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2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule Includes Two Major Wins for Therapy Providers

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APTA advocacy leads to impactful policy wins that will reduce administrative burden, improve access, and provide more flexibility to the therapy workforce.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Reducing administrative burdens, ensuring patient access in rural and underserved areas, and providing flexibilities for a challenged therapy workforce have long been policy priorities for the American Physical Therapy Association. Now, with the recent release of the Centers for Medicare & Centers for Medicaid Services 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, some of these priorities are being adopted to better support physical therapists and physical therapist assistants and their role in improving the health of Medicare beneficiaries.

The 2025 fee schedule contains two significant policy wins for the physical therapy profession advocated for by APTA, in the areas of PTA supervision and plan of care certification.

Supervision of Physical Therapist Assistants: The supervision requirement for physical therapist assistants under Medicare Part B will change from the current outdated direct supervision requirement to general supervision. This change will finally align outpatient settings with the general supervision policies in place in all other Medicare settings. What’s more, 49 states already permit general supervision of PTAs under state licensure laws, meaning Medicare’s direct supervision requirement in the outpatient setting was more burdensome than most state licensure requirements. This change will provide more flexibility for the therapy workforce and ensure access to therapy services for millions of Medicare beneficiaries, especially in rural or underserved areas, where beneficiaries are 50% more likely to receive therapy from a PTA. The language in the final rule mirrors the APTA-backed legislation introduced in the 118th Congress, titled the EMPOWER Act, that would require CMS to make this long-advocated for change.

Therapy Plan of Care Certification Requirement Reform: An exemption is being provided to the current burdensome plan of care signature requirement for outpatient therapy services provided under referral from a physician. Under current CMS policy, physical therapists are required to send their plans of care to the referring physician, who has 30 days to sign off on the services that the referring physician ordered in the first place. If the 30-day deadline is approaching and the physician still hasn’t returned the signed plan of care, it has been up to the physical therapist to obtain that signature. Without it, the PT is faced with not being paid by Medicare or stopping patient treatment, which can result in interruptions in care. Under the new exemption, the plan of care certification signature requirement will be deemed satisfied if the physical therapist simply submits the plan of care to the patient’s referring physician within 30 days of the initial evaluation; PTs no longer need to obtain the physician’s signature. This change comes after APTA advocacy during the CMS comment period and mirrors the APTA-backed legislation introduced in Congress, titled the REDUCE Act.

“After years of advocacy, APTA is pleased that CMS has finally responded to our recommendations to improve patient access to essential therapist services and ease administrative burden at a time when physical therapy practices are struggling, given the year-over-year cuts to the fee schedule,” said APTA President Roger Herr, PT, MPA. “The change in supervision requirements enables PTAs to practice at the top of their license, acknowledging their crucial role in patient care and support to therapy clinics. Reducing unnecessary administrative plan of care requirements allows PTs to focus on patient care instead of paperwork. These two policy changes in the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule are critical to supporting physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.”

The 2025 rule also finalized a reduction to the fee schedule’s conversion factor. As in previous years, the budget-neutral policy has led to another cut to the conversion factor that impacts all providers paid under the physician fee schedule, including physical therapists. Unless Congress intervenes — which it has done several times in past years — the 2025 conversion factor will be $32.3562, a 2.83% decrease from 2024.

It is now up to Congress to stop the impending 2.83% cut from being implemented in January 2025. In a bipartisan effort to address this, APTA-supported legislation, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, was introduced in the U.S. House on Oct. 29. If enacted, it would provide a 4.73% payment boost to the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule’s conversion factor.

“The continued reduction to payment for therapy services under the fee schedule underscores the need to overhaul Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule, and APTA will keep up the fight to advocate for full-scale reform,” Herr added. 

The American Physical Therapy Association represents more than 100,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and physical therapy students nationwide. Visit apta.org to learn more.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2025-medicare-physician-fee-schedule-final-rule-includes-two-major-wins-for-therapy-providers-302294523.html

SOURCE American Physical Therapy Association

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Minister Hodgson promotes Canadian energy and mining in London

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October 21, 2026

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LONDON, Oct. 21, 2026 /CNW/ — Canada has what the world wants. Our resources, expertise and institutions can support global energy security and affordability today while laying the foundation for a more prosperous, secure lower-carbon future. We have renewed ambition to engage with the world, diversify our trade and back our partnerships with investment that builds a stronger Canada and supports our allies.

Today, the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, concluded a successful visit to London, United Kingdom, for the London Metal Exchange (LME) Week.

While in London, Minister Hodgson met with his ministerial counterparts in the U.K., including Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Miatta Fahnbulleh; Minister of State (Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry), Luke Pollard; and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Reindustrialisation), Blair McDougall. He discussed closer collaboration, increased trade and enhanced bilateral investment between Canada and the U.K. on energy and natural resources.

