Re: Physical therapists fabricating and billing for O&P devices?
Chris Wells CP,LP
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: Physical therapists fabricating and billing for O&P devices?
Creator:
Chris Wells CP,LP
Date:
3/21/2017
Text:
Good day,
It is an interesting dilemma that we are all in when in it seems the only healthcare providers that are held to O&P requirements are O&P practitioners. Daily I encounter patients with their PTs and I am shocked to see how little effort is put into properly evaluating an individual for anything; one prime example is being called in for a dang shoe lift to find that the individual had a hip flexion contracture that had never even been evaluated by the PT until the SHOE GUY pointed in out and shockingly a lift wasn’t required once the contracture was reduced. If I am reading the Florida statute correctly it does not appear that we can stop anyone that holds a healthcare license from doing O&P as long as they don’t present themselves as an Orthotist or Prosthetist as read here in section(2).
The 2013 Florida Statutes
Title XXXII
REGULATION OF PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
Chapter 468
MISCELLANEOUS PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
View Entire Chapter
468.812 Exemptions from licensure.—
(1) This part does not apply to:
(a) A person who is licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, chapter 460, or chapter 461;
(b) A person performing services for the Federal Government, if the person provides orthotic, prosthetic, or pedorthic care solely under the direction or control of the organization by which that person is employed;
(c) A student, fellow, or trainee in orthotics, prosthetics, or pedorthics pursuing a course of study at a regionally accredited college or university or working in a recognized training center or research facility, provided the activities and services are part of a regular course of study under a supervisor licensed under this part;
(d) An instructor in a regionally accredited university or college, while performing regularly assigned work under the curriculum of such a school; or
(e) A person engaged exclusively in the fabrication of orthoses, pedorthic devices, or prostheses as defined in this part, provided there is no patient contact.
(2) This part does not require an additional license of, or regulate the practice of, any other licensed health care professional within the state, or prevent a qualified member of any other profession or any person employed under the supervision of such a licensed professional from doing work of a nature consistent with that person’s training, as long as the person does not hold himself or herself out to the public as a licensee under this act.
History.—s. 12, ch. 97-284; s. 123, ch. 99-397; s. 11, ch. 2008-121; s. 4, ch. 2009-202.
I don’t always read legal stuff correctly you know because I am a brace and leg guy so please correct me if I am not reading this as it should be read. So what are we to do but to continue to aggravate our referral sources for paperwork that them themselves aren’t required to do if they want to provide these services themselves(i.e. Physician groups, PTs and large healthcare agencies). Hell I saw a commercial just this morning that said I could get a knee, back or ankle brace shipped right to my door with little to no cost to me, to which I thought how nice.
Chris Wells CPO/LPO
Williams Orthotics & Prosthetics
It is an interesting dilemma that we are all in when in it seems the only healthcare providers that are held to O&P requirements are O&P practitioners. Daily I encounter patients with their PTs and I am shocked to see how little effort is put into properly evaluating an individual for anything; one prime example is being called in for a dang shoe lift to find that the individual had a hip flexion contracture that had never even been evaluated by the PT until the SHOE GUY pointed in out and shockingly a lift wasn’t required once the contracture was reduced. If I am reading the Florida statute correctly it does not appear that we can stop anyone that holds a healthcare license from doing O&P as long as they don’t present themselves as an Orthotist or Prosthetist as read here in section(2).
The 2013 Florida Statutes
Title XXXII
REGULATION OF PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
Chapter 468
MISCELLANEOUS PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
View Entire Chapter
468.812 Exemptions from licensure.—
(1) This part does not apply to:
(a) A person who is licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, chapter 460, or chapter 461;
(b) A person performing services for the Federal Government, if the person provides orthotic, prosthetic, or pedorthic care solely under the direction or control of the organization by which that person is employed;
(c) A student, fellow, or trainee in orthotics, prosthetics, or pedorthics pursuing a course of study at a regionally accredited college or university or working in a recognized training center or research facility, provided the activities and services are part of a regular course of study under a supervisor licensed under this part;
(d) An instructor in a regionally accredited university or college, while performing regularly assigned work under the curriculum of such a school; or
(e) A person engaged exclusively in the fabrication of orthoses, pedorthic devices, or prostheses as defined in this part, provided there is no patient contact.
(2) This part does not require an additional license of, or regulate the practice of, any other licensed health care professional within the state, or prevent a qualified member of any other profession or any person employed under the supervision of such a licensed professional from doing work of a nature consistent with that person’s training, as long as the person does not hold himself or herself out to the public as a licensee under this act.
History.—s. 12, ch. 97-284; s. 123, ch. 99-397; s. 11, ch. 2008-121; s. 4, ch. 2009-202.
I don’t always read legal stuff correctly you know because I am a brace and leg guy so please correct me if I am not reading this as it should be read. So what are we to do but to continue to aggravate our referral sources for paperwork that them themselves aren’t required to do if they want to provide these services themselves(i.e. Physician groups, PTs and large healthcare agencies). Hell I saw a commercial just this morning that said I could get a knee, back or ankle brace shipped right to my door with little to no cost to me, to which I thought how nice.
Chris Wells CPO/LPO
Williams Orthotics & Prosthetics
Citation
Chris Wells CP,LP, “Re: Physical therapists fabricating and billing for O&P devices?,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 6, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/242843.
