A recent visit to our clinic gave me the opportunity to speak with Theresa Brier, District Director for U.S. Congressman Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), about the SAFE Act and other issues affecting physical therapy.
Two patients working on their balance were also in the clinic that day. They chose to share what physical therapy had meant to them. Their words brought the conversation back to the reason we were having it.
I later shared more about the SAFE Act in a letter published by the Boca Raton Tribune. That visit also left me thinking about something broader. Physical therapy advocacy cannot be left entirely to professional organizations or people in Washington. The people who experience the effects of healthcare policy need to be part of the conversation.
That includes those of us working in clinics every day.
Why Physical Therapy Advocacy Matters
Policy may be written far from the treatment floor, but its effects reach us quickly.
It shows up when a patient has to wait for approval before beginning care. We also feel it when payment fails to reflect the cost of treatment, forcing clinics to work around rules that make serving their communities harder.
The SAFE Act is one example. If passed, the legislation would allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive a no-cost falls risk assessment from a physical or occupational therapist as part of their annual wellness visit.
We understand the importance of that work because we see what can happen after a fall. A person may lose confidence in their movement long after the initial injury has healed. In some cases, a fall can change the course of someone’s life.
Medicare’s payment policy for services involving physical therapist assistants also deserves attention. Medicare currently pays qualifying services furnished in whole or in part by a PTA at 85% of the otherwise applicable rate.
PTAs are an important part of how clinics extend care to more people. When payment policy makes that model harder to sustain, access can suffer.
Both issues eventually reach the same place: the patient who needs care.
The People Closest to Care Need to Be Heard
A policy brief can explain what a bill would do. It cannot fully show what happens when a person loses mobility or becomes afraid to walk through their own home.
Clinicians can help close that gap. We can explain what we see without exaggerating it. We can show how a decision changes the care available inside a real clinic.
Patients bring something no one else can provide. They know what access to care has meant in their own lives. When they choose to speak, their experience can help a policymaker see beyond the language of a bill.
Local experiences may also reveal patterns that extend beyond one clinic. Healthcare organizations can help identify those patterns and explain how a policy affects access across a wider community.
Professional organizations carry that information further. The APTA gives individual clinicians a coordinated way to reach lawmakers or respond to proposed regulations. APTQI brings community-based therapy practices together around policies affecting access to care.
Their work gives the profession a stronger voice. That voice still depends on people sharing what is happening where they live and practice.
Advocacy Does Not Require a Trip to Washington
Many people hear the word “advocacy” and assume it belongs to lobbyists or association leaders.
It can begin much closer to home.
Our visit with Theresa is one example. When a public official or staff member steps into a clinic, the work becomes easier to understand. They can see the environment and speak directly with the people affected by policy.
Most advocates will not host a clinic visit. A letter based on firsthand experience can still help a policymaker understand what an issue means in their district. It does not need to be long or filled with legislative language.
Federal agencies also request public input when they consider new rules. Those comments become part of the formal process. A clinician does not need to understand every part of a regulation to explain how a proposed change could affect patient care.
APTA’s action centers make participation more manageable by providing current information and a direct way to contact decision-makers. State chapters offer another path when the issue involves local practice rules or access within a particular community.
Whatever form advocacy takes, it should help decision-makers understand what their choices will mean inside the communities they serve.
Patient Stories Deserve Respect
Patient stories can be powerful, but they belong to the patient.
People should decide for themselves whether they want to share their experience.
During our visit, the two patients spoke for themselves. They explained how physical therapy had helped them. We did not need to shape their words, and we should not have tried.
Their honesty carried the message.
One Conversation Is a Beginning
We provided Theresa with information to bring back to the congressional office. We were grateful that she listened carefully and asked questions.
The visit went well, but no single meeting changes federal policy.
Progress comes from staying involved. The information we provided gives the office something to return to as the issue develops. Each new conversation adds context and shows that a concern extends beyond one clinic.
That steady work has produced results before. APTA has reported progress on Medicare payment following sustained member advocacy. State chapters have also helped advance changes affecting payment and access.
Physical therapists understand that meaningful improvement often takes time. We do not abandon a patient because one visit did not solve everything. We should bring that same persistence to the future of our profession.
Access Is the Point
At its core, advocacy protects access to care.
The test for any policy is what it does to the person who needs help. Does it make care easier to reach, or does it place another obstacle in the way?
At CORA, our commitment to serve everyone depends on our ability to reach people throughout the communities where we practice. That work becomes harder when policy fails to recognize the value of physical therapy or creates barriers that patients cannot easily overcome.
The people writing those policies may never see what happens inside our clinics unless we help them see it.
That requires us to bring the truth of patient care into the rooms where decisions are made. We need to speak plainly and stay involved.
For many of us, that work begins in the clinic.
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