Agency Announcements

Physical Therapy Practice during COVID-19 Outbreak; Info & Resources

Last Updated 3/26/2020, 12:44 pm

The response to the COVID-19 outbreak is evolving rapidly, with mandatory measures and guidance being published daily at the local, state and national levels, we strongly encourage you to follow the links below frequently for updated information as things change.

Stay Home. Save Lives.

The Governor has issued Executive Order 20-12 on 3/23/20 expanding social distancing requirements designed to slow the spread of the virus and save lives. While a physical therapy clinic, as a heath care facility, is an allowable destination under the order, as a provider or patient of physical therapy, it is critical that we all follow social distancing measures to the greatest extent possible to limit the spread of the virus and protect the most vulnerable populations. Executive Order 20-10 pertaining to elective and non-urgent procedures and the use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) also applies to all physical therapy practitioners. The Oregon Health Authority has issued guidelines for complying with EO 20-10.

Overall, be sure to stay current on all requirements and recommendations for social distancing, cleaning and screening practices, and make adjustments to patient care, including the application of telehealth and rescheduling of all non-urgent care.

Guidance for Practice

The Oregon Health Authority, under direction of the Governor's office, is coordinating the State response and guidance including guidance for health professionals. The primary landing page for information is here, We highly recommend signing up for updates..

OHA also includes links to CDC guidance, or you can go here directly. CDC recently published guidance and communication tools for clinics here.

The Governor has issued several Executive Orders relating to COVID-19. All Executive Orders are published directly here. The Governor also has a general landing page for COVID-19 information here.

Increasingly, city governments are also publishing mandates that may apply to you. We recommend taking a moment to reference their websites and signing up for notifications.

Telehealth

The Oregon Board of Physical Therapy has rules in place governing telehealth practice. You can review those rules here.

Nationally, there have been several actions to ease the utilization of telehealth; if you are new to telehealth or are considering expanding your use of telehealth temporarily, we recommend regularly reviewing information published at HHS.gov and CMS.gov. Here are two relevant links recently published relating to billing and HIPAA compliance:

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Telemedicine Fact Sheet

US Dept. of Health and Human Services Emergency Response Information

Here is information related to Medicaid reimbursement.

And for those new to telehealth, the APTA has a good resource page here.

Other Resources

Business Oregon has put together a resource for businesses impacted by COVID-19 here.

Information relating to impacts on the NPTE and other services provided by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) can be found here.

The American Physical Therapy Association is maintaining a frequently updated resource for information and guidance related to COVID-19 and PT practice for both members and non-members here.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Oregon Health Authority's Health Security, Preparedness and Response Division has several resources for guidance and preparation, including information on volunteering with the State Emergency Registry of Volunteers -- SERV-OR. OHA is actively seeking more volunteers.

OHA Health Security, Preparedness and Response Program

SERV-OR Frequently Asked Questions

Board Office Hours and Board Meetings

While State Offices are currently closed to the public for in-person visits to protect public health, we continue to be open for business via phone and email, or via the services available on our website. We are experiencing higher than normal call volumes and cannot always answer immediately. Please do leave a voicemail or contact us via email and we will get back to you as quickly as possible. Please be sure to include your full name and license number, if applicable, in your message.

Additionally, meetings of the Board scheduled for the next several months will be conducted via teleconference. Meeting notices and agendas will be updated with public call-in information ahead of the meetings.

Other Announcements:

Continuing Competency

In light of the current COVID-19 outbreak, and the impact on many face to face continuing competence opportunities, the Board wants to highlight that there is no limit to the number of online classes that can count towards licensure renewal requirements. Any PT related course listed as approved by another state PT Board, or another health related Board in Oregon, will count for CC credit provided there is an associated exam and you are issued a certificate of completion.

Remember that any qualifying coursework between 4/1/2018 and 3/31/2020 counts for the current certification period. With the extension of the renewal period, licensees may also count coursework taken between 4/1/2020 and 5/31/2020 towards the certifying period, however, please note that any courses taken during this extension period for the purpose of satisfying the 2018-2020 requirements cannot be used toward the next certifying period in 2020-2022 as well.

In addition, here are a few reminders of courses that you may have already taken that would count toward your CC that you can receive credit for are:

CPR is worth one credit every two years.
The Oregon Pain Management Module is worth one hour of credit and it’s free. New licensed PT’s (after 4/1/18) take it upon initial licensure and can count that hour towards their requirement. Other licensees can take this course as well.
The Oregon online Jurisprudence Exam (ORJAM) is $48 and worth three credits. New licensees (after 4/1/18) take it upon initial licensure and can count the three hours toward their requirement. Other licensees can take this course as well.

2020 License Renewal Extended

***License Renewal has been extended.***

In light of impacts from the COVID-19 outbreak, the current renewal period is being extended to 5/31/20.

Please visit the License Renewal Page for additional information.

Scam Alert

The Oregon Board of Physical Therapy has been notified of a scam targeting our licensees. The scam has also been reported by licensees of other State Physical Therapy Boards, including California.

Licensees have reported receiving phone calls "spoofing" the OBPT phone number, which makes calls appear as though they are coming from us.

The licensee is threatened with an investigation by the Board and/or the FBI, and the scammer demands personal information or money to resolve it.

The Oregon Board of Physical Therapy will not contact you to demand money or personalized information. The Board DOES NOT accept payments over the phone. If you believe that you may owe a balance to the Board, you can check your online account through the Licensee Portal for the most up-to-date information.

If you do receive a call of this nature, hang up and contact the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy directly at (971)673-0201 to inquire if there’s a valid, official reason for the call.