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The analysis of any legal or medical billing is dependent on numerous specific facts — including the factual situations present related to the patients, the practice, the professionals and the medical services and advice. Additionally, laws and regulations and insurance and payer policies are subject to change. The information that has been accurate previously can be particularly dependent on changes in time or circumstances. The information contained in this web site is intended as general information only. It is not intended to serve as medical, health, legal or financial advice or as a substitute for professional advice of a medical coding professional, healthcare consultant, physician or medical professional, legal counsel, accountant or financial advisor. If you have a question about a specific matter, you should contact a professional advisor directly. CPT copyright American Medical Association. All rights reserved. CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association.

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Arizona Physical Therapy Legal Definitions

Accredited - Accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation organization.

Accredited Educational Program - A physical therapist or physical therapist assistant educational program that is accredited by:

    • The Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education, or
    • An agency recognized as qualified to accredit physical therapist or physical therapist assistant programs by either the U.S. Department of Education or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation at the time of the applicant’s graduation.

Administratively Suspend - The Board places a license or certificate on suspended status because the license or certificate was not renewed timely.

Applicant - An individual or business entity seeking an initial or renewal license, initial or renewal certificate, initial or renewal registration, interim permit, or reinstatement from the Board.

Applicant Packet - The forms and additional information the Board requires to be submitted by an applicant or on the applicant’s behalf.

Assistive Personnel - Includes:

    • Physical therapist assistants.
    • Physical therapy aides.
    • Other assistive personnel who are trained or educated health care providers and who are not PTAs or physical therapy aides but who perform specific designated tasks related to physical therapy under the supervision of a PT. At the discretion of the supervising PT, and if properly credentialed and not prohibited by any other law, other assistive personnel may be identified by the title specific to their training or education.

Does not include either:

    • Personnel assisting other health care professionals licensed pursuant to this title in performing delegable treatment responsibilities within their scope of practice.
    • Student physical therapists and student physical therapist assistants.

Board - The Arizona Board of Physical Therapy.

Business Entity - A business organization that has an ownership that includes any persons who are not licensed or certified to provide physical therapy services in this state, that offers to the public professional services regulated by the board and that is established pursuant to the laws of any state or foreign country.

Campus - A facility and immediately adjacent buildings.

College Board - An association composed of schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations across the United States that is responsible for the development of assessment tests that are used to provide college credit or for college placement.

College Level Examination Program - Services offered by the College Board for an individual to demonstrate college-level achievement by taking an examination approved by the College Board.

Compliance Period - A two (2) year license renewal cycle that ends August 31 of even-numbered years.

Continuing Competence - Maintaining the professional skill, knowledge, and ability of a PT or PTA by successfully completing scholarly and professional activities related to physical therapy.

Course - An organized subject matter in which instruction is offered within a specified period of time.

Course Evaluation Tool - The Coursework Evaluation Tool for Foreign Educated Physical Therapists who Graduated after June 30, 2009, Fifth Edition, 2004 (effective July 1, 2009), published by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, 124 West Street, South Alexandria, VA, 22314, incorporated by reference and on file with the Board. This incorporation by reference contains no future editions or amendments.

Credential Evaluation - A written assessment of a foreign-educated applicant’s general and professional educational course work.

Credential Evaluation Agency - An organization that evaluates a foreign-educated applicant’s education and provides recommendations to the Board about whether the applicant’s education is substantially equivalent to physical therapy education provided in an accredited educational program.

Days - Calendar days.

Dry Needling - A skilled intervention performed by a PT that uses a thin filiform needle to penetrate the skin and stimulate underlying neural, muscular and connective tissues for the evaluation and management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions, pain and movement impairments.

Endorsement - A procedure for granting an Arizona license or certificate to an applicant already licensed as a PT or certified as a PTA in another jurisdiction of the United States.

ETS - Educational Testing Service, an organization that provides educational learning and assessment services, including the Test of English as a Foreign Language Program.

Facility - A building where:

    • A PT is engaged in the practice of physical therapy;
    • An applicant, licensee, or certificate holder is engaged in a supervised clinical practice; or
    • A PTA performs physical therapy-related tasks delegated by an onsite supervisor.

Foreign-Educated Applicant - An individual who graduated from a physical therapist educational program outside the United States, Puerto Rico, District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory.

Functional Limitation - Restriction of the ability to perform a physical action, activity, or task in an efficient, typically expected or competent manner.

General Supervision - The supervising PT is on call and is readily available via telecommunications when the PTA is providing treatment interventions.  Includes supervision provided through telehealth as defined in section 36-3601.

Good Moral Character - The applicant has not taken any action that is grounds for disciplinary action against a licensee or certificate holder under A.R.S. § 32- 2044.

Hour - Sixty (60) minutes.

iBT - Internet-based TOEFL.

Interim Permit - A permit issued by the board that allows a person to practice as a PT in this state or to work as a PTA for a specific period of time and under conditions prescribed by the board before that person is issued a license.

Manual Therapy Techniques - A broad group of passive interventions in which PTs use their hands to administer skilled movements designed to modulate pain, increase joint range of motion, reduce or eliminate soft tissue swelling, inflammation, or restriction, induce relaxation, improve contractile and noncontractile tissue extensibility, and improve pulmonary function. These interventions involve a variety of techniques, such as the application of graded forces.

