Connie R. Clarkston
Connie R. Clarkston, former Executive Director of the Missouri Board of Healing Arts, passed away on January 9, 2022. She was surrounded by family and loved ones.
Connie was an active FSBPT member. She served on multiple committees, including the Education Committee, the Excellence in Regulation Committee, and the CBA Nominating Committee. She was an early and active proponent for the PT Compact, serving on the Compact Rules Identification and Process Task Force and later as a PT Compact Delegate. She received the Outstanding Service Award in 2016 for her many contributions. According to her obituary, she treasured her professional role and loved serving as a mentor to numerous people.
Her presence and dedication will be missed. We extend our condolences to all who knew her. You can read her full obituary and leave a note for her family on her Archway Memorial Chapel page.
Goals for the New Year!
It's the time of year for New Year's Resolutions! In between dusting off your running shoes or tackling that DIY project, be sure to keep these FSBPT goals in mind:
- Select your Voting Delegate, Alternate Delegate, and Selected Administrator. Administrators, contact us if you haven't received instructions on how to do this.
- Express your interest in attending our in-person Regulatory Training, held May 20-22 in Alexandria, Virginia.
- Check out the Alternate Approval Pathway—a free service for jurisdictions that decreases registration processing time.
- Partner with FSBPT to send licensure data on a weekly basis. We have grant options available to all members, including funds for PT Compact members.
- Confirm your board roster and personal contact information is correct in the Members' Area. If you have any changes, please contact us.
FSBPT has a number of goals this year as well!
- Roll out a new membership database and Members' Area with new ways to connect with other members, more accessible resources, and a smoother overall member experience.
- Welcome members back to in-person meetings.
- Support jurisdictions in efforts to share their licensure data more frequently and seamlessly.
North Carolina Expresses Interest in Grant to Improve the ELDD and Public Protection
A robust Examination, Licensure, and Disciplinary Database (ELDD) is key to public protection because it helps jurisdictions identify practitioners who may try to switch jurisdictions without disclosing disciplinary actions. By leveraging the FSBPT ID, a unique identifier for each licensee, data sharing between jurisdictions and the ELDD is more efficient and secure. You can learn more about the ELDD and the FSBPT ID by watching this brief video.
Thanks in part to savings experienced by holding virtual meetings and the recent overall investment performance, FSBPT’s board has set aside a $2.2 million grant for PT Compact member jurisdictions, along with our ongoing jurisdictional grant program, to further aid these efforts. PT Compact member jurisdictions can apply for grants to fund consulting, programming, data entry, technological upgrades, and other activities that enhance updates to the ELDD.
North Carolina has already gotten the ball rolling and plans to use the funds to enhance automation of sharing ELDD data through APIs.
Please let us know if your jurisdiction is interested by contacting our CEO, William A. Hatherill. We will share additional information soon.
FSBPT Membership Dues Reduced by 50 Percent for 2022
Membership dues in 2022 have been reduced by 50 percent. In 2020, the board approved reducing all membership dues by 50 percent for both 2021 and 2022. The board recognized the increased pressures COVID-19 placed on jurisdictions and the expectation that the economic impact would not be resolved in a single year.
Basis for Action Codes for the National Practitioner Data Bank
The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) contains information about health care providers in the United States. Adverse actions taken against a health care professional's license must be reported to the data bank, according to federal law. The Basis for Action Code list identifies the reasons for taking an adverse action. However, as it does not have specific definitions for the categories, it can be nearly impossible at times to determine what category is the appropriate category to use. As a result, every jurisdiction categorizes the data differently, making the data inconsistent.
To help solve this problem, representatives from the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), and the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) created the Review of NPDB Basis for Action Codes Consortium. The group made suggestions to the NPDB Basis for Action Codes and Descriptions to improve the consistency and value of the data. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services is currently considering these suggested modifications and is open to comments. To learn more, please watch this one-hour webinar outlining the overall effort: "NPDB and Disciplinary Violation Coding: A Multidisciplinary Effort to Improve Consistency and Accuracy."
As the process moves forward, we will continue to keep our members updated and provide training opportunities for board staff who enter disciplinary violations. Please also keep in mind that FSBPT is an NPDB reporting agent and that FSBPT staff are available to support and advise you with all your discipline reporting questions. Please contact Angela Johnson with any discipline questions or if you would like more information on FSBPT becoming your NPDB reporting agent.
Funded Members for the Leadership Issues Forum and the Annual Meeting
FSBPT will fund the following attendees at LIF and the Annual Meeting this year. We emailed administrators instructions on selecting delegates (voting and alternate) and identifying the selected administrator. Administrators, if you have not received this or need more information or a cost letter, please reach out to us.
