APTA Comments on Fee Schedule and Outpatient Rules
According to the APTA's Sept. 4 PT Bulletin Online (http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Current_Issue#article63798), the organization recently submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the proposed 2010 Medicare physician fee schedule. APTA encouraged CMS to adopt its proposal to use the physician practice information survey data to calculate practice expense relative value units. In addition, APTA urged CMS to remove physician-administered drugs from the calculation of the sustainable growth rate. "Comments also were submitted on the proposed 2010 outpatient prospective payment system," the report continued. "APTA requested that CMS clarify that physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology services do not require direct physician supervision in an outpatient hospital department. APTA urged CMS to recognize the role of physical therapists in the final national coverage determination for cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation." What are your thoughts on these stances taken by the national association?