When Compliance Matters last focused on the subject nearly 5 years ago,1 the subhead read, "The line between independent contractor and employee is fuzzier than you may think." If anything has changed between then and now, it's the federal government's message that, as far is it is concerned, the line typically isn't even very fuzzy: Employee status is the rule, independent contractor status the decided exception.
That's food for thought for physical therapy practices, which are subject to substantial penalties for misclassifying employees”whether due to incorrect assumptions or as an intentional way of saving money on salary and benefits and skirting compliance with fair-labor laws.