Leadership Issues Forum, July 23-24, Alexandria, Virginia
- Voting Delegate
- Board Administrator
Delegate Assembly & Annual Meeting, October 27-29, Orange County, California
- Voting Delegate
- Funded Alternate Delegate
- Board Administrator
Topics at the Leadership Issues Forum
FSBPT strives to be a deliberative organization and seeks to present new approaches and changes in a purposeful manner before our Leadership Issues Forum (LIF). Providing topics in advance allows the board an opportunity to carefully prepare topics for consideration. Bringing topics to LIF where our members have plenty of time to engage in thoughtful dialogue allows us to truly get member input into important topics. A number of topics have been presented at consecutive LIF meetings to make sure they are vetted properly, like the most recent bylaw changes or the disciplinary action guidelines. We welcome your input into future topics for LIF and look forward to hearing from you all!
2022 Regulatory Training for Members and Board Staff
Please join us for the Regulatory Training for Members and Board Staff, held May 20-22, 2022, in Alexandria, Virginia. All board members and board staff (administrators, licensing specialists, and attorneys) are eligible to participate. This training provides an in-depth understanding of your role as a regulatory board member or staff person in protecting the consumers of physical therapy services. We also provide an overview of FSBPT services.
Costs are covered by FSBPT. To express your interest in attending, please complete this brief form. Requests must be received before February 20, 2022, for consideration. As attendance is limited, we prioritize giving slots to first-time attendees (attendees who have not participated in an in-person training before). We also consider the geographical balance of attendees as we want to ensure every jurisdiction has the opportunity to benefit from this training. We will accommodate additional attendees as space permits. Please read our Regulatory Training FAQs to learn more.
Help Develop the NPTE Content Outline
FSBPT is seeking nominations for the 2022 Practice Analysis Task Force. The Task Force will meet in-person (conditions permitting) June 3-5 in Alexandria, Virginia. We are seeking PTs and PTAs licensed in good standing with experience and knowledge working with entry-level PTs and PTAs from a broad range of practice settings. You can learn more about the practice analysis process on the FSBPT website. Please submit applications and nominations before Feb. 18, 2022.
Chat with Us at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting!
Heading to San Antonio, Texas, for the APTA Combined Sections Meeting? Be sure to stop by the FSBPT and PT Compact booths (941 and 943, respectively). We'd love to catch up with you!
Kansas Opts into the Alternate Approval Pathway
Kansas joined twenty-five other states by opting into the Alternate Approval Pathway (AAP). Under AAP, when an applicant who is a graduate of a CAPTE accredited program registers for the NPTE, FSBPT will make the candidate eligible to sit for the NPTE provided that the candidate meets all NPTE eligibility requirements. Under AAP, FSBPT also handles the review of all requests for testing accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact FSBPT if your jurisdiction is interested in opting into AAP.
West Virginia Board of Physical Therapy Issues Opinion on Referral for Imaging
Answering a query from the West Virginia Physical Therapy Association, on December 22, 2021, the West Virginia Board of Physical Therapy published an opinion that imaging referral is within the scope of practice of “physical therapy” as defined by West Virginia Code §30-20-8. The board determined that a licensed physical therapist may refer to a radiologist with clinical justification for any diagnostic imaging study that is within the recognized standards of the physical therapist’s practice and education. Within the advisory opinion, the board provided a list of training standards from which a licensee who wishes to refer to a radiologist should be prepared to provide to the board if requested. The board noted the opinion was advisory in nature and not an administrative rule or regulation and is intended as a guideline for licensees.
Does Your Jurisdiction Have Language that Suggests the Provider-Patient Relationship Continues after Discharge?
FSBPT formed the Boundary Violation Task Force in 2020. One of the task force’s goals is to identify potential barriers for reporting violations to regulatory boards. To help accomplish this, task force members reviewed jurisdictions’ websites. The task force members only reviewed websites they were unfamiliar with. When reviewing the laws and rules, the task force members were asked to determine if there was language that suggests the provider-patient relationship continues after discharge.
Is There Language That Suggests the Provider-Patient Relationship Continues After Discharge?
The task force found that only six jurisdictions had clear language suggesting the provider-patient relationship continues after discharge in jurisdictional practice acts. The power differential between the clinician and patient exists because the clinician has knowledge and skills needed by the patient, access to personal medical information, and the patient’s reliance on them for establishing boundaries in care. That power differential may continue after the end of formal treatment sessions, and boards should develop appropriate standards to protect the public even when the relationship may appear to be mutually consensual.
You can read more specific examples of provider-patient relationship definitions here.
