APTA members report that medically necessary physical therapist services are delayed — ultimately impacting patients’ clinical outcomes — because of the amount of time and resources they must spend on documentation and administrative tasks. The volume of these tasks also leads to dissatisfaction and burnout. APTA urges policymakers and third-party payers to advance policies that streamline documentation requirements, standardize prior authorization and payer coverage policies, and eliminate unnecessary regulations.
Distributed in the fall of 2022, the APTA Administrative Burden Survey received responses from 773 APTA members across various facility and institutional settings. The objective, measurable survey results offer important insight into how administrative burden impacts patient clinical outcomes.