By Brown                                               S.B. No. 767
         76R6810 SMH-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the treatment of a patient by a physical therapist
 1-3     without a referral from another licensed health care professional.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 19(a)(2), Chapter 836, Acts of the 62nd
 1-6     Legislature, Regular Session, 1971 (Article 4512e, Vernon's Texas
 1-7     Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
 1-8                 (2)  A licensed physical therapist may treat a patient
 1-9     for an injury or condition that was not the subject of a prior
1-10     referral if [all of the following conditions are met]:
1-11                       (A)  before commencing therapy, the physical
1-12     therapist discloses to the patient in writing the scope and
1-13     limitations of the practice of physical therapy and obtains the
1-14     patient's written consent to the provision of physical[, within
1-15     five business days, notifies the referring licensed physician,
1-16     dentist,  chiropractor, podiatrist, or other referring practitioner
1-17     of the commencement of] therapy; and
1-18                       (B)  the physical therapist timely refers the
1-19     patient for treatment of any injury or condition that is outside
1-20     the scope of the practice of physical therapy [for all episodes of
1-21     physical therapy subsequent to that which was initiated by the
1-22     referral, the physical therapist treats the patient for not more
1-23     than 20 treatment sessions or 30 consecutive calendar days,
1-24     whichever occurs first, whereupon the physical therapist must
 2-1     confer with the referring practitioner in order to continue the
 2-2     current episode of treatment; and]
 2-3                       [(C)  the physical therapist commences any
 2-4     episode of treatment provided pursuant to this subsection within
 2-5     one year of the referral by the referring practitioner].
 2-6           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-7     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-8     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-9     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-10     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-11     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-12     passage, and it is so enacted.