As current and future health care providers, PTs, PTAs, and students of physical therapy are bombarded with warnings and guidance on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and its underlying rules on privacy and security. It's a complicated and sometimes burdensome law that's nevertheless necessary to safeguard patients' protected health information.

For PTs and PTAs working in schools and related educational facilities, the regulatory hurdles potentially are twofold, as both health care and educational law come into play.