APTA, Lawmakers Press for Payment Relief by March 11 Deadline

Remember that old saying, "strike while the iron is hot"? Things are hot on Capitol Hill (and there's still time to act).

With a March 11 deadline looming for passage of legislation to keep the federal government running, APTA and other organizations are pressing lawmakers to include two major initiatives that could have a significant impact on payment for physical therapy: continuation of the pause placed on so-called sequestration cuts, and inclusion of a bill that would address the PTA payment differential system.

The most recent advocacy efforts come by way to two letters sent to Congress that spell out the need for relief — one on the sequester cuts signed by 50 professional and patient organizations, another on the PTA and occupational therapy assistant differential from six bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Though aimed at different topics, the letters share the common theme that now is not the time to squeeze providers and threaten patient access to care.

Both letters arrive on Capitol Hill just as lawmakers stare down a March 11 deadline to craft a spending package to keep the government running.

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