Supervision & Teamwork

APTA has a number of documents on the appropriate use of personnel and PT/PTA teamwork. Professional standards would first ask that you follow the law. To answer the question of what is appropriate practice from a legal perspective, you should review your state practice act for physical therapy. The requirements for the use of personnel in physical therapy can vary widely from state to state.

When you review the regulations for your state, look carefully at the definitions for the different physical therapy personnel covered and how supervision is defined and applied. Review information on state licensure and practice acts.

APTA Policies & Procedures on Supervision

• Levels of Supervision (.pdf)
• Direction and Supervision of the Physical Therapist Assistant (.pdf)
• Procedural Interventions Exclusively Performed by Physical Therapists (.pdf)
• Provision of Physical Therapy Interventions and Related Tasks (.pdf)
• Student Physical Therapist Provision of Services (.pdf)
• Supervision of Student Physical Therapist Assistants (.pdf)

Pending Policies

• FAQ: RC 3-11 and RC 4-11 Through RC 12-11

  Answers to frequently asked questions about a new position passed in June 2011 affirming the physical therapist as responsible and accountable for care, effective July 1, 2012.

Supervision and Medicare

• Supervision under Medicare

PT/PTA Teamwork

• PT/PTA Teamwork: Success Stories From the Field
• PT/PTA Teamwork: Models in Delivering Patient Care
• The Physical Therapist-Physical Therapist Assistant Team Toolkit (.pdf)
• PTAs Today: PTA Direction and Supervision Algorithms
• PTA Clinical Problem Solving Algorithm (.pdf)

Cotreatment

• Joint Cotreatment Guidelines Under Medicare - AOTA, APTA, ASHA (.pdf)
• Medicare: Comparison of Cotreatment Requirements in Physical Therapy Settings (.pdf)

• Last Updated: 2/4/2015
• Contact: practice-dept@apta.org
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