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Kudos to the PTAG board of directors and legislative committee on a tremendously successful legislative session! On May 11, 2011, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed HB 145 that explicitly added "dry needling" to the Georgia physical therapy practice act. This is a landmark change to the practice. HB 145 was about dry needling but during the same legislative session, there was the potential that physical therapists would have been restricted in providing manual therapy interventions (SB 135). Many members of the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia should be congratulated on their efforts and time away from their jobs in getting the job done!
Justin Elliot, Director for State Government Affairs for APTA said:
With enactment of HB 145, Georgia becomes the first state in the nation to specifically include dry needling in a state's physical therapy licensing statute (often referred as the practice act)... Georgia is the first state to tackle this issue through the legislative process... In terms of impact on the national scene, the enactment of this legislation comes at a time when APTA is currently investigating whether to specifically include dry needling in the next edition of the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice. Enactment of this legislation will undoubtedly boost other PT state chapters' efforts on this issue.
It is important to recognize that these legislative efforts, the passing of HB 145 and changing the wording in SB 135 were in response to the acupuncture and chiropractic boards, trying to take advantage of or changing wording in their practice acts and using that to limit the PT scope of practice. Over the years, we have been fortunate in Georgia to have had a proactive group that has had vision and prevented many of the practice issues experienced in other states. In some states, EMG, manipulation and dry needling are prohibited. In Georgia, we have experienced no such limitations and it is through an engaged and visionary leadership that Georgia has been able to weather these storms.
Special thanks goes to the PTAG Board of directors for their engagement in this issue and our troupes that met with legislators and showed up to fight the battles at the state board: president Kent Buchanan, legislative co-chairs Herb Silver and Jake Irwin, legislative committee members Barney Poole, Joe Donnelly, and Ruth Maher. These people were supported by the rank and file emails and calls that went out to legislators.
On another note, In Alabama, 300 PTs showed up at their state capital last week in support of direct access legislation. We have a goal of 500 PTs showing up next year in January in Atlanta during the legislative session. In order to make this a worthy goal, RIGHT NOW, during the summer months, it is imperative that PTAG members contact their state representatives and make your concerns known about access to PT. In a day and age when there is a great need to reduce costs in health care, direct access is a known benefit. Don't fool yourselves, for health care reform to succeed in reducing costs; access to PT is a key component. Don't sell your skills short. Don't allow us to be left out of the debate. Don't regret your inaction today. PTAG needs to speak as a unified voice and every member's participation is imperative. PTAG represents ALL the PTs in the state and only 25% of the PTs in the state are members. Our representation is even a smaller number. The individual impact of a PT visiting their legislator in rural Georgia is MORE IMPORTANT that all of the politicking that goes on in Georgia. Please contact the legislative committee to find out how you can play an important role in moving our agenda forward and ensuring that PT practice is protected and expanded in Georgia.
Best wishes,
Herb Silver, PT, DSc, MBA
PTAG Legislative Committee
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