Revising Your State Practice Act: A How To
Revising a state practice act is no easy task. But physical therapists from Pennsylvania discussed how they were able to update theirs during a session at APTA’s State Policy and Payment Forum.
Before July 4 of this year, Pennsylvania had not changed its practice act since 1985. Starting the process involved both short and long term preparation, said Geraldine M. Gryzbek, PT, GCS, PPTA president, and Paul J. Welk, PT, JD, PPTA legal counsel/lobbyist.
Part of the short term efforts the PA APTA undertook included forming a task force and reviewing the former practice act to make recommendations to the chapter’s board of directors. The task force wanted to stress that the aim of updating the document centered on administrative changes, not scope of practice.
Long term preparation included reviewing legislative process, figuring out how much money and time was needed and identifying key state legislators who could support the chapter’s cause.
Other things the Pennsylvania chapter considered included identifying other parties of interest, such as the state medical society, and evaluating the legislative environment of the state. For instance, Pennsylvania’s governor had introduced a provision calling for health care professionals to be able to do everything in their scope of practice.
“That was sort of the overlying umbrella we went into,” said Welk.
Gryzbek and Welk gave these tips for revising your state's practice act:
• Familiarize your chapter with the APTA’s resources
• Be aware of chapter and APTA policies and positions
• Work with the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
• Bargain in good faith with outside interest groups
• Choose lobbyists that share a passion for the profession
• Assist legislators with issues important to them, as well as to your chapter
For information on resources available to your chapter should it undertake revising its practice act, visit www.apta.org