Urge your Senators to Introduce Legislation to Allow OMSs to Refer Patients for Physical Therapy

This year AAOMS started working with legislators in Washington to make a technical correction to a Medicare statute that would allow OMSs to refer Medicare patients for physical therapy. On March 11, 2008, the Medicare Oral Health Rehabilitative Enhancement Act, H.R. 5590, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Eric Cantor (R-VA). This legislation seeks to amend section 1861(p)(1) of the Social Security Act to include dentists among the list of providers designated to refer for physical therapy.

Our legislative champions on this issue in the House need our help to increase awareness and encourage the Senate to introduce companion legislation. Please contact your senators by emailing the letter below, and ask them to introduce a companion bill to the Medicare Oral Health Rehabilitative Enhancement Act in the Senate.

Click here to contact your representative in the House and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 5590 to allow OMS physical therapy referral under Medicare.

Tell me more

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

As an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and constituent in your district, I urge you to introduce companion legislation to H.R. 5590, the Medicare Oral Health Rehabilitative Enhancement Act, which would allow our specialty to refer patients for physical therapy under Medicare.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons routinely treat patients for conditions that require physical therapy, such as jaw fractures, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) and reconstructive procedures to correct congenital anomalies. Unfortunately, current Medicare statute prohibits oral and maxillofacial surgeons from the direct referral of patients for physical therapy.

H.R. 5590 is budget neutral and will save significant time and Medicare resources by allowing oral and maxillofacial surgeons to directly refer for out-patient physical therapy and monitor the therapy plans of their patients.

Please introduce companion legislation to the Medicare Oral Health Rehabilitative Enhancement Act to make a technical correction to current statute and allow oral and maxillofacial surgeons to refer their Medicare patients for physical therapy.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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