Patients in New York who need physical therapist services can now go directly to their physical therapist without having to wait to receive a referral from a physician.

New York is the 43rd state to pass "direct access" legislation that eliminates, under certain conditions, the physician referral requirement for patients needing physical therapist services. The Consumer Access to Physical Therapy bill, S3169/A5622, passed the legislature with bipartisan support and was signed into law July 26 by Governor George E Pataki. It will become effective in 120 days. This new law will allow patients to directly access the services of a licensed physical therapist for 10 visits or 30 days, whichever comes first.

"Physical therapists have been working with the state legislature to achieve direct access for patients for nearly 25 years. Now patients in New York, like patients in many other states, will have improved access to physical therapy care. This bill is a thoughtful piece of legislation with patient safety taking the highest priority," says James Dunleavy, PT, MS, president of the New York Physical Therapy Association (NYPTA).

"The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) applauds the state legislature for passing this important legislation to provide patients with direct access to physical therapist services," says APTA President R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD. "Direct access helps to remove unnecessary barriers to healthcare and gives consumers a choice in accessing physical therapist services. Many states have had direct access laws on the books for nearly 30 years and evidence has shown that direct access to physical therapist services is cost-effective, safe and has improved access to care. Now residents of New York will be able to benefit from the same access to quality physical therapy services."

The New York Physical Therapy Association (NYPTA) is a non-profit professional association of approximately 5,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants and students. The NYPTA is dedicated to serving the public's health interests, improving the standard of health for people of all ages and advancing the benefits of physical therapy and the interests of physical therapy professionals in the state of New York.

Source: The American Physical Therapy Association