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Use templated letters to take action on payment and regulatory issues impacting your practice.
APTA comments are made on behalf of our membership and profession on federal regulations and draft guidance based on the Public Policy Priorities of the American Physical Therapy Association.
We encourage members and nonmembers to provide feedback: Your perspectives are critical to policy development. APTA has developed tools to help you easily draft a personalized comment letter using APTA’s comment letter guide. Alternatively, you can use one of our prewritten template letters to submit comments.
Immediate Opportunities
CMS Proposed Rule on Interoperability and Prior Authorization
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have proposed several regulations addressing prior authorization policies and processes in a comprehensive push to ensure patients have timely access to care, reduce administrative burden on providers, and increase accountability for payers. The most significant of these three proposed rules seeks to give patients, in-network providers, and insurers streamlined access to claims and encounter data, lab results, prior authorization requests, and cost-sharing information. Most importantly, the rule aims to reduce wait times and improve transparency by setting standard timelines for the determination process and housing all prior authorization requests within one electronic interface.
Physical therapists’ frustrations with these policies and their associated processes are well-documented. To ensure that CMS follows through and finalizes these changes, we encourage members to share their individual experiences and perspectives on prior authorization with CMS using APTA’s comment letter tool, linked below. CMS needs details about how these changes will improve not only the care you provide, but the work that you do. If you’re not able to submit a personalized comment letter, consider submitting a template comment letter, also linked below.
Review Proposed Rule | Review Fact Sheet
Deadline for Comments: Mar. 13, 2023
Take Action: Draft a Personalized Comment Letter | Submit Template Letter
General Template Letter
If a specific template letter above does not apply, use our standard template letter to submit comments.
Simply insert your individual information where indicated.
Your comments represent only you and your situation; they should not imply representation of the association.
Other Ways to Engage
Federal agencies frequently seek input from stakeholders and national experts on proposed payment and coverage policies, research agendas, quality measures, and more. The selection process for federal committees, task forces, panels, and commissions is competitive.
Participation in these groups demonstrates both expertise in your field and a commitment to your profession, which will be reflected on your CV for years to come. Serving on such a committee allows you to make invaluable contributions to your area of expertise and raise recognition of the physical therapy profession. While serving requires a small time commitment, the time is well spent and is a great way to develop networks and make contacts with fellow experts from across the nation.
If you are interested in serving on a federal committee, task force, or advisory panel, please contact the advocacy team at advocacy@apta.org and provide your name, contact information, and a brief biographical sketch.