Let’s all take a moment to collectively exhale. When President Obama signed the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 (HR 4691) into law Wednesday morning, momentarily reinstating the therapy cap exceptions process, it was welcome relief to the physical therapy profession and our Medicare patients nationwide. But now that we’re done exhaling, it’s already time to take a deep breath and get back to work urging Congress to find a permanent solution to the therapy cap. Unless Congress takes action by March 31, thousands of patients will again exceed the $1,860 financial cap on outpatient rehabilitative services, forcing them to delay, reduce, or discontinue needed therapy. To highlight the devastating effects the caps have on our patients, APTA and other members of the Therapy Cap Coalition held a press conference to discuss how these arbitrary limits are impacting Medicare beneficiaries. As you can see from the video, the speakers had very personal and real stories to tell about patients who had been – or could soon be – affected by the therapy cap. Sometimes, it’s easy for members of Congress and other policymakers to get lost in the numbers and statistics when hammering out legislation. But real stories of patients facing life-threatening or life-altering conditions can often break through the clutter. Take, for instance, this story in yesterday’s Kansas City Star , focusing on the story of a Medicare patient who may soon need to make a difficult decision about how to treat his severe back problem. During this week’s press conference, Tommie L. Robinson Jr, PhD, CCC-SLP, president of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (AHSA), described the plight of many patients succinctly when he said, “With a combined cap for speech and physical therapy services, patients are usually faced with the difficult task of choosing to either walk or talk.” As physical therapy professionals, you work with patients and family members every day who must make these difficult, often devastating, choices. We need your help to keep this issue on the front burner, so Congress and the media take notice. We have very little time before the cap goes into effect yet again. Please become involved. Visit our “ Therapy Cap Resource Center ” to get the latest updates and find out how you can help.

Original Source of Waiting to Exhale… Again