The Minister also met with industry representatives, including from Anglo American, Masdar and Teck Resources, to discuss commercial opportunities with a focus on diversifying and securing mineral supply chains. Building on Canada’s 2025 G7 Presidency and the establishment of the Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance, which has already catalyzed 69 new deals that have unlocked $19.2 billion in capital investment, discussions highlighted opportunities for further investment in and sourcing from Canadian mining projects.

Minister Hodgson also took part in a fireside conversation on the margins of LME with Jonathan Price, President and CEO of Teck Resources, on critical minerals supply chains and the global need to diversify sources of supply, and he spoke at the Financial Times Energy Transition Summit about Canada’s ambitious energy and mining policy agenda.

Canada is working with trusted partners in the U.K. and beyond to strengthen global energy and critical minerals security, diversify our trade and attract investment into Canadian projects so we can build a stronger, more resilient Canadian economy.

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“Canada is blessed with abundant energy and minerals, world-class expertise and financial institutions, and stability and dependability that the world is looking for now more than ever. I look forward to building on this trip to the United Kingdom to deepen our international co-operation and catalyze investments that will diversify our trade and create economic opportunities for Canadians.”

The Honourable Tim Hodgson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

Quick Facts

The U.K. is Canada’s largest European trade and investment partner and third-largest individual trading partner, with bilateral goods and services trade totaling $85 billion in 2025.In July 2026, Canada ratified the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). It entered into force on September 1, 2026, furthering opportunities for Canadian businesses through integrated supply chains and the single set of rules applied across CPTPP markets.The Canada–U.K. trading relationship is underpinned by our comprehensive bilateral Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA). The agreement does not expire and provides extensive market access for Canadian businesses, exporters and investors, including tariff-free access for 99 percent of tariff lines.In 2025, Canadian energy trade with the U.K. reached $1.8 billion, representing a 24.8 percent increase compared with 2024.In 2025, Canadian exports in mineral, metals and related products reached $40.8 billion, an increase of nearly 77 percent compared with 2024.Through the Canada–U.K. Critical Minerals Dialogue, both countries will continue working together to identify projects for investment and collaboration, strengthen secure and sustainable supply chains, and support growth in the mining and manufacturing sectors.

Associated Links

Canada–United Kingdom relationsOur critical minerals strategic partnerships: International partnerships

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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NineTenths Joins ISASecure to Advance Adoption of ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Standards

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October 21, 2026

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DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The International Society of Automation (ISA) — the leading professional society for automation — announced that NineTenths Company has officially joined ISASecure®, the globally recognized certification program that validates conformance to the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards for industrial automation and control systems (IACS) cybersecurity.

NineTenths is a Saudi Arabia-based technology company specializing in advanced industrial solutions, including unmanned aerial systems (drones), robotics, infrastructure inspection, surveying, and operational technology (OT) cybersecurity. Serving industries including oil and gas, petrochemicals, energy, water and wastewater, manufacturing, and other critical infrastructure sectors, the company combines emerging technologies with engineering expertise to improve operational efficiency, security, and resilience. NineTenths uses ISA/IEC 62443 as a framework supporting its OT cybersecurity services, with capabilities aligned to cybersecurity management systems, risk-based assessments, zones and conduits, industrial system security requirements, and secure product development practices.

This new partnership with ISASecure will provide NineTenths with the opportunity to further strengthen its commitment to advancing operational technology (OT) cybersecurity across Saudi Arabia and the broader Gulf region. Building on its existing alignment with the internationally recognized ISA/IEC 62443 standards, ISASecure membership offers NineTenths opportunities to engage with global cybersecurity experts, industrial automation suppliers, and certification bodies while expanding its capabilities and enhancing operational resilience and cybersecurity readiness for clients.

“Serving government, public safety, construction, infrastructure, and energy sectors, our commitment to quality and safety is backed by internationally recognized certifications and manufacturer accreditations,” said Naif AlZahrani, NineTenths vice president of operation. “Our continued focus on OT cybersecurity from mission to maintenance ensures protection for the full OT security lifecycle. We look forward to being part of ISASecure as we continue to support organizations across Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in adopting cutting-edge technologies aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.”

“It is an honor to welcome NineTenths into the ISASecure program,” said Mark DeAngelo, ISASecure program manager. “We look forward to collaborating with NineTenths as we advance our mission of partnership, certification, and standards-based product development to help achieve a more secure world.”

About ISASecure®

Founded in 2007 by the International Society of Automation (ISA), ISASecure® is a globally recognized certification program that provides assurance for the cybersecurity of industrial automation control systems (IACS). Through rigorous conformance to the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards, ISASecure certifications validate that products and supplier practices meet internationally recognized benchmarks for OT security. ISASecure is a wholly owned subsidiary of ISA. 

