Legislation Would Boost Underserved Patients' Access to Physical Therapist Services
Legislation introduced this week in Congress would authorize physical therapists to participate in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program and add for the first time to the Corps a component to provide for rehabilitative care. The Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2013 was introduced as HR 1252 by Reps John Shimkus (R-IL) and Diana DeGette (D-CO); S602 was introduced by Sens Jon Tester (D-MT) and Roger Wicker (R-MS). NHSC serves as a lifeline to millions of patients living in rural and underserved communities, and inclusion of physical therapists in the loan repayment program is one of APTA's public policy priorities.