in our health care system and very few partake in the new approach, especially here in California where direct access to a physical therapist is not allowed.

The old approach consists of you getting some sort of musculoskeletal pain.  You may not be able to get in to see a physician for up to 1 month.  You finally get to see the general physician and they send you to a specialist for the body region where you are having pain.  That specialist may send you for diagnostic testing such as X-Rays, or a MRI.  After this you follow up with the primary physician, the specialist or both.  At this time the decision for you to see a physical therapist is made.

In the new approach you meet with your physical therapist first, maybe also seeing your primary physician if your physical therapist thinks it’s warranted.  You get immediate treatment if it is appropriate and get referred to a specialist for further testing only if necessary.  

So why has the system not changed?  Why does physical therapy direct access get denied every time it goes through congress?  It is because the American Medical Association (AMA) has too much to lose in order to change to a new patient-centered system.  Physicians can lose out on “initial visits, follow-up visits, diagnostic testing, drug prescriptions... all of those equate to profit”¹

If you like the idea of the new system you can write your local assembly member or donate to CAL-PT-PAC which is the only political action committee in California representing the profession of Physical Therapy.  You can donate HERE

Reference: http://blog.myphysicaltherapyspace.com/2012/01/the-back-pain-story.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EvidenceInMotion+%28Evidence+In+Motion%29