KEY UPDATE Illinois enacted HB 5087 , which significantly limits physical therapists’ ability to provide telehealth services to patients in the state. As enacted, these new provisions become effective on January 1, 2025. In this article, we discuss the new legislation and its impact on telehealth providers and patients in further detail.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Under the enacted legislation, effective on January 1, 2025, the Illinois Physical Therapy Act is amended by adding a new section, 225 ILCS 90/1.3 , regarding telehealth services. This new section requires that physical therapists (or physical therapist assistants working under the general supervision of a physical therapist) that provide physical therapy through telehealth services pursuant to the terms and use defined in the Telehealth Act and the Illinois Insurance Code are additionally subject to the following conditions: 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.
The use of telehealth as a primary means of delivering physical therapy must be an exception , and documentation must support the clinical justification. A patient receiving physical therapy must be able to request and receive in-person care at any point during their treatment. A physical therap.
