SAFE Act - Part 2, June 2024

June 2024

Standing Up Round two on Capitol Hill. Last week, Kim Kollwelter, COO at TPG, and other APTQI board members regrouped in Washington D. C. to attend follow-up meetings and provide helpful information in a combined effort to gain further support for the physical therapy industry.

For

The SAFE Act

At the heart of their mission is the quest for Senate sponsorship of the SAFE Act — a legislative cornerstone poised to expand access to physical therapist (PT) falls prevention-related services.

Armed with data-driven insights and compelling narratives, Kollwelter and her cohorts articulated the imperative of supporting this landmark bill. Crucially, they emphasized the pivotal role of the Congressional Budget Office's assessment, aiming to demonstrate how the SAFE Act stands as a beacon of fiscal responsibility, whether as a cost saver, cost-neutral initiative, or prudent investment in the nation's healthcare infrastructure.

Kim Kollwelter on Capitol Hill, Part 2 In addition to engagements with individual legislators, the APTQI team met with the Energy & Commerce Committee and Ways & Means. Recognizing the interconnectedness of healthcare policy with broader legislative agendas, they seized the opportunity to continue education regarding the physical therapy industry within these influential committees.

Q&A WITH KIM KOLLWELTER

Q: HOW WAS ROUND TWO ON CAPITOL HILL?

A: I MADE SURE TO BRING A PAIR OF COMFORTABLE SHOES FOR OUR MARATHON MEETING DAY! WASHINGTON, D.C. IS HOME TO A FASCINATING UNDERGROUND LABYRINTH THAT CONNECTS THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS ON THE HILL. WE MADE OUR ROUNDS AND GOT IN LOTS OF STEPS.

Q: WHO DID YOU MEET WITH THIS TIME? A: WE TALKED WITH THE OFFICES OF REPRESENTATIVE BETH VAN DUYNE, REPRESENTATIVE MIKE CAREY, REPRESENTATIVE DAVID SCHWEIKERT, AND SENATOR MAGGIE HASSAN. BEYOND HIGH-STAKES DISCUSSIONS WITH THESE INFLUENTIAL LAWMAKERS, WE MET WITH THE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE AND WAYS AND MEANS. BY AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF PHYSICAL THERAPY WITHIN THESE GROUPS, WE HOPE TO GAIN THEIR SUPPORT. WE ARE EDUCATING EVERYONE WHO WILL LISTEN AND ASKING THEM TO TAKE ON THIS BILL.

Q: WHAT WERE THE NEW TAKEAWAYS? A: THAT WE ARE STILL ON THE RIGHT TRACK! OUR EFFORTS ARE GAINING TRACTION AND FROM ROUND TWO, WE GAINED AN INVITATION TO ROUND THREE. WHILE GETTING THREE MORE PEOPLE TO SIGN ON AND SUPPORT THE SAFE ACT, WE ALSO CHAMPIONED THE EMPOWER ACT. EMPOWER Act, (H.R. 4878/S. 2459) bipartisan legislation that would standardize the Medicare Part B supervision requirement of PTAs from direct to general for private practices

U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta Representative Jimmy Panetta, from California’s 19th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, recently visited with teammates and patients at Silver Creek Physical Therapy, San Jose - San Felipe clinic.

His genuine interest in patient demographics, Medicare reimbursement rates, our clinic locations, number of providers, and details regarding the SAFE Act demonstrated concern for his community and access to care.

“I am continuing the fight to protect Medicare and other essential health care programs that so many rely on.” ~Representative Panetta

Photos, top to bottom: Chelsey Claassen (Clinic Director), Representative Panetta, Fabrice Rockich (Regional Director of Operations) Representative Panetta, Alyssa Garcia Marquez (San Jose Regional Manager, Office of Congressman Panetta), Chelsey Claassen, and Nick Alamo (PT Tech).

Chelsey Claassen, Representative Panetta, and a PT patient talking about the importance of the SAFE Act and how physical therapy has impacted his life.

Every 19 minutes, an older adult will die as a result of a fall.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 out of 4 older Americans fall each year. Falling once doubles the chances of falling again. Every 19 minutes, an older adult will die as a result of a fall. A fall can result in unwanted outcomes, including injury, loss of independence, use of opioids, and decreased ability to do meaningful activities. All told, accidental falls among older adults result in 3 million emergency room visits and 1 million hospital stays. The average falls-related hospitalization costs $30,000 and falls rank fifth in terms of highest personal health care spending.

Older adult falls cost $50 billion in medical costs annually, with 75% paid by Medicare and Medicaid.

Why it Matters Preventing falls is key, however, access to falls screening and prevention services under Medicare is currently limited. Increasing access to physical therapy for falls prevention screening and services to Medicare beneficiaries prone to falls could measurably reduce Medicare costs. Two current programs under Medicare could be improved to ensure better falls screening and prevention for beneficiaries: the Initial Preventive Physical Examination, also known as the Welcome to Medicare visit or IPPE, and the Medicare Annual Wellness visit, or AWV. Expanding access to falls prevention screening and services for Medicare beneficiaries would reduce the number of falls each year and save the Medicare program millions of dollars a year by preventing hospitalizations.

Our Position TPG and the American Physical Therapy Association strongly supports the Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly Act, or the SAFE Act (H.R. 7618), aimed at expanding and increasing access to falls screening and prevention in order to reduce the use of opioids that often occur as a result of a fall. The SAFE Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representative by Reps. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., and Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M. source: www.apta.org/advocacy/issues/falls-prevention

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