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The Impact of Physical Therapy Direct Access Policy on Opioid Shipments and Opioid-Related Deaths: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Geronimo Bejarano, Peter Hull, James Young, David Meyers, and Kevin Griffith

September 2026

In this paper, the research team, including Blueprint Affiliate Peter Hull, exploit state-level policy changes for physical therapy direct access to estimate the effect of enacting direct access physical therapy policy on per-capita opioid pill volume (PCPV) and opioid-related deaths (ORD) compared to states without direct access to physical therapy.