The House on Wednesday passed a bill that revises certain provisions regarding the licensure of physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. The legislation, which passed 67-1, now heads to the Senate.
House Bill 1070, sponsored by Rep. Jean Hunhoff, R-Yankton,
advanced out of the Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday.
Phil Moe, a physical therapist with the Avera McKennan Therapy Clinic, said during committee testimony that physical therapy regulations were last updated in the mid-1990s, and the majority of the changes in House Bill 1070 come from the Board of Examiners.
Moe said the bill removes the requirement that physical therapists and physical therapist assistants meet with the same patients in the same place at the same time, which has been a burden in rural areas. It also adds a requirement for continuing education. South Dakota currently is one of only two states without some form of mandatory continuing education, Moe said.
SDAHO supports the measure.
