Bill would allow dentists to refer Medicare patients for physical therapy

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) applauds the introduction of the Medicare Oral Health Rehabilitative Enhancement Act of 2011 (HR 2863), which would amend current law prohibiting dentists from referring their Medicare patients for physical therapy.

Introduced on September 7 by U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ), HR 2863 would revise the current statute, which requires that dentists must refer their Medicare patients to an allopathic or osteopathic physician to establish a therapy plan. If enacted, the legislation would allow oral and maxillofacial surgeons and other dentists to refer their Medicare patients directly for physical therapy.

"This bill is a common sense fix to Medicare regulations that will make the delivery of specialized physical therapy services more efficient, and I am happy to support it," Reichert noted.

"Our simple, bipartisan legislation will save Medicare resources and precious time for patients and practitioners," Pascrell added. "I will continue to push to fix the referral issue so that patients have access to the continuum of care they need and to reduce the red tape between patients and their doctors."

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is regularly employed to treat patients with medical conditions that require physical therapy, such as jaw fractures, temporomandibular joint disorder, and reconstructive procedures. In most cases, these conditions require some form of physical therapy after treatment.

In addition to increasing overall healthcare efficiency, the AAOMS believes that this "budget neutral" legislation will save money by removing the unnecessary step in obtaining referrals. Furthermore, it has the support of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).