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Read. Follow. Verify.Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act of 2025
Last action · July 9, 2025: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.Sponsors: Ben Lujan and 11 others
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill proposes allowing physical therapists to use '' arrangements under Medicare, which would permit them to hire temporary substitutes to provide services when they are absent. This change aims to align physical therapists with the same staffing flexibility currently available to physicians under Medicare.
If passed, this bill would allow Medicare-enrolled physical therapists to maintain patient care continuity by using temporary substitute providers, potentially reducing service gaps for Medicare beneficiaries.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Physical Therapists
They would gain the legal authority to use temporary substitute providers for Medicare-covered outpatient services.
Medicare Beneficiaries
They may experience fewer interruptions in their physical therapy treatment plans if their regular therapist uses a substitute during an absence.
Key Facts
- The bill amends section 1842(b)(6) of the Social Security Act.
- It adds physical therapists to the list of providers eligible for locum tenens arrangements under Medicare.
- Locum tenens arrangements allow a provider to bill Medicare for services provided by a temporary substitute during the provider's absence.
- The change applies specifically to outpatient physical therapy services.
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- The provisions of the bill would take effect for services furnished after the date of the Act's enactment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a 'locum tenens' arrangement?
Who would be affected by this change?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jul 9, 2025SenateCommitteeRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Jul 9, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Provider Flexibility
The bill represents a policy shift to grant physical therapists the same administrative billing flexibility previously reserved for physicians under Medicare.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance40How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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