Oppose Maryland Senate Bill 580- March 5, 2015

URGENT ACTION IS NEEDED REGARDING THE PRACTICE OF DRY NEEDLING BY PHYSICAL THERAPISTS IN MARYLAND


A bill has been introduced in the Maryland state legislature in Annapolis, which will restrict the ability of qualified physical therapists to perform dry needling. Please read the following information about Maryland Senate Bill 580, sponsored by Sen. Catherine Pugh. We need our patients and referring healthcare professionals to help keep dry needling within the scope of physical therapy. Please read the action alert below from the American Physical Therapy Association of Maryland.

Please contact the practice if you can attend. We will provide you with details as soon as they are made available to us. If there is an opportunity to submit letters of support, we will give you more details as it becomes available to us.

 We need your support!

 
Maryland Physical Therapy Alert
Urgent Action Needed on SB 580

Maryland Senate Bill 580, sponsored by Sen. Catherine Pugh, has been introduced in the state legislature in Annapolis.  This legislation would significantly restrict the ability of qualified physical therapists to perform dry needling.  As you know, Dry needling is currently part of the legal scope of practice for physical therapists in Maryland, and has performed safely by PTs in Maryland since the 1980’s.  SB 580 would require that PTs receive education & training specific to dry needling that are equal to the requirement for physicians who perform the entire scope of acupuncture practice – at least 200 hours!  It would also require that such education and training standards for physical therapists be formulated in conjunction with acupuncturists.

While APTA of Maryland is supportive of reasonable education and training requirements for PTs who perform dry needling, we are strongly OPPOSED to SB 580 as it is overly burdensome, and would negate the dry needling standards that the Maryland State Board of Physical Therapy has been working on for the past four years.  It is unreasonable for training requirements for one intervention (dry needling) be equal to the training requirements for the entire scope of acupuncture practice.  In addition it is inappropriate for another licensed profession to dictate standards for the PT profession.

SB 580 has been tentatively scheduled for a hearing and possible vote in the Senate Education, Health & Environmental Affairs Committee on the afternoon of

THURSDAY MARCH 5, 2015 in Annapolis, MD

WE NEED YOUR HELP:

We need YOU and most importantly – YOUR PATIENTS – to show up in force in Annapolis to testify at the hearing on Thursday, March 5.  Unfortunately the committee hearing will likely be very long and the exact time of when SB 580 is going to be heard that afternoon is not known.  There are 17 bills, including SB 580, that are scheduled for the committee on March 5.  This may be a long day so we need to be prepared to be there ALL afternoon and possibly into the evening.  We will meet in Annapolis at 12:00 noon on March 5 prior to the start of the hearing (hearing starts at 1:00 pm).  We need to pack the committee hearing room, as the acupuncturists will be there in force as well.

Please contact the practice if you can attend. We will provide you with details as soon as they are made available to us. If there is an opportunity to submit letters of support, we will give you more details as it becomes available to us.