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New Jersey PT Unprofessional Conduct |
Division of Fees, Payments for Referrals
No PT or PTA shall engage directly or indirectly in the division, transferring, assigning, rebating or refunding of fees received for professional services or pay or accept fees or commissions for referrals for professional services; however, nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit physical therapists who are members of a professional association or other business entity, properly organized pursuant to law, from making a division of fees among themselves as determined by contract to be necessary to defray joint operating costs or pay salaries, benefits, or other compensation to employees
Failure to refer patient, certain circumstances, unlawful practice
It shall be considered an unlawful practice of physical therapy if a PT does not immediately refer an individual to a health care professional licensed to practice dentistry, podiatry or medicine and surgery, or other appropriate licensed health care professional, if the PT has reasonable cause to believe that physical therapy is contraindicated or symptoms or conditions are present, including, but not limited to, nonmuscular and nonskeletal symptoms or conditions and conditions of the central nervous system, that require services outside the scope of a PT’s practice
Professional Misconduct
The following acts or practices shall be among those deemed to be violative of N.J.S.A. 45:9-37.11 et seq. and to constitute professional misconduct:
Sexual Misconduct
A licensee shall not engage in sexual contact with a patient with whom he or she has a patient-therapist relationship. The patient-therapist relationship is ongoing for purposes of this section, unless:
A licensee shall not seek or solicit sexual contact with a patient with whom he or she has a patient-therapist relationship and shall not seek or solicit sexual contact with any person in exchange for professional services.
A licensee shall not engage in any discussion of an intimate sexual nature with a patient, unless that discussion is directly related to a proper physical therapy purpose. Such discussion shall not include disclosure by the licensee of his or her own sexual relationships.
A licensee shall provide privacy and examination conditions which prevent the exposure of the unclothed body of the patient. Appropriate draping measures shall be employed to protect patient privacy.
A licensee shall not engage in sexual harassment either within or outside of the professional setting.
A licensee shall not engage in any other activity which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the activity serves the licensee's personal prurient interests or which is for the sexual arousal, or sexual gratification of the licensee or patient or which constitutes an act of sexual abuse.
Violation of any of the prohibitions or directives set forth inabove shall constitute professional misconduct.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a licensee from rendering physical therapy to a spouse, providing that the rendering of such physical therapy is consistent with accepted standards of physical therapy and that the performance of physical therapy is not utilized to exploit the patient spouse for the sexual arousal or sexual gratification of the licensee.
Reference
N.J.S.A. § 45:9-37.21
N.J.S.A. § 45:9-37.34c
N.J.A.C. § 13:39A-3.8
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