PT Practice Act – HB 18-1155 Update

HB 18-1155 is currently on the table (still being deliberated on) in the Senate Health & Human Services Committee. Intense debate was heard last week, primary in opposition to the inclusion of dry needling in to the Statutory Language of the PT Practice Act from Acupuncturists and acupuncture interest groups. 

As a reminder, PT’s can utilize dry needling in Colorado, and this is currently due to Rule 211, but it is not specifically included in statute (in the PT Practice Act). HB 18-1155 (yes it is called a house bill, but has cleared the house and is now in the senate), in its current form, will codify include into statute dry needling and also Diagnosis by PT’s, an updated legislative declaration of the scope of PT Practice in CO and affirm the role of PTA’s in wound care (not sharp debridement) and having a representative on the PT Board.

A legislative call to action went out Tuesday morning (4/3/18), providing a simple and very time efficient way for you to contact your Senate legislator and ask them to support HB 18-1155. If you have not done this yet, or if the e-mail went to spam or somewhere else… please find it and act!

Here is what it looked like:

ACUPUNCTURISTS ARE OPPOSING DRY NEEDLING IN THE PT PRACTICE ACT SUNSET BILL!

HB 18-1155 has passed the Colorado House of Representatives and has been introduced in the Senate. The bill will put in statute the long-time rule that allows PTs to continue to perform dry needling. Acupuncturists are strongly opposing this section of our bill. Senators need to hear from you TODAY.

Please click the link below to email your Senator asking for support of HB 18-1155!

Please click below to ask your Colorado State Senator to vote AYE on HB 18-1155 that allows PTs to continue performing dry needling for Coloradans who choose and agree to this safe and highly effective PT procedure that helps decrease pain and restores normal mobility and function.

There was a CLICK here link in blue, unique to you, so you need to find that link.

You can also reach out directly, and this is encouraged, here is some information to help:

-This is the alert which was sent out to patients, and you could utilize this for patient contact also –

Supporters of Dry Needling by Physical Therapists in Colorado

Legislation authorizing Physical Therapists to continue to use dry needling in patient care in Colorado is now under debate in the Colorado Senate Committee for Health & Human Services. It will soon move to a vote in the committee, and if moved forward form the committee will enter into debate and voting on the Senate floor. 

Considerable opposition continues to be brought by acupuncturist groups seeking to prevent PT's from utilizing dry needling. If they are successful this treatment option for patients in Colorado could go away. 

We were successful in advancing HB 18-1155 through the Colorado house with an amendment which approves dry needling in statute by PT's. Currently PT's can provide dry needling under PT Board Rule (211), and approval has been in place since 2007.

As a Colorado resident who has received benefit from the use of dry needling in your care by your Physical Therapist, and having approved the Colorado Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association to reach out to you on this issue based upon our 2017 survey of patient's, we are asking that you act now to reach out directly to your State Senator, and to the members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. 

The message is a simple yet very important one: (this is language you could use).

Please support the ability of Physical Therapists in Colorado to provide high quality patient care by affirming their authority to provide dry needling as part of patient/my care. 

Vote YES on HB 18-1155 in the Senate.

 Talking points which you could chose to include, along with your personal story, as to the effects of dry needling on your recovery from pain, function loss of other impairment include:

· I was confident in receiving dry needling from my PT, due to their education and training

· physical therapists have extensive training, in school across the USA to the Doctoral level 

· physical therapists are experts in the hands on assessment of tissue problems

· a dry needling filament/needle is an extension of a PT's hands and offers significant benefit to the majority of patients (over 95% by their report)

· over a decade of dry needling by physical therapists in Colorado has seen a large reduction in patient medication use and major improvements in pain and function

· Colorado residents deserve to chose from all available health care providers, and to expect them to be practicing at the top of their professional scope

· I support dry needling because: (tell your story)

Contact e-mails:

Senate Health & Human Services Committee: 

Sen John Kefalas (D) -  [email protected]

Sen Irene Aguilar (D) -   [email protected]

Sen Jim Smallwood (R) -  [email protected]

Sen Larry Crowder (R) -  larry.crowder.senate@state.co.us

Sen Beth Martinez Humenik (R) -  beth.martinezhumenik.senate@state.co.us

A list of all Colorado State Senators is here: https://leg.colorado.gov/legislators?field_chamber_target_id=2&field_political_affiliation_target_id=All&sort_bef_combine=field_last_name_value%20ASC

To find your State representative you can go here: https://leg.colorado.gov/find-my-legislator 

This is a very time sensitive matter - please act now!

Thank you. 

Cameron W. MacDonald

APTA Colorado President