Portability & a Physical Therapy Licensure Compact In the current healthcare environment, portability of licensed individuals has been identified by many as a critical issue. The federal government has communicated concern about the current portability barriers and there have been several bills submitted to Congress in attempts to address this issue (military spouses, dual licensure system, etc).
With the changing healthcare system, evolution of physical therapy education, mobile communications between patient and client, mobility of patients accessing care, large healthcare corporations/insurance companies, and the advent of new ways in which to deliver care such as telemedicine, the ability of a clinician to practice across jurisdictional boundaries with minimal barriers is an issue coming to the forefront. View article
Licensure Portability: Assuring Access to Quality Care in Physical Therapy International Journal of Telerehabilitation, Vol 6, No. 1, Spring 2014 The concurrent circumstances of an increasingly mobile workforce, disparities in access to healthcare, and the ability to deliver care through technology (e.g., telehealth) present the need and the opportunity to practice across state borders. Over the past four years, the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) has explored professional licensure models that will allow cross border practice. This paper reviews FSBPT's exploratory process and describes some of the advantages of an interstate compact. It concludes that if agreement among state licensing boards can be achieved, a compact could serve as a viable means to increase patient access to quality physical therapy care. View article
Interstate Compacts: Background and History (Council of State Governments) Interstate compacts are contracts between two or more states creating an agreement on a variety of issues, such as specific policy challenges, regulatory matters and boundary settlements. States have used interstate compacts to address a variety of issues. View article
Compact Development Process (Council of State Governments) The development of an interstate compact should be a deliberate and well planned process. The Council of State Government’s (CSG) experience through several interstate compact efforts has established that procedural planning and political strategy often reduces or eliminates obstacles during the project. View article