North Carolina Board of
Physical Therapy Examiners
Issue 21
Summer 1998
Chairman’s Message J. HERMAN BUNCH, Jr., PT, M.Ed.,
АТС
The North Carolina Board of Physical
Therapy Examiners (NCBPTE) has
voted to ask the General Assembly
to consider raising the fees for licensure
in the North Carolina Physical Therapy
Practice Act. The law change would
be submitted for consideration by the
General Assembly in the 1999 Session.
The fee structure has not been changed
since 1 985. If the change in the law is
adopted, the Board would propose raising
the renewal fee from the current fee of
$40.00 up to $60.00 in the year 2000 and
$80.00 in the year 2005. The current pro¬
posal has a long term cap of $150.00.
The costs of operating the Board have
increased over the past 15 years and it
has become necessary to raise the fees
to keep pace. In addition, the Board has
expanded the services that it offers to
licensees and citizens of North Carolina.
The expense of disciplinary actions has
risen significantly over the past couple of
years. With more violations being reported,
the Investigative Committee, Board
Investigator, and attorney have spent a
tremendous amount of time and money in
the performance of their duties.
The cost of operating the Board Office
has increased significantly due to the
need for increased staff, space, and tech¬
nology. Board responsibilities have
increased with new state and federal
requirements such as reporting disciplinary
actions to interstate reporting agencies
and assistance with enforcing child sup¬
port financial obligations.
Based on a survey of 27 Licensure
Boards in North Carolina, the average
cost for licensure renewal is $127.00.
National data reveals that the current
national average for renewal fees for
physical therapy licensees is over $50.00
per year.
The Board hopes that licensees will
actively support this proposed legislation
for a fee increase to allow us to continue
to take positive initiatives that guarantee
that the citizens of North Carolina will
receive quality care provided in a safe and
efficacious manner.
From the Executive Director BEN F. MASSEY, Jr., PT
The purpose of the Physical Therapy
Practice Act and Licensure Board
is to protect the health, safety, and
welfare of the general public. This is
accomplished through licensure, disci¬
pline, and education. It is funded by physi¬
cal therapy licensees and administered by
the Board. The Board is appointed by the
Governor through an election process
that is conducted with the assistance of
the Board staff.
Over the last couple of years, the Board
has taken some very positive steps in
becoming more accessible to the general
public. The Board voted to install a toll
free telephone number (800-800-8982)
which can be obtained from toll free
directory assistance. The Board has an
e-mail (NCPTBoard@mindspring.com)
to facilitate communication with the public
and licensees.
North Carolina was one of the first
states to change from paper and pencil
exams to computer based testing. As a
result of this change, graduates are
allowed to take the exams much quicker
and more often (if needed) than before.
Therefore, graduates are now becoming
licensed much quicker which benefits the
citizens of North Carolina.
A web page was instituted in 1 997
which provides valuable information such
as the Practice Act, Rules, and licensure
information. Important notices that affect
licensees are now placed on the web for
immediate dissemination. Disciplinary
actions and how to report violations are
located on the web. (In1 997, the
Investigative Committee addressed 59
complaints and resolved 47 in the same
year. In 1997, the Board suspended 7
licenses, placed 1 licensee on probation,
issued 5 warnings, and sent 21 letters
of private reprimand. In 1 998, the
Investigative Committee has already
addressed 36 complaints.) The Board has
collaborated with the North Carolina
Physical Therapy Association (NCPTA)
on several task forces to clarify legal and
ethical practice. This has resulted in:
(1) the development of Board position
statements, (2) the Board financially
supporting statewide presentations on
Supervision at AH EC programs, and (3)
the development of the reference book,
Practice Under Pressure (to date, 400
copies have been sold). The Board, staff,
and attorney have presented programs at
professional association meetings on
legal practice and the Model Practice Act.
The Executive Director presents pro¬
grams routinely at PT and PTA schools
across the state.
The distribution of the Newsletter has
been increased from 2 issues per year to
3 issues in 1998 and will probably be 4
issues in 1999. The Board has continued
to support the publication of the Directory
of Licensees which facilitates communica¬
tion with other licensed physical therapy
practitioners across the state.
The Board has also assisted the North
Carolina Department of Human
Resources, Division of Social Services,
Child Support Division with resolving
financial obligations of physical therapy
licensees who are in arrears with their
child support payments.
The Executive Director has been
actively involved in the Federation of
State Boards of Physical Therapy and
has maintained an open dialogue with
other Board administrators throughout the
country. This helps keep North Carolina
on the cutting edge of trends in profes¬
sional regulation. Our licensees are for¬
tunate to have an independent Board
which has the authority and is willing to
make tough decisions to insure the public
health, safety, and welfare of citizens
who receive physical therapy services.
Physical therapists and the citizens of
North Carolina owe a debt of gratitude to
the General Assembly of North Carolina
for giving Boards the autonomy to regu¬
late and police our own profession.