Eli's Rehab Report

Despite advocacy efforts to the contrary, Illinois state legislature passed a bill that would allow referral for profit in physical therapy. However, thanks to an end-of-the-road veto, patients remain safe from escalating health care costs.

Background: On March 15, the Illinois senate passed bill 2635 to allow health care providers to employ physical therapists without abiding by the fee-splitting section of the Illinois PT Practice Act. As part of the bill, medical professionals would have an incentive to increase the volume of services they provide -- which would lead to unnecessary services and skyrocketing costs, contended the Illinois Physical Therapy Association (IPTA).

Though the legislature passed the bill, Governor Pat Quinn vetoed it on July 23. "The bill before me today does not go far enough to protect patient choice, restrict fee-splitting practices, and limit self-referrals within the health care industry," he said in his veto message.

But the battle isn't over. The state legislature may reconsider the bill when it reconvenes in November. And other medical groups have given strong support to SB 2635. Most notably, the Illinois State Medical Society promises to "work aggressively" to overturn the veto.