S 4892: Provides that supervision by a licensed physical therapist of a physical therapist assistant shall be continuous but shall not require the physical presence of the licensed physical therapist at the time and place where services are being performed; requires a licensed physical therapist to be available for consultation with the physical therapist assistant or the patient within a reasonable amount of time.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4892 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to physical therapist assistants The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision a of section 6738 of the education law, as 2 amended by chapter 511 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 a. A "physical therapist assistant" means a person licensed in accord- 5 ance with this article who works under the direction and supervision of 6 a licensed physical therapist performing such patient related activities 7 as are assigned by the supervising physical therapist. Duties of phys- 8 ical therapist assistants shall not include evaluation, [testing,] 9 interpretation, planning or modification of [patient programs] a 10 patient's plan of care. [Supervision of a] The supervising licensed 11 physical therapist [assistant by a licensed] shall be available for 12 consultation with the physical therapist [shall be on-site supervision, 13 but not necessarily direct personal supervision] assistant in a timely 14 manner, taking into consideration the practice setting, the condition of 15 the patient and the physical therapy services being provided. The 16 number of licensed physical therapist assistants supervised by one 17 licensed physical therapist shall not exceed the ratio of four licensed 18 physical therapist assistants to one licensed physical therapist as 19 shall be determined by the commissioner's regulations insuring that 20 there be adequate supervision in the best interest of public health and 21 safety. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a hospital from employing 22 physical therapist assistants, provided they work under the supervision 23 of physical therapists designated by the hospital and not beyond the 24 scope of practice of a physical therapist assistant. The numerical limi- 25 tation of this section shall not apply to work performed in a hospital, EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD09175-01-5 
 S. 4892 2 1 provided that there be adequate supervision in the best interest of 2 public health and safety. 3 § 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a 4 law.