CHAPTER 5.7. Physical Therapy [2600. - 2696.]

Chapter 5.7 added by Stats. 1953, Ch. 1826.

§§ 2600–2696 · 87 sections

1. ARTICLE 1. Administration and General Provisions §§ 2600–2615 · 18 sections

   • § 2600 This chapter may be cited as the Physical Therapy Practice Act.
   • § 2601 For the purpose of this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings, unless otherwise specified: (a) “Board” means the Physical Therapy…
   • § 2602 (a) The Physical Therapy Board of California, hereafter referred to as the board, shall enforce and administer this chapter. (b) This section shall remain in…
   • § 2602.1 Protection of the public shall be the highest priority for the Physical Therapy Board of California in exercising its licensing, regulatory, and disciplinary…
   • § 2603 The members of the board shall consist of four physical therapists, only one of whom shall be involved in physical therapy education, and three public members.
   • § 2603.5 (a) The physical therapist members of the board shall be appointed from persons having all of the following qualifications: (1) Be a resident of California.…
   • § 2604 The members of the board shall be appointed for a term of four years, expiring on the first day of June of each year. The Governor shall appoint one of the…
   • § 2605 The board shall do all of the following: (a) Evaluate the qualifications of applicants for licensure. (b) Provide for the examinations of physical therapists…
   • § 2606 Each member of the board shall receive a per diem and expenses as provided in Section 103.
   • § 2607 The board may employ, subject to law, such clerical assistants and, except as provided in Section 159.5, other employees as it may deem necessary to carry out…
   • § 2607.5 (a) The board may employ an executive officer exempt from the State Civil Service Act (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18500) of Division 5 of Title 2 of the…
   • § 2608 The procedure in all matters and proceedings relating to the denial, suspension, revocation, or probationary restriction of licenses issued by the board under…
   • § 2608.5 Each member of the board, or any licensed physical therapist appointed by the board, may inspect, or require reports from, a general or specialized hospital or…
   • § 2611 The board shall meet at least three times each calendar year, meeting at least once each calendar year in northern California and once each calendar year in…
   • § 2612 The board shall comply with the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the…
   • § 2613 The board may appoint qualified persons to give the whole or any portion of any examination as provided in this chapter, who shall be designated as a…
   • § 2614 The board shall hear all matters, including, but not limited to, any contested case or any petition for reinstatement, restoration, or modification of…
   • § 2615 The board shall adopt those regulations as may be necessary to effectuate this chapter. In adopting regulations the board shall comply with Chapter 3.5…
2. ARTICLE 2. Scope of Regulation and Exemptions §§ 2620–2634 · 16 sections

   • § 2620 (a) Physical therapy means the art and science of physical or corrective rehabilitation or of physical or corrective treatment of any bodily or mental…
   • § 2620.1 (a) In addition to receiving those services authorized by Section 2620, a person may initiate physical therapy treatment directly from a licensed physical…
   • § 2620.3 A physical therapist licensed pursuant to this chapter may apply topical medications as part of the practice of physical therapy as defined in Section 2620 if…
   • § 2620.5 A physical therapist may, upon specified authorization of a physician and surgeon, perform tissue penetration for the purpose of evaluating neuromuscular…
   • § 2620.7 (a) Patient records shall be documented as required in regulations promulgated by the board. (b) Patient records shall be maintained for a period of no less…
   • § 2621 Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as authorizing a physical therapist to practice medicine, surgery, or any other form of healing except as authorized…
   • § 2622 (a) A physical therapist shall be responsible for managing all aspects of the care of each patient as set forth in regulations promulgated by the board. (b) A…
   • § 2623 The board may, by regulation, prescribe, amend, or repeal any rules contained within a code of professional conduct appropriate to the establishment and…
   • § 2630 It is unlawful for any person or persons to practice, or offer to practice, physical therapy in this state for compensation received or expected, or to hold…
   • § 2630.3 (a) A licensed physical therapist assistant holding a valid, unexpired, and unrevoked physical therapist assistant license may assist in the provision of…
   • § 2630.4 (a) A “physical therapy aide” is an unlicensed person, at least 18 years of age, who aids a licensed physical therapist consistent with subdivision (b). (b)…
   • § 2630.5 The following persons are exempt from the licensure requirements of this chapter when engaged in the following activities: (a) A regularly matriculated…
   • § 2633 (a) A person holding a license as a physical therapist issued by the board may use the title “physical therapist” or the letters “P.T.” or any other words,…
   • § 2633.5 (a) Only a person licensed as a physical therapist assistant by the board may use the title “physical therapist assistant” or “physical therapy assistant” or…
   • § 2633.7 During a period of clinical practice described in Section 2650 or in any similar period of observation of related educational experience involving recipients…
   • § 2634 The board may investigate each and every applicant for a license, before a license is issued, in order to determine whether or not the applicant has in fact…
3. ARTICLE 3. Qualifications and Requirements for Licensure §§ 2635–2639.1 · 6 sections

