In a recent news release, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) announced that the Therapy Cap Coalition has submitted a letter to House and Senate leadership, encouraging the addition of a permanent repeal of the therapy cap to the current sustainable growth (SGR) reform proposal. The February 14 letter was reportedly sent to the House Ways and Means Committee, House Energy and Commerce Committee, Senate Finance Committee, and House and Senate leadership.
According to the release, the APTA-led Therapy Cap Coalition is comprised of healthcare stakeholders that include patient, consumer, provider, and facility organizations such as the American Occupational Therapy Association, the American Heart Association, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, the Arthritis Foundation, the National Stroke Association, and the Brain Injury Association.
The APTA notes that the coalition’s letter expresses its disappointment that the SGR compromise reached in early February did not include other legislative provisions, such as language repealing the therapy cap. The group goes on to suggest that existing proposals could be included in a final package, and specifically recommends language in the original Senate version of the bill, which contained a repeal of the cap and replacement policies for the delivery of outpatient therapy.
The letter also encourages legislators to act soon, stating that the first quarter of 2014 “provides an opportunity to end the pattern of yearly extensions that puts patient access to medically necessary therapy services at risk.”
[Source: APTA]
