SB655 INTR

Senate Bill No. 655
(By Senator Hunter)
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[Introduced February 18, 2002; referred to the Committee
on Education; and then to the Committee on Health and Human Resources

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A BILL to amend article twenty, chapter thirty of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section sixteen, relating to physical therapists; specifying certain supervision requirements of physical therapists over physical therapist assistants; codifying portion of administrative rule relating to supervision requirements; and making the requirements that are currently applicable in home health and school system settings also applicable in rural hospitals.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That article twenty, chapter thirty of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section sixteen, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 20. PHYSICAL THERAPISTS.

§30-20-16. Supervision requirements of physical therapist over physical therapist assistant.

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this article or rules promulgated under this article, supervision requirements of physical therapist over a physical therapist assistant depend upon the practice setting in which the care is delivered, as specified in this section.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of this section, when care is delivered in a hospital or other acute-care center, free-standing or independent practice setting, a physical therapist must be on premises at all times.

(c) When care is delivered in a skilled/unskilled nursing facility, distinct part skilled/unskilled nursing unit in an acute-care hospital, home health, rural hospital or school system setting, the following requirements shall be observed and documented in the patient records:

(1) A physical therapist shall be accessible by telecommunications to the physical therapist assistant at all times that the physical therapist assistant is treating patients; and available to make a site visit jointly with the physical therapist assistant within twenty-four hours as prudent practice indicates;

(2) An initial visit must be made by a physical therapist for evaluation of the patient and establishment of a plan of care;

(3) A joint visit by the physical therapist and the physical therapist assistant shall be made on the physical therapist assistant's first visit to the patient;

(4) At least once every ten physical therapist assistant visits, or within twenty-one calendar days, whichever occurs first, there must be a joint on-site visit by the licensed physical therapist assistant and the licensed physical therapist. In the event that the supervising physical therapist changes, then that physical therapist shall evaluate the patient with the physical therapist assistant before the next physical therapist assistant visit is made;

(5) The physical therapist shall make the final visit to terminate the plan of care; and

(6) No more than two persons, physical therapist assistants, foreign-educated physical therapists, or other assistive personnel, or any combination, may be supervised by a physical therapist at any one time.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to make the supervision requirements that physical therapists have over physical therapist assistants in home health or school system settings applicable in rural hospitals.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.