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Agency Announcements

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

Last Updated 2/8/2021

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.

PRACTITIONER VACCINATION

At this time, all health care practitioners are already eligible to receive the vaccine, and Oregon is currently implementing phase 1b of the Oregon sequencing plan, which includes childcare providers, early learning and K-12 educators and staff and, beginning today, February 8th, persons age 80 and older.  Individuals eligible under phase 1a continue to be eligible to receive the vaccine as new groups are added.

The best ongoing source of information from OHA regarding the vaccine distribution and to register for the vaccine via the link below:

covidvaccine.oregon.gov 


 

Other ways to get information on the vaccine and vaccination registration:

Text ORCOVID to 898211

Email ORCOVID@211info.org

Call 211


Please also be sure your contact information, including current work location is up to date in the licensee portal so we have clear information about where licensees are currently located in order to support the distribution efforts.

PATIENT VACCINATION

The Oregon Health Authority is also requesting assistance in getting information out to individuals, especially seniors, on what to expect and how to get vaccinated, and to help manage expectations about the timing and availability of appointments, especially over the next several months as demand exceeds supply.  They have put together the following document to assist in answering questions your patients may have:

 OHA_Partner_Toolkit_2.4.21.pdf

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GUIDANCE FOR PRACTICE

The Governor has issued several Executive Orders relating to the Pandemic.  Licensees are expected to comply with all applicable requirements of the orders and related OHA guidance, relevant to the specific care setting and type of procedure.

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Executive Orders pertaining to declared public health emergency.
MOST RECENT: Governor Brown has issued Executive Order 20-66, effective December 3, 2020, found here: eo_20-66.pdf (oregon.gov). Please continue to review and abide by all guidance and restrictions from Governor Brown and OHA, website: OHA 3461 Sector Risk Categories (state.or.us)
 

All Executive Orders can be found here:   --> Executive Orders <--

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OSHA has issued temporary rules pertaining to all businesses.
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Agency (Oregon OSHA) has promulgated a temporary rule, OAR 437-001-0744, effective November 16, 2020 – May 4, 2021, with regard to COVID-19 workplace risks. The rule can be found here: https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/div1/437-001-0744.pdf.
Please review the rule closely to determine applicability to your particular business situation. This rule applies to those providing direct patient care-- See OAR 437-001-0744 2(d).
 
This link provides resources from Oregon OSHA to assist employers through this process: https://osha.oregon.gov/news/2020/Pages/nr2020-41.aspx
 
If you have any questions with regard to Oregon OSHA’s rules and how it may apply to your business situation, please contact that agency at 503-378-3272 or online: https://osha.oregon.gov/Pages/contactus.aspx
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Oregon Health Authority Guidance

The Oregon Health Authority has issued accompanying frameworks and specific guidelines for practice posted on their website at:

--> OHA COVID-19 Info for Health Care Partners <--

We highly recommend reviewing all the resources found there, but we have cross-posted some relevant information for licensees as well: 

OHA's Statewide Mask, Face Covering, Face Shield Guidance for Health Care Offices - Updated 9/1/2020

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Overall, be sure to stay current on all requirements and recommendations for social distancing, cleaning and patient screening practices, and make adjustments to patient care, including the application of telehealth and rescheduling of care when viable at this time.

ADDITIONAL INFO:  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:

 
Here is information related to Medicaid reimbursement.
 

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

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.

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. 
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. ​
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