APTQI Members Visit Washington, DC to Advocate for Falls Prevention, Appropriate Medicare Reimbursement, and the Future of Physical Therapy
50 advocates from APTQI member companies recently met with lawmakers and staff from the Administration in Washington, DC to advocate for our community and the patients we serve. Priority policies we highlighted included increased access to falls prevention services and stable reimbursement rates for physical therapists, among other key issues. APTQI members held meetings with members of Congress and staff from the offices of 80 Senators and Representatives, engaging lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to build bipartisan support for critical legislation. We also met with leaders at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and staff from the Domestic Policy Council to advocate for regulatory updates to better support physical therapy patients and professionals nationwide.
While on Capitol Hill, participants discussed the Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly (SAFE) Act (S. 2612/H.R. 1171), which, if passed, would allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive falls risk assessment provided by a falls expert—a physical or occupational therapist—during their annual wellness visit, at no cost to the patient. They also raised concerns about the Medicare payment system and advocated for reform to ensure sustainable reimbursement for providers to support patient access to physical therapy services.
Thank you to representatives from Alliance Physical Therapy Partners, Athletico Physical Therapy, ATI Physical Therapy, Confluent Health, CORA Physical Therapy, Cypress Health Partners, Doctors of Physical Therapy, First Settlement Physical Therapy, FOX Rehabilitation, Health & Rehab Solutions, Ivy Rehab Network, JAG Physical Therapy, Limber Health, OccuPro, PatientPay, Physical Rehabilitation Network, Prompt Health, PT Solutions Physical Therapy, Raintree Systems, Second Door Health, Spear Physical Therapy, Team Rehabilitation Physical Therapy, Upstream Rehabilitation, U.S. Physical Therapy, and WebPT for participating in this fly-in and engaging with members of Congress, their staff, and representatives from the Administration.
We look forward to continuing our advocacy efforts and working with both lawmakers and the administration to strengthen the future of physical therapy.