Volunteerism to Assist in Slowing the Spread of COVID-19
The Board encourages licensees to seek volunteer options to help support the vaccination effort and slowing the spread of COVID-19:
PT Licensee provision of Vaccinations and Statement regarding Executive Order 193
At its meeting March 10, 2021, the Board affirmed that performing vaccinations is not in the PT Scope of Practice, thus a licensee is not performing physical therapy and should not imply to a client that they are receiving physical therapy services if they are performing vaccinations.
"In response to emailed questions to the NC Board of PT Examiners, giving vaccinations would not be considered within the scope of PT practice; however, it will not be considered a violation of the NC PT Practice Act or Board rules for a PT licensee to perform vaccinations if they have the proper education, training, are competent to do so and it is safe for the recipient. In addition the licensee should follow all other applicable state laws regarding providing vaccinations. If a PT licensee is performing vaccinations they would not be called PT, nor is a PT license being used when providing the vaccination. A licensee should therefore avoid creating the perception that what they are doing is physical therapy."
In response to the Governor’s Executive Order 193, because vaccinations are not considered in the scope of PT practice, there are no regulations for the Board to modify or waive related to individuals who may perform vaccinations. To address regarding students, students are not licensees, thus they would need to obtain the appropriate training, become competent to perform vaccinations and follow all applicable state laws in the same way that PT licensees would do so.
"In response to emailed questions to the NC Board of PT Examiners, giving vaccinations would not be considered within the scope of PT practice; however, it will not be considered a violation of the NC PT Practice Act or Board rules for a PT licensee to perform vaccinations if they have the proper education, training, are competent to do so and it is safe for the recipient. In addition the licensee should follow all other applicable state laws regarding providing vaccinations. If a PT licensee is performing vaccinations they would not be called PT, nor is a PT license being used when providing the vaccination. A licensee should therefore avoid creating the perception that what they are doing is physical therapy."
The Board has been made aware of these potential training resources as follows:
NC AHEC - NC AHEC Program vaccine module for volunteers is live and free: https://www.charlotteahec.org/continuing-professional-development/event.cfm?eventid=65572 There is a certificate at the end that learners can print as proof that they have taken the course.
NCDHHS - https://files.nc.gov/covid/documents/COVID-Immunization/12.10.20_cvms_orientation_training.pdf
Obtain training under a supervising MD who will be onsite during vaccination performance and provide supervision.
Continued Competence points may be obtained electronically as described below:
21 NCAC 48G .0109 CONTINUING COMPETENCE ACTIVITIES
(a) Continuing Education activities are eligible for points as follows:
(1) …The maximum number of points allowed during any reporting period for an
interactive course offered through electronic media shall be 15.
(4) For registered participation in a non-interactive course offered by an approved provider
by videotape, satellite transmission, webcast, DVD, or other electronic media, one hour of
participation earns one point. The maximum number of points allowed during any reporting
period shall be 10.
(8) For completion of a home study physical therapy program furnished by an approved
provider, one hour of home study earns one point. The maximum number of points during any
one
reporting period allowed shall be 10.
All continuing competence requirements and deadlines remain in place. The Board may not extend deadlines or waive continuing competence requirements without rule changes approved by the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings. Licensees are encouraged to be diligent in scheduling and utilizing electronic continuing competence courses in light of COVID-19.
The NC PT Practice Act and Board’s Rules apply to the delivery of physical therapy services via telehealth. In response to your emailed question below, at its September Board meeting - 2018, NC Board of Physical Therapy Examiners considered some questions regarding the parameters of using telehealth in the provision of physical therapy services in North Carolina; the Board determined the following general principles will apply:
The NCBPTE handles licensing and regulation matters and cannot provide advice about how best to comply with advisories issued by the CDC or the NC DHHS. For additional information and guidance, here are links to their websites:
Centers for
Disease
Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov
NC Department
of Health and Human Services http://www.ncdhhs.gov
Do you or a PT colleague you know struggle with a substance use or mental health disorder? –
The
NC Board of PT Examiners encourages you to seek help!
Substance Use Disorders: The Board now contracts with the North Carolina
Professionals Health Program (NCPHP). They can provide resources to assist PT licensees.
Entering a program has objectives which may include:
Mental Health disorders: If you struggle with a mental health issue, please contact your health care provider for treatment or who can refer you to appropriate resources in your area. NCPHP may also be able to provide referral services.
Email: [email protected] or Call: (919) 870-4480
Or contact your primary care provider for treatment or appropriate referral.
NC Board of PT Examiners – Declaratory Ruling regarding Dry Needling
(The section labeled BACKGROUND information on pages 4-7 refers to the use of dry needling by physical therapists in NC)
The North Carolina Supreme Court Decision NCALB vs. NCBPTE – 12-07-18
Hello all,
Welcome to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Healthy Opportunities Listserv—we’re so glad you’re here.
As you know, DHHS wants all North Carolinians to have the Opportunity for Health and is committed to creating an innovative, whole-person centered, and well-coordinated system of care that addresses the medical and non-medical drivers of health. Promoting “healthy opportunities,” or addressing North Carolinians’ social needs, is a core focus of DHHS’s mission. We are pursuing a range of strategies to help meet this mission, including creating an interactive, statewide map of social determinant of health indicators to guide community investment, developing a standard set of screening questions for social needs, and fostering private-public partnerships to deploy NCCARE360, a statewide coordinated network and resource platform to connect individuals in need with community resources.
Promoting healthy opportunities is a cornerstone of North Carolina’s Medicaid transformation as well. All of North Carolina’s Medicaid managed care plans—known as Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs)—will have a role in addressing the medical and non-medical factors that drive health outcomes and costs. For example, PHPs will screen enrollees for their non-medical needs and work with members to connect them to community resources.
Moreover, North Carolina will launch the “Healthy Opportunities Pilots” in two to four geographic areas of the State in late 2019. The Pilots are an unprecedented opportunity to test and evaluate the impact of providing select evidence-based, non-medical interventions to high-need Medicaid enrollees. Approved as part of North Carolina’s 1115 demonstration waiver, the federal government authorized up to $650 million in state and federal funding for the Pilots over the five-year life of the waiver to cover the cost of approved services in the State’s four priority Healthy Opportunities domains: housing, food, transportation and interpersonal safety. We’re excited to share with you soon a Healthy Opportunities Pilot “Policy Paper” and “Request for Information” (RFI). The paper describes the preliminary program design for the Pilots and the RFI provides all interested stakeholders the opportunity to offer feedback on this design. We welcome your partnership in this effort and encourage you to respond.
More can be found about all of these initiatives on the DHHS Healthy Opportunities website. Additionally, we’ll be using this listserv to share updates on Healthy Opportunities—including information on recent publications, upcoming events and webinars and the release of the Pilot RFI and Policy Paper. We look forward to broadening the Healthy Opportunities community, so if you know someone who would like to receive these updates, have them e-mail [email protected], and we’ll add them to the list.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Thanks very much,
The Healthy Opportunities Team