National Disciplinary Database - The disciplinary database of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Integrity and Protection Data Base, which contains previous or current disciplinary actions taken against a licensed PT or certified PTA by state licensing agencies.

National Examination - An examination produced by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy or an examination produced by the American Physical Therapy Association.

On Call - A supervising PT is able to go to the location at which and on the same day that a PTA provides a selected treatment intervention if the PT, after consultation with the PTA, determines that going to the location is in the best interest of the patient.

On-Site Supervision - The supervising PT is on-site and is present in the facility or on the campus where assistive personnel, a holder of an interim permit, a s/PT or a s/PTA is performing services, is immediately available to assist the person being supervised in the services being performed and maintains continued involvement in appropriate aspects of each treatment session in which a component of treatment is delegated.

Physical Therapist - A person who is licensed to practice physical therapy under Arizona law.

Physical Therapist Assistant - A person who meets the requirements of Arizona law for licensure and who performs physical therapy procedures according to the physical therapy plan of care of the supervising PT.

Physical Therapy - The care and services provided by or under the direction and supervision of a PT who is licensed under Arizona law.

Physical Therapy Aide - A person who is trained under the direction of a PT and who performs designated and supervised routine physical therapy tasks.

Practice of Physical Therapy - Includes:

    • Examining, evaluating and testing persons who have mechanical, physiological and developmental impairments, functional limitations and disabilities or other health and movement related conditions in order to determine a diagnosis, a prognosis and a plan of therapeutic intervention and to assess the ongoing effects of intervention, including ordering imaging.
    • Alleviating impairments and functional limitations by managing, designing, implementing and modifying therapeutic interventions including:
      • Therapeutic exercise.
      • Functional training in self-care and in home, community or work reintegration.
      • Manual therapy techniques.
      • Therapeutic massage.
      • Assistive and adaptive orthotic, prosthetic, protective and supportive devices and equipment.
      • Pulmonary hygiene.
      • Debridement and wound care.
      • Physical agents or modalities.
      • Mechanical and electrotherapeutic modalities.
      • Patient related instruction.
    • Reducing the risk of injury, impairments, functional limitations and disability by means that include promoting and maintaining a person's fitness, health and quality of life.
    • Engaging in administration, consultation, education and research.

Physical Therapist Assistant Clinical Performance Instrument - The document used to assess an individual’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes to determine the individual’s readiness to work as a physical therapist assistant that is published by the American Physical Therapy Association, Division of Education, March 1998, 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-1488 and incorporated by reference and on file with the Board. This incorporation by reference contains no future editions or amendments.

Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument- The document used to assess an individual’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes to determine the individual’s readiness to practice physical therapy that is published by the American Physical Therapy Association, Division of Education, December 1997, 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-1488 and incorporated by reference and on file with the Board. This incorporation by reference contains no future editions or amendments.

Qualified Translator - An individual, other than an applicant, who is:

    • An officer or employee of an official translation bureau or government agency,
    • A professor or instructor who teaches a translated language in an accredited college or university in the United States,
    • An American consul in the country where the translated document is issued or another individual designated by the American consul in the country where the translated document is issued, or
    • A consul general or diplomatic representative of the United States or individual designated by the consul general or diplomatic representative.

Readily Available - A supervising PT is able to respond within fifteen (15) minutes to a communication from a PTA providing a selected treatment intervention under general supervision.

Recognized Standards of Ethics - The Code of Ethics (amended June 2000) and the accompanying Guide for Professional Conduct (amended January 2004) of the American Physical Therapy Association, 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-1488, which is incorporated by reference and on file with the Board. This incorporation includes no later editions or amendments.

Restricted License - A license on which the board places restrictions or conditions, or both, as to the scope of practice, place of practice, supervision of practice, duration of licensed status or type or condition of a patient to whom the licensee may provide services.

Restricted Registration - A registration the board has placed any restrictions on as the result of disciplinary action.

Student Physical Therapist - A person who is enrolled in a doctor of physical therapy program that is accredited by or has candidate status by the commission on accreditation in physical therapy education.

Student Physical Therapist Assistant- A person who is enrolled in an academic physical therapist assistant program that is accredited by or has candidate status by the commission on accreditation in physical therapy education.

Supervised Clinical Practice - The period of time a PT is engaged in the practice of physical therapy or a PTA is engaged in work as a PTA after being issued an interim permit by the Board.

Supervising Physical Therapist - An individual licensed who provides onsite or general supervision to assistive personnel.

Suspend - The Board places a license, certificate, permit, or registration in a status that restricts the holder of the license, certificate, permit, or registration from practicing as a PT, working as a PTA, or offering physical therapy services.

TOEFL - Test of English as a foreign language.

Week - The period beginning on Sunday at 12:00 a.m. and ending the following Saturday at 11:59 p.m.

Reference

A.R.S. § 32-2001

4 A.A.C. 24-101

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Zachary Edgar JD, LLM is the managing partner for Therapy Comply.  Zachary is a healthcare attorney that specializes in federal and state healthcare regulatory issues particularly for physical, occupational, and speech therapy practices.  

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