STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1046

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   S.B. No. 1074

      S.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1074, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHYSICAL THERAPY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to regulate the practice of physical therapist assistants by:

(1)  Requiring physical therapist assistants to obtain licensure to practice in the State;

(2)  Allowing physical therapist assistants to be licensed without necessity of an examination if certain qualifications are met;

(3)  Providing exemptions to the licensure requirement if certain criteria are met;

(4)  Allowing a physical therapist to use support personnel, such as physical therapist assistants, if they meet certain requirements;

(5)  Adding a licensed physical therapist assistant to serve as a member on the Board of Physical Therapy;

(6)  Appropriating funds out of the Compliance Resolution Fund to implement the licensure of physical therapist assistants; and

(7)  Requiring a surcharge to be assessed to reimburse the Compliance Resolution Fund.

The Board of Physical Therapy, The Queen's Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Hawaii Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, and several concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Occupational Therapy Association of Hawaii supported the intent of this measure.

     Hawaii is the only state in the nation where physical therapist assistants are not regulated.  Your Committee notes that physical therapist assistants must have graduated from a Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education-approved curriculum and have passed a national examination, as well as be licensed, in order to provide services that are reimbursed by Medicare and/or Medicaid.  The lack of licensure by physical therapy assistants has an impact on these reimbursements.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1074, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair