Public Act 103-0849
 
HB5087 EnrolledLRB103 37253 RTM 67373 b

    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Physical Therapy Act is amended by 
adding Section 1.3 as follows:
 
    (225 ILCS 90/1.3 new)
    Sec. 1.3. Telehealth services.
    (a) Physical therapy through telehealth services may be 
used to address access issues to care, enhance care delivery, 
or increase the physical therapist's ability to assess and 
direct the patient's performance in the patient's own 
environment. 
    (b) A physical therapist or physical therapist assistant 
working under the general supervision of a physical therapist 
may provide physical therapy through telehealth services 
pursuant to the terms and use defined in the Telehealth Act and 
the Illinois Insurance Code subject to the following 
conditions: 
        (1) Initial physical therapy evaluations without a 
    referral or established diagnosis may only be performed by 
    a licensed physical therapist and cannot be performed via 
    telehealth unless necessary to address a documented 
    hardship, including, but not limited to, geographical, 
    physical, or weather-related conditions. 
        (2) The use of telehealth as a primary means of 
    delivering physical therapy must be an exception and 
    documentation must support the clinical justification. 
        (3) A patient receiving physical therapy must be able 
    to request and receive in-person care at any point during 
    their treatment. 
        (4) A physical therapist providing telehealth must 
    have the capacity to provide in-person care within the 
    State of Illinois.