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Use templated letters to take action on payment and regulatory issues impacting your practice.
APTA comments are made on behalf of our membership and profession on federal regulations and draft guidance based on the Public Policy Priorities of the American Physical Therapy Association.
We encourage members and nonmembers to provide feedback: Your perspectives are critical to policy development. APTA has developed tools to help you easily draft a personalized comment letter using APTA's comment letter guide. Alternatively, you can use one of our prewritten template letters to submit comments.
Current Opportunities
CMS FY 2025 SNF Proposed Rule
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the fiscal year 2025 skilled nursing facility proposed rule which provides a 4.1% payment update, the largest in many years. Among other things, CMS introduces multiple technical changes to the value-based purchasing program, looks to add social determinants of health items to the quality reporting program, and updates the non-therapy ancillary component of the patient-driven payment model to better account for the cost of caring for patients with comorbidities. The agency also plans to remove the tracking of therapy minutes from the 5-day Medicare assessment tool. Comments are due by May 28, 2024.
Review Proposed Rule | Review Fact Sheet
Deadline for Comments: May 28, 2024
CMS Request for Information on Research Data Request & Access Policy Changes
On February 12th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unexpectedly limited access to Medicare and Medicaid claims data and increased fees imposed on individual researchers who seek to access data for their investigations. These changes come as a result of growing data security concerns and an increase in data breaches across the health care ecosystem. While APTA supports data security, this policy has the potential to limit the rigor of healthcare research and negatively impact junior researchers and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. Rather than impose a large-scale change with potentially numerous unintended consequences, APTA offers alternative solutions for how to improve access to data with the goal of elevating high-value Medicare services. APTA will submit comments by the May 15th deadline, and we encourage members to submit their own comments using APTA's template letter below.
Review Policy Changes | Template Letter Comment
Deadline for Comments: May 15th
General Template Letter
If a specific template letter above does not apply, use our standard template letter to submit comments.
Simply insert your individual information where indicated.
Your comments represent only you and your situation; they should not imply representation of the association.
Other Ways to Engage
Federal agencies frequently seek input from stakeholders and national experts on proposed payment and coverage policies, research agendas, quality measures, and more. The selection process for federal committees, task forces, panels, and commissions is competitive.
Participation in these groups demonstrates both expertise in your field and a commitment to your profession, which will be reflected on your CV for years to come. Serving on such a committee allows you to make invaluable contributions to your area of expertise and raise recognition of the physical therapy profession. While serving requires a small time commitment, the time is well spent and is a great way to develop networks and make contacts with fellow experts from across the nation.
If you are interested in serving on a federal committee, task force, or advisory panel, please contact the APTA Advocacy team and provide your name, contact information, and a brief biographical sketch.