[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4829 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4829

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
   of physical therapists in the National Health Service Corps Loan 
 Repayment program, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to 
 expand Medicare Rural Health Clinic Services and Federally Qualified 
 Health Center Services to include physical therapy services, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 24, 2023

 Ms. DeGette (for herself and Mr. Armstrong) introduced the following 
 bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 
  in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
   of physical therapists in the National Health Service Corps Loan 
 Repayment program, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to 
 expand Medicare Rural Health Clinic Services and Federally Qualified 
 Health Center Services to include physical therapy services, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Physical Therapist 
Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2023''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Physical therapists play an important role in the 
        prevention, treatment, or management of pain for individuals, 
        including those with substance use disorders, or at risk of 
        developing a substance use disorder.
            (2) Physical therapists are also playing an important role 
        in the physical rehabilitation needs of individuals who have 
        developed chronic health conditions as a result of COVID-19.
            (3) Physical therapist services are an essential component 
        of the multidisciplinary undertaking that will be required to 
        improve patient access and outcomes in medically underserved 
        areas.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS; PARTICIPATION OF PHYSICAL 
              THERAPISTS IN LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) Mission of Corps; Definition of Primary Health Services.--
Section 331(a)(3)(D) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
254d(a)(3)(D)) is amended by striking ``or mental health,'' and 
inserting ``mental health, or physical therapy,''.
    (b) Physical Therapy Health Professional Target Areas.--Section 332 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) is amended by adding 
at the end:
    ``(l) Physical Therapy Health Professional Target Areas.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a program 
        of--
                    ``(A) identifying physical therapy health 
                professional target areas; and
                    ``(B) assigning members of the Corps who are 
                physical therapists to such areas.
            ``(2) Applicable provisions.--The provisions of paragraphs 
        (1), (2), (3), (4), and (6) of subsection (k) shall apply to 
        the identification of physical therapy health professional 
        target areas and the assignment of physical therapists under 
        this subsection except that--
                    ``(A) references to maternity care health 
                professional target areas shall be treated as 
                references to physical therapy health professional 
                target areas; and
                    ``(B) references to maternity care health 
                professionals and maternity care shall be treated as 
                references to physical therapists and physical therapy, 
                respectively.''.
    (c) Loan Repayment Program.--Section 338B of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting ``physical 
        therapists,'' after ``dentists,'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``(1)(A) have a degree in'' and all 
                that follows through the end of subparagraph (A) of 
                paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(1)(A)(i) have a degree in medicine, osteopathic 
        medicine, dentistry, or another health profession, or an 
        appropriate degree from a graduate program of behavioral and 
        mental health;
            ``(ii) be certified as a nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, 
        or physician assistant; or
            ``(iii) have a doctoral or master's degree in physical 
        therapy;'';
                    (B) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ``physical 
                therapy,'' after ``mental health,''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (1)(C)(ii), by inserting 
                ``physical therapy,'' after ``dentistry,''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Eligibility To Participate in Other Programs.--Nothing in 
this section shall be construed to prohibit any health care 
professional who is eligible to participate in the program under this 
section from participating in any other loan repayment program 
established by the Secretary for which such professional is 
eligible.''.

SEC. 3. EXPANDING MEDICARE RURAL HEALTH CLINIC SERVICES AND FEDERALLY 
              QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER SERVICES TO INCLUDE PHYSICAL 
              THERAPY SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395x(aa)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking at the end 
                ``and'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (D), by adding ``and'' at the 
                end; and
                    (C) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the 
                following new subparagraph:
            ``(E) such physical therapy services (as defined in 
        subsection (p)) furnished by a physical therapist,''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ``subparagraphs (A) 
        through (D)'' and inserting ``subparagraphs (A) through (E)''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to services furnished on or after January 1, 2025.
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