Connecticut stakeholders split over proposal to drop 6-visit/30-day referral requirement for physical therapy

The Connecticut Physical Therapy Association asked a Department of Public Health convened stakeholder group to remove a rule in the state Physical Therapy Practice Act that requires physical therapists to refer a patient to another provider after six visits or 30 days if no improvement is documented.

Supporters said the six-visit/30-day requirement can interrupt care for patients with chronic or progressive conditions and does not reflect contemporary physical therapy education. Mary Claire Capata, program director of the University of Connecticut Doctor of Physical Therapy program and a representative of the Connecticut Physical Therapy Association, said the provision "interrupts care for those with chronic and progressive conditions, such as Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis," and argued that modern training and continuous competency requirements better protect patients than an…