Sunset Physical Therapists

Sunset Process - House Health and Human Services Committee. The bill continues the regulation of physical therapists and physical therapy assistants until September 1, 2035. The bill also authorizes physical therapists to recommend and prescribe durable medical equipment to patients without a prescription from a physician. The bill updates the definition of the practice of "physical therapy" to include wound debridement, and also adds the ongoing review, integration, and understanding of a patient's or client's prescription and nonprescription medication regimen to the definition. The bill also updates the titles and abbreviations that only a person licensed as a physical therapist or a physical therapy student may use. Currently, a physical therapist is authorized to perform wound debridement under the order of a physician or a physician's assistant. The bill authorizes physical therapists to perform wound debridement under the order of an advanced practice nurse. The bill clarifies that a physical therapist assistant may not perform sharp wound would debridement, but may perform general wound care and nonsharp debridement. The bill changes the term " foreign-trained" in reference to internationally-educated applicants for licensure to an applicant who is educated by a program that is not accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education or a comparable organization .

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)