Take away tip: The task force encourages jurisdictions to review the language of their practice acts and consider promoting future changes as necessary to clearly define who is a patient, when does the provider-patient relationship begin, whether the patient relationship continues after discharge, and when does the provider-patient relationship end (if ever). Further, the task force encourages jurisdictions to develop messages and resources to help the public and licensees better understand the issue and the rules.
Share Your Webinar and Annual Meeting Ideas!
We are accepting presentation ideas and proposals for 2022 webinars and in-person sessions at the 2022 Annual Meeting in Orange County, California.
If you have a specific idea, please submit a proposal. However, we are also interested in learning about jurisdictions' experiences with regulatory topics and your general ideas on what issues we should examine. We encourage all board members, board administrators, and other stakeholders to please share topics and ideas with us. You can watch recent webinars and register for upcoming sessions on the FSBPT events platform.
FSBPT Forum: The CBA Forum: Kudos for Bridging the Great Divide
In this year's CBA Forum, Adrienne Price, Director, Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy and Director on the FSBPT Board of Directors, covers the extraordinary work of administrators in an extraordinary year. Read the article.
Spotlight on Member Resources: Resources and Topic Papers
FSBPT has gathered resources on a wide variety of topics. These resources are available in the Members' Area.
Webinar Clip: What Can Regulators Do about PT and PTA Burnout?
In the clip below, FSBPT President Nancy Kirsch explains how regulators can address PT and PTA burnout during the webinar "It's Not Burnout! It is Moral Injury: Why Should Regulators be Concerned?" You can also watch full webinar recordings and register for upcoming webinars.
Our Gratitude for Volunteers
This month, we thank all of our generous volunteer members for their support of our mission:
In the News
"Oregon moves closer to a bar exam alternative," Karen Sloan, Reuters, January 12, 2022
"The Oregon Supreme Court has signaled its early support for allowing some attorneys to become licensed without taking the bar exam, in a move that has been closely watched by other states."
"Important Announcement: CAPR discontinues Clinical Component, accelerates innovation," Canadian Alliance f Physiotherapy Regulators, January 12, 2022
"The Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) announces the discontinuation of the Clinical Component of our Physiotherapy Competency Examination (PCE). CAPR will no longer be administering the Clinical Component either virtually or in person in its current form. We will continue to credential internationally educated applicants and to administer the Written Component which is delivered both face-to-face in exam centres and remotely using remote proctoring."
Board of Directors
Members of the Board of Directors serve as liaisons to multiple jurisdictions. Current liaison relationships are listed here for your reference.
 Ruggie Canizares
Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah |  Ellen Donald
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina |  Joni Kalis
Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming |  Nancy Kirsch
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont |
 Cynthia Potter
Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia |  Adrienne Price
Arkansas, District of Columbia, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia |  David Relling
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands |  Charles E. Reiter
The public member of the board does not serve as a liaison to jurisdictions |
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Staff Contact Information
Staff Contact Information
If you have questions, challenges or ideas, we want to hear from you!
(703) 299-3100
| Subject | Point of Contact/Email Address |
| ADA accommodations | Christine Sousa |
| Assessment or examination development questions | Lorin Mueller
Susan Newman
npte@fsbpt.org |
| Continuing competence | Jeffrey M. Rosa
competencestaff@fsbpt.org |
| Credentials review | Jaime Nolan, FCCPT |
| ELDD- Exam, Licensure and Disciplinary Database participation | eldd@fsbpt.org |
| Exam registration processing | Christine Sousa |
| Foreign educated issues | Leslie Adrian |
| Immigration | Jamie Nolan |
| JAM- Jurisprudence Assessment Module | competencestaff@fsbpt.org |
| Legislation or Model Practice Act | Leslie Adrian |
| Meeting arrangements | Paul Delaney |
| NPDB reports/questions | Angela Burnham |
| PTC- Physical Therapy Compact | compact@fsbpt.org |
| PEAT®- Practice Exam & Assessment Tool | peat@fsbpt.org |
| Reimbursement of expenses
Other financial matters | Linda Michelsen |
| School reports | schoolreports@fsbpt.org |
| Score transfer & reporting | Christine Sousa |
| SCP PET- Supervised Clinical Practice Performance Evaluation Tool | scppet@fsbpt.org |
| Security issues | Susan Newman
security@fsbpt.org |
| Anything else, including news to share with members | William A. Hatherill
Caitlin Jennings
Communications@fsbpt.org |
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| | From the wintery ice-hammered hardwood trees on the banks of the Potomac River, where the fish are faster, the fishing boats are longer, and the fishermen are still full of stories. - William A. Hatherill, CEO
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