The AB783 Story Continues

PT in Motion News Now now alerted me that AB783 has been re-scheduled for hearing on Monday June 27th. This bill will be heard in the California Senate Standing Committee on Business, Professions, and Economic Development.

The drama surrounding AB783 has taken some interesting turns over the past few weeks.

Luckily, NBC LA continues to provide top notch coverage and analysis of the issues in their THIRD article entitled Caution: State Laws Hazardous to Your Health. In the comments section Johnny Chen makes a great point:

There is a reason why doctors are not allowed to own pharmacy clinics/establishments. It’s called conflict of interest. The same should apply to physical therapy clinics. Hayashi should be ashamed of herself — why would she support a bill that takes the power out of the consumer’s hand and costs taxpayers/health care system.

Unfortunately, there is a very, very easy cure to this legislation and ongoing POPTS battle:

Physical therapists need to stop working for Physician Owned Physical Therapy Clinics.

Remember the Stop POPTS Campaign has a website, Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube Channel. Read, follow, friend, and watch! Then spread the word.

Also, please take a few moments to read the 3 NBC LA Articles and leave your comments + feedback.

  1. Physician Run Physical Therapy Clinics Scrutinized
  2. Physical Therapy Bill Delayed
  3. Caution: State Laws Hazardous to Your Health

The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.                            –Winston Churchill

The ‘continuity of care’argument is dead. It is hard for me to get a hold of a physician when I page them in a hospital, or call them from the private physical therapy practice I practice within. They are busy. We are busy.

The issues surround physician employment, and ownership, of physical therapists are fairly simple: conflict of interest and referral for profit. What makes legislators, payors, and the public believe this will improve communication, care, and patient outcomes?

The American Physical Therapy Association doesn’t support it. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists doesn’t support it. In fact, the American Medical Association ethics committee doesn’t support it.

The data doesn’t support it. Human behavior and psychology research don’t support it. Logic doesn’t support it. Ethics doesn’t support it.

Dear Assemblywoman Hayashi: Physical Therapists, data, logic, ethics, and human behavior all say NO! This is a bad idea!

But, physicians support it and say it is best, so it must be true…right?

June 25, 2011 | Filed Under Health Policy, Physical Therapist 2.0

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AB783 and the California Campaign to STOP POPTS

On Monday, June 13th California Assembly Bill AB783 failed to pass out of committee in the California Legislature. The bill, which would explicitly allow physicians to employ physical therapists, would have been in stark contrast to current State of California Legislative Counsel opinion which states that it is illegal for physical therapists to be employed by physicians.  The bill has been pushed by Mary Hayashi, who not surprisingly receives quite a bit of campaign money from physician groups.

Recently, the issue has received increased attention as physical therapists and activists have taken to twitter and facebook to spread the word. Even more impressive, NBC LA has now run two articles critiquing the bill: Doctor Run Physical Therapy Clinics Scrutinized and Physical Therapy Bill Delayed.

Some sources have reported that supporters of AB783 have spent upwards of 2 million dollars while physical therapists and the CA Private Practice Section have spent a mere 57 thousand dollars. I think the relative success of the PT campaign illustrates the importance of viral, social medial in the form of Facebook, Twitter, and an online presence. Most notable is the Stop POPTS campaign which I have written about previously in the post Anti-POPTS Movement goes Web 2.0. But, even the California Private Practice Section has been slamming their website with information and announcements

But, in the end, I think it also illustrates the fact that the bill is grossly illogical as it promotes a huge conflict of interest in medicine: referral for profit. I wrote an extensive piece about a year ago on conflict of interest and POPTS which can be found on the AAOMPT Student Special Interest Group Blog.

Interestingly, the Medical Code of Ethics States:

“[u]nder no circumstances may physicians place their own financial interests above the welfare of their patients.”

And, what about The American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Ethics and Judicial Affairs (CEJA)?

“physicians should not refer patients to a health care facility which is outside their office practice and at which they do not directly provide care or services when they have an investment interest in that facility.”

Please, take a few minutes to read the articles. Then comment and share. Tweeps on twitter are using the hashtags #StopPOPTS  and #VoteNoOnAB783. The more physical therapists continue to articulate the many problems with referral for profit and physician employment/ownership of physical therapy the more press it will receive. Both articles have already received countless comments from individuals regarding the problem with POPTS.

What are you waiting for?

  1. Doctor Run Physical Therapy Clinics Scrutinized
  2. Physical Therapy Bill Delayed

The continued success of the anti-POPTS movement hinges on involvement from the bottom up. Every comment, like, tweet, and shared link are useful. Every mention in conversations with patients and the public add up. A big thank you to all the physical therapists who have gone to capitol to meet with legislators and testify. And of course, the importance of  the California Private Practice Section and California Section of the APTA can not be underestimated.

Continue to spread the word!

June 20, 2011 | Filed Under Health Policy, Physical Therapist 2.0

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