ISASecure’s global ecosystem includes leaders such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, GSK, Saudi Aramco, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Schneider Electric, Trane Technologies, and Yokogawa, among others.

For more information, visit isasecure.org.

About NineTenths

Founded in 2019, NineTenths is a Saudi Arabia-based technology company that helps organizations improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and make accurate data-driven decisions across industrial sectors. NineTenths is powered by a team of skilled Saudi engineers, programmers, and research and development specialists. Their expertise enables the company to design, customize, and deploy advanced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solutions aligned with real-world operational requirements. NineTenths supports organizations in adopting cutting-edge technologies aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.

About ISA

The International Society of Automation (ISA) is a nonprofit professional association founded in 1945 to create a better world through automation. ISA’s mission is to empower the global automation community through standards and knowledge sharing. ISA develops widely used global standards and conformity assessment programs, certifies professionals, provides education and training, publishes books and technical articles, hosts conferences and exhibits, and provides networking and career development programs for its members and customers around the world. Learn more at www.isa.org.

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SOURCE The International Society of Automation

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Crest Data More Than Doubles Its Grafana Plugin Portfolio as the Marketplace Reaches General Availability at ObservabilityCON 2026

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October 21, 2026

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SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Crest Data, an AI-first product engineering provider specializing in Observability and Cybersecurity for enterprises and technology innovators, today announced 15 new commercial plugins for Grafana, more than doubling its portfolio in the Grafana Marketplace to 25. The release coincides with Grafana Labs moving the Marketplace to general availability at ObservabilityCON 2026. The new plugins span cloud security, virtualization and data protection platforms, so IT, platform and security teams can monitor those systems in Grafana alongside the telemetry they already have, instead of switching between separate vendor consoles.

The Grafana Marketplace gives enterprises a trusted, commercial channel to discover, license and install production-grade plugins directly from the Grafana catalog.

As a founding Marketplace partner, Crest Data arrives at general availability with a broad portfolio of 25 native, agentless data source plugins that query their source systems through their APIs, with no exporters, no extra collection layer and no data ingestion costs. Built in partnership with Grafana Labs, every plugin ships with pre-built dashboards, so teams can unify security, network, virtualization, SaaS and storage monitoring in a single view.

“Crest Data has been developing integrations used by Fortune 100 customers for years, giving us a deep understanding of what enterprises need to meet their operational, security and compliance requirements,” said Malhar Shah, co-founder and CEO at Crest Data. “Our plugins bring this experience to the community by unifying IT, platform and security monitoring in Grafana with coverage across the security, network, virtualization, SaaS and storage domains.”

“Crest Data brings extensive experience across observability, security and compliance integrations, and we’re delighted to have them as part of the Grafana Marketplace,” said Ash Mazhari, VP of Corporate Development, Grafana Labs. “Crest Data is a leading contributor to the ecosystem, and we’re already seeing strong traction for their plugins from organizations around the world. We look forward to seeing how Crest Data continues to expand what enterprises can achieve with Grafana.”

Crest Data’s full Grafana plugin portfolio includes:

Security: FortiGate, Proofpoint Email Security, Zscaler ZIA, Zscaler ZPA, Cisco ASA, Cisco ISE, Tanium, Wiz, Qualys, Prisma Cloud, TenableNetwork: Cisco Meraki, Akamai, Zscaler ZDX, Infoblox Universal DDIVirtualization: VMware vSphere, Citrix Cloud, Citrix DaaSSaaS: Tableau, Zoom, SharePoint, ConvivaStorage and Data Protection: NetApp ONTAP, Dell PowerScale, Rubrik

To learn more about Crest Data’s Grafana services, including Marketplace plugins, migrations, implementations, customizations and managed services, visit https://www.crestdata.ai/solutions/grafana/

About ObservabilityCON 2026

ObservabilityCON is Grafana Labs’ flagship observability event, bringing together practitioners, experts and leaders to explore the latest innovations in observability and the fast-moving AI era. ObservabilityCON 2026 takes place at Pier 27 in San Francisco from Oct. 19–21, featuring three days of technical sessions, hands-on workshops, live demos, user success stories and opportunities to connect with the Grafana observability community.

About Crest Data

Crest Data is an AI-first product engineering provider specializing in Observability and Cybersecurity for enterprises and technology innovators. We design, build and operate intelligent platforms across security, observability, AI, cloud and data. Through deep engineering expertise and AI-led integrations and migrations, Crest Data helps organizations improve visibility, modernize technology platforms and build resilient, future-ready operations. Learn more at https://www.crestdata.ai/ 

 

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SOURCE Crest Data

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