   • § 2635 Every applicant for a license under this chapter shall, at the time of application, be a person over 18 years of age, not addicted to alcohol or any controlled…
   • § 2636 (a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no person shall receive a license under this chapter without first successfully passing the following…
   • § 2636.5 (a) An applicant may be issued a license without a written examination if he or she meets all of the following: (1) He or she is at the time of application…
   • § 2638 Any applicant for licensure as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant who fails to pass the examination required by the board may retake the…
   • § 2639 (a) (1) Every graduate of an approved physical therapy education program who has filed a complete application, as defined in regulation, for licensure with the…
   • § 2639.1 A person having, in the opinion of the board, training or experience, or a combination of training and experience, equivalent to that obtained in an approved…
4. ARTICLE 4. Renewal of Licenses §§ 2644–2649 · 8 sections

   • § 2644 (a) Every license issued under this chapter shall expire at 12 a.m. on the last day of the birth month of the licensee during the second year of a two-year…
   • § 2645 At least 60 days before the expiration of any license, the board shall mail to each licensee under this chapter, at the latest address furnished by the…
   • § 2646 A license that has expired may be renewed at any time within five years after its expiration by applying for renewal as set forth in Section 2644. Renewal…
   • § 2647 A person who fails to renew his or her license within five years after its expiration may not renew it, and it shall not be reissued, reinstated, or restored…
   • § 2648 (a) A licensee is exempt from the payment of the renewal fee while engaged in full-time training or active service in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force,…
   • § 2648.3 A licensee who demonstrates to the satisfaction of the board that he or she is unable to practice, or assist in the provision of, physical therapy due to a…
   • § 2648.5 (a) The renewal fee shall be waived for licensees residing in California who certify to the board that license renewal is for the sole purpose of providing…
   • § 2649 (a) A person renewing his or her license shall submit proof satisfactory to the board that, during the preceding two years, he or she has completed the…
5. ARTICLE 5. Educational Standards §§ 2650–2654 · 4 sections

   • § 2650 (a) The physical therapist education requirements are as follows: (1) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, each applicant for a license as a physical…
   • § 2651 The board shall approve only those physical therapist and physical therapist assistant education programs that prove to the satisfaction of the board that they…
   • § 2653 An applicant for a license as a physical therapist who has graduated from a physical therapist education program that is not approved by the board and is not…
   • § 2654 If an applicant who has graduated from a physical therapist education program that is not approved by the board and is not located in the United States does…
6. ARTICLE 6. Enforcement §§ 2660–2661.7 · 12 sections

