TMNews: #71: March 18, 2019: Direct Access in the Making & Dry Needling Wins, Ft. the LGBTQ Competency Handbook

Missouri and Texas are headed for direct access for physical therapy. Missouri is in the lead, with a bill that has passed the House and has been read in the Senate. The Texas Physical Therapy Association has a bill in the House and the Senate, both in committee. Both associations are encouraging physical therapists to contact their representatives. Physical therapists in North Carolina have won the battle for dry needling; the North Carolina Acupuncture Licensing Board (NCALB) has signed a settlement in which they acknowledge that dry needling is part of the physical therapist's scope of practice. This is a welcome end to 4 years of lawsuits over dry needling. Kentucky will begin issuing privileges for the PT compact this coming Thursday, March 21st. Twenty-three states are currently members of the PT Compact, and four states have introduced legislation this session. Keep abreast of additions to the PT Compact by signing up for their newsletter here. Featuring: Felix Hill of PT Proud, the LGBTQ+ Organization of the APTA PT Proud, the LGBTQ+ organization seated under the Health Policy & Administration Section of the APTA, has released an LGBTQ+ Competency Handbook for the clinician. The handbook includes terminology to know, case studies, and an appendix full of LGBTQ+ inclusive forms that you can use in your clinic. You can contact PT Proud with any questions on Facebook or via the contact form on their website. This episode supported by RehabKit. Help your patients through their rehabilitation with RehabKit’s easy to use tools and up-to-date resources that leverage your iPhone’s advanced capabilities. Download it here on the iOS app store.