HB5087eng 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5087 Engrossed LRB103 37253 RTM 67373 b

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Physical Therapy Act is amended by adding Section 1.3 as follows:

(225 ILCS 90/1.3 new)

Sec. 1.3. Telehealth services.

(a) Physical therapy through telehealth services may be used to address access issues to care, enhance care delivery, or increase the physical therapist's ability to assess and direct the patient's performance in the patient's own environment.

(b) A physical therapist or physical therapist assistant working under the general supervision of a physical therapist may provide physical therapy through telehealth services pursuant to the terms and use defined in the Telehealth Act and the Illinois Insurance Code subject to the following conditions:

(1) Initial physical therapy evaluations without a referral or established diagnosis may only be performed by a licensed physical therapist and cannot be performed via telehealth unless necessary to address a documented hardship, including, but not limited to, geographical, physical, or weather-related conditions.

(2) The use of telehealth as a primary means of delivering physical therapy must be an exception and documentation must support the clinical justification.

(3) A patient receiving physical therapy must be able to request and receive in-person care at any point during their treatment.

(4) A physical therapist providing telehealth must have the capacity to provide in-person care within the State of Illinois.