PPS President Sandy Norby, PT, DPT testified in front of the House Small Business Committee on Wednesday June 12, 2019. The hearing, entitled “The Doctor is Out. Rising Student Loan Debt and the Decline of the Small Medical Practice,” focused on the impact that student loans held by those in the medical professions impacted their career choices and hindered their ability to open their own private practices.
In her testimony, Dr. Norby illustrated the role of a private practice physical therapist in their community as well as the impact of student loan debt on the ability to afford to work and ultimately open practices in rural areas—including a poignant anecdote about how rates of the small business loans are higher for those who also carry student loan debt, adding to the challenges of opening a private practice.
She also asked the committee members to cosponsor
H.R. 2802, the Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act
to add physical therapists to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). The NHSC allows for the placement of certain health care professionals in areas designated as a health care professional shortage area (HPSA). In exchange for serving at least two years in these areas, eligible health professionals are provided up to $50,000 towards the cost of their education. Adding physical therapists to the NHSC will enable individuals in underserved areas have better access to nonpharmacological options for the prevention, treatment, and management of pain. Physical therapy is an essential component of the multidisciplinary undertaking that will be required to improve both patient outcomes and alter the trajectory of the current opioid crisis.
Dr. Norby was introduced as a witness by Committee member and fellow Iowan committee member Rep. Abby Finkenauer (IA-1).
