06-25-04
DC Practitioners Succeed in Scope of Practice Advocacy
Efforts by the District of Columbia Occupational Therapy Association (DCOTA) to rally practitioners in opposition to proposed physical therapy (PT) scope of practice regulations have met with great success.
The final PT regulations were published in the June 25 DC Register, without specific language that raised concerns of encroachment on the scope of practice of occupational therapy.
"I am extremely pleased with this positive outcome and very grateful to the practitioners who responded in such great numbers," said DCOTA President Jerry Bentley-Donnelly, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA. "Without the direction and assistance given by AOTA we would be facing a somber reality. The leadership and hard work provided by AOTA staff offers a great example of what the Association does for its members and the entire community of practitioners."
Bentley-Donnelly added: "I hope all metropolitan Washington area practitioners will see the value of professional involvement and join AOTA & DCOTA."
Last April, representatives from DCOTA, AOTA, and the District of Columbia Board of Occupational Therapy organized a Town Hall meeting at the National Rehabilitation Hospital. Seventy-five practitioners attended to learn about the proposed regulations and how they could get involved in grass roots efforts to amend them.
Attendees were encouraged to submit written comments to the PT Board expressing their concern about the proposed regulations, specifically about language that placed new emphasis on "functional training in self-care and home management, including ADL and IADL" and language stating that a physical therapist may perform tests and measurements related to cognition.
In addition, more than 30 occupational therapy practitioners attended the DC Physical Therapy Board meeting on April 20, along with several interested members of the chiropractic and physical therapy communities.
The response of the DC Board of Physical Therapy—to modify the proposed scope of practice language and delete the areas of concern by other professions—demonstrates the effectiveness of grass roots mobilization, according to Karen Smith, a regulatory associate in the AOTA State Affairs group.
"DCOTA, with assistance from AOTA, was effective in alerting and educating the DC occupational therapy community about an important issue that could significantly affect them and the OT community responded with overwhelming support." DCOTA's efforts can serve as a model for other states if similar efforts to expand the PT scope of practice occur in those states, Smith added.