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APTA again asks Congress to repeal therapy cap

Rehab Regs, October 7, 2005

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) urged a congressional committee last week to repeal the therapy cap and fix payment problems that interfere with quality care incentives before adopting any pay-for-performance system for Medicare, reports PT Bulletin Online.

In a written testimony submitted to the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, APTA endorsed chairperson Nancy Johnson's (R-CT) Medicare Value-Based Purchasing for Physicians' Services Act (HR 3617), but asked the subcommittee to specifically include physical therapists and other non-physician professionals in developing any system.

To effectively implement pay-for-performance, APTA argued that Congress must repeal the Medicare therapy cap and replace the "sustainable growth rate" in the current Part B physician fee schedule, as well as standardize the physical therapy benefit in all outpatient settings. It also asked Congress to use APTA's Connect and Optimal, the association's electronic patient medical record and assessment tools, in moving to a value-based payment system.

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