February 9, 2018 was a historical day: for over twenty years, providers have been advocating for Medicare Part B beneficiaries to receive medically necessary therapy services that exceed a capped amount! Our voices were heard, and the President signed the
Category: Clinical
A Quick Guide to Utilizing Diversity and Sensitivity
Working in the long term care industry, we need to be aware of our communication styles and how we are perceived by the patients we serve. The Look Closer, See Me Generational Diversity and Sensitivity training program (www.LookCloserSeeMe.org) from the
Pathways to Fall Prevention
Pathways to Fall Prevention is Functional Pathways’ program that partners with interdisciplinary team members in nursing facilities to provide individualized, person-centered care, and improve fall care processes and outcomes. Many facilities have fall programs in place and while not all
Patient Safety: Always in the Forefront
Post Acute Care is obliged to deliver care that provides better outcomes, in a shorter period of time, all the while ensuring that patient safety is in the forefront. We are responsible for increasing efficiencies without sacrificing safety. There are
Urinary Incontinence: Hold it Right There!
More than 13 million people in the United States, male and female, young and old, experience incontinence. 50% or more of elderly people are incontinent. Women are 2x as likely as men to experience incontinence due to women’s health, childbirth,
2018 Medicare Part B “Hard Cap”
As you probably already know, there is a Medicare Part B “Hard Cap” that went into effect 1/1/18 because Congress didn’t act to extend the exceptions process nor did they repeal the therapy caps altogether. As a result, residents receiving
Studies on Otago Fall Prevention
The Otago fall prevention program has been shown to be effective on physical function in nursing home residents over the age of 65. In a randomized, controlled trial, the Otago exercise program was shown as effective in improving balance, functional
Looking at Care from Both Sides
It’s hard to truly appreciate how busy a care provider is during each shift without looking at their entire day. Take just five minutes. Sit and watch someone who is juggling between patients, collecting insurance information, verifying patient ID, or
Clinical Approaches for Atypical Parkinsonism
Atypical parkinsonisms are conditions in which an individual experiences some of the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) — tremor, slowness, rigidity (stiffness), and/or walking and balance problems — but does not have PD. Atypical parkinsonism can be due
Changes to Therapy CPT Codes Effective Jan 2018
Therapists will be seeing some changes in CPT codes. These changes are outlined below. ORTHOTICS AND PROSTHETICS: The CPT Editorial Panel revised the set of codes physical and occupational therapists use to report orthotic and prosthetic interventions by differentiating between