   • § 2660 Unprofessional conduct constitutes grounds for citation, discipline, denial of a license, or issuance of a probationary license. The board may, after the…
   • § 2660.1 A patient, client, or customer of a licentiate under this chapter is conclusively presumed to be incapable of giving free, full, and informed consent to any…
   • § 2660.2 (a) The board may refuse a license to any applicant guilty of unprofessional conduct or sexual activity referred to in Section 2660.1. The board may, in its…
   • § 2660.3 In lieu of filing or prosecuting a formal accusation against a licensee, the board may, upon stipulation or agreement by the licensee, issue a public letter of…
   • § 2660.4 A licensee who fails or refuses to comply with a request from the board for the medical records of a patient, that is accompanied by that patient’s written…
   • § 2660.5 The board shall deny a physical therapist license or physical therapist assistant license to an applicant who is required to register pursuant to Section 290…
   • § 2660.7 In addition to the penalties prescribed by Section 123, if the board determines that an applicant for licensure or a licensee has engaged, or has attempted to…
   • § 2660.8 A licensee whose matter has been heard by an administrative law judge of the Medical Quality Hearing Panel as designated in Section 11371 of the Government…
   • § 2661 A plea or verdict of guilty or a conviction following a plea of nolo contendere is deemed to be a conviction within the meaning of this article. The board may…
   • § 2661.5 (a) In any order issued in resolution of a disciplinary proceeding before the board, the board may request the administrative law judge to direct any licensee…
   • § 2661.6 (a) The board shall establish a probation monitoring program to monitor probationary licenses. (b) The program may employ nonpeace officer staff to perform its…
   • § 2661.7 (a) A person whose license has been revoked or suspended, or who has been placed on probation, may petition the board for reinstatement or modification of…
7. ARTICLE 7. Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program §§ 2662–2669 · 8 sections

   • § 2662 It is the intent of the Legislature that the board shall seek ways and means to identify and rehabilitate physical therapists and physical therapist assistants…
   • § 2663 The board shall establish and administer a substance abuse rehabilitation program, hereafter referred to as the rehabilitation program, for the rehabilitation…
   • § 2664 (a) Any rehabilitation evaluation committee established by the board shall have at least three members. In making appointments to a rehabilitation evaluation…
   • § 2665 Each rehabilitation evaluation committee has the following duties and responsibilities: (a) To evaluate physical therapists and physical therapist assistants…
   • § 2666 (a) Criteria for acceptance into the rehabilitation program shall include all of the following: (1) The applicant shall be licensed as a physical therapist or…
   • § 2667 All board and rehabilitation evaluation committee records and records of proceedings and participation of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant…
   • § 2668 (a) A fee to cover the actual cost of administering the program shall be charged for participation in the program. If the board contracts with any other entity…
   • § 2669 Participation in a rehabilitation program shall not be a defense to any disciplinary action that may be taken by the board. This section does not preclude the…
8. ARTICLE 8. Offenses Against this Chapter §§ 2670–2672 · 2 sections

   • § 2670 Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars…
   • § 2672 Whenever any person has engaged or is about to engage in any acts or practices that constitute or will constitute an offense against this chapter, the superior…
9. ARTICLE 9. Fiscal Administration §§ 2680–2689 · 6 sections

   • § 2680 The board shall keep a record of its proceedings under this chapter, and a register of all persons licensed under it. The register shall show the name of every…
   • § 2681 Within 10 days after the beginning of each calendar month the board shall report to the State Controller the amount and source of all collections made from…
   • § 2682 There is in the State Treasury the Physical Therapy Fund. All collections from persons licensed or seeking to be licensed shall be paid by the board into the…
   • § 2687 All fees earned by the board and all fines and forfeitures of bail to which the board is entitled shall be reported at the beginning of each month, for the…
   • § 2688 The amount of fees assessed in connection with licenses issued under this chapter is as follows: (a) (1) The fee for an application for licensure as a physical…
   • § 2689 (a) The board may establish by regulation suitable application and renewal fees of not more than two hundred dollars ($200), for persons certified to perform…
10. ARTICLE 10. Physical Therapy Corporations §§ 2690–2696 · 7 sections

    • § 2690 A physical therapy corporation is a corporation that is authorized to render professional services, as defined in Section 13401 of the Corporations Code, so…
    • § 2691 It shall constitute unprofessional conduct and a violation of this chapter for any person licensed under this chapter to violate, attempt to violate, directly…
    • § 2692 A physical therapy corporation shall not do or fail to do any act the doing of which or the failure to do which would constitute unprofessional conduct under…
    • § 2693 The name of a physical therapy corporation and any name or names under which it may render professional services shall contain the words “physical therapy” or…
    • § 2694 Except as provided in Section 13403 of the Corporations Code, each shareholder, director and officer of a physical therapy corporation, except an assistant…
    • § 2695 The income of a physical therapy corporation attributable to professional services rendered while a shareholder is a disqualified person, as defined in Section…
    • § 2696 The board may adopt and enforce regulations to carry out the purposes and objectives of this article, including regulations requiring (a) that the bylaws of a…