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| 1 | AN ACT concerning regulation. | ||||||
| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||
| 3 | represented in the General Assembly: | ||||||
| 4 | Section 5. The Illinois Occupational Therapy Practice Act | ||||||
| 5 | is amended by changing Section 3.1 as follows: | ||||||
| 6 | (225 ILCS 75/3.1) | ||||||
| 7 | (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2029) | ||||||
| 8 | Sec. 3.1. Referrals. | ||||||
| 9 | (a) A licensed occupational therapist or licensed | ||||||
| 10 | occupational therapy assistant may, within the licensee's | ||||||
| 11 | scope of practice, provide occupational therapy evaluate, | ||||||
| 12 | initiate, and provide occupational therapy services and | ||||||
| 13 | consult with, educate, evaluate, and monitor services for | ||||||
| 14 | individuals, groups, and populations concerning occupational | ||||||
| 15 | therapy needs without a referral. | ||||||
| 16 | (b) (Blank). | ||||||
| 17 | (b-5) A referral is not required for the purpose of | ||||||
| 18 | providing consultation, habilitation, screening, education, | ||||||
| 19 | wellness, prevention, environmental assessments, and | ||||||
| 20 | work-related ergonomic services. | ||||||
| 21 | (c) Referral from a physician or other health care | ||||||
| 22 | provider is not required for evaluation or intervention for | ||||||
| 23 | children and youths if an occupational therapist or | ||||||
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| 1 | occupational therapy assistant provides the services in a | ||||||
| 2 | school-based or educational environment, including the child's | ||||||
| 3 | home. | ||||||
| 4 | (d) Except for occupational therapy services within the | ||||||
| 5 | licensee's scope of practice at the time of evaluation and | ||||||
| 6 | services provided pursuant to subsections (b-5) or (c), an An | ||||||
| 7 | occupational therapist shall refer a patient to the patient's | ||||||
| 8 | treating health care professional of record, or to a health | ||||||
| 9 | care professional of the patient's choosing if there is no | ||||||
| 10 | health care professional of record, if: | ||||||
| 11 | (1) the patient does not demonstrate measurable or | ||||||
| 12 | functional improvement after 10 visits or 15 business | ||||||
| 13 | days, whichever occurs first, and continued improvement | ||||||
| 14 | thereafter; | ||||||
| 15 | (2) the patient was under the care of an occupational | ||||||
| 16 | therapist without a diagnosis established by a health care | ||||||
| 17 | professional of a chronic disease that may benefit from | ||||||
| 18 | occupational therapy and returns for services for the same | ||||||
| 19 | or similar condition 30 calendar days after being | ||||||
| 20 | discharged by the occupational therapist; or | ||||||
| 21 | (3) the patient's medical condition, at the time of | ||||||
| 22 | evaluation or services, is determined to be beyond the | ||||||
| 23 | scope of practice of the occupational therapist. | ||||||
| 24 | (Source: P.A. 103-251, eff. 1-1-24.) | ||||||