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Eli's Rehab Report

Outpatient Outlook:
Ride the Waves of the Medicare's Latest Physician Fee Schedule Changes
Good news: Functional status reporting requirements improved from proposed rule. It's t... Read more
Clip 'n' Save:
Have Your Functional Status Codes & Modifiers at Arm's Reach
Cozy up to G-codes and modifiers for tracking patient status, goals and severity level. ... Read more
Electrical Stimulation:
Ensure Plan Of Care Is In Place For H-Wave Studies
Sidestep compliance issues when dispensing DME. You need to be careful about the kind o... Read more
Home Health:
Headaches On 'Close To' Therapy Change Remain
Not all is bleak for therapy visit coverage in the final rule. According to CMS' final ... Read more
Industry Notes:
Industry Notes:
Dodge Costly ADRs For Your Part B Therapy Services Pay attention to preapproval request... Read more
Reader Question:
Get A Therapy V-Code Refresher For SNFs And HHAs
Question: I've just relocated to a SNF setting from a hospital outpatient therapy d... Read more
Inpatient Insights:
Make Your IRF's Quality Reporting Rock Solid
Get your medical definitions, coding and documentation in sync.Inpatient rehabilitation fa... Read more
Business Strategies:
Cash In on Kinesio Taping® -- a Big Hit With the Athletes
Want to bill insurance? Learn critical coding tips here.Kinesio Taping® is all the r... Read more
Clinical Round Up:
Educate Your Patients About Additional Smoking Hazards
Smoking is not simply injurious to health -- it can impair your memory, the researche... Read more
Staffing Strategies:
Surge Forward With Effective Coaching -- 4 Sure-Fire Tips Show You How
Tip: Ask employees to keep a regular journal of their progress toward development goals.Ac... Read more
Industry Notes:
$205 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme Results In 108 Months Imprisonment Sentence
You need to watch out about the kinds of reports you are preparing, as a former director o... Read more
Reader Question:
Gather Answers to Paint an Accurate Picture of Trauma Patient
Question: One of our home health patients is a 79-year-old man who fell when he was gettin... Read more
Reader Question:
Two Burns Can Mean Three Codes
Question: We are providing physical therapy for gait training for a patient who also has a... Read more
Reader Question:
Don't Confuse 'Maintenance Therapy' With Billable Services
Question: We all hear from CMS and private payers that we can't bill for "maintenance ther... Read more
Reader Question:
Make Sure Patients Attend Right Kind Of Day Care Or Risk Homebound Problems
Question: Can I provide services to a patient who attends an adult day care center? What i... Read more
Outpatient Outlook:
Grab Some Last-Minute Insight On Therapy Cap Changes
Providers play dodge ball with snafus in CMS' NPI assignments.Scrambling to prepare for CM... Read more
Practice Pointers:
Nail Down Therapy Cap Details With This Q&A
Resolve your queries about therapy evals, appeals, and more.More information leads to more... Read more
Therapy Reimbursement:
Expect Therapy Reassessments In Multi-Discipline Cases To Get Hairier
The home care industry seems united in its rejection of proposal to drop 'close to' provis... Read more
Regulations:
HHAs Hold Their Breath For The Final Rule
Don't get misled into thinking you've gained an extra therapy visit. Delaying ... Read more
Compliance Tip:
Minimize Compliance Risk With OIG Stats
In an unprecedented move, the OIG has revealed the benchmarks it's using to identify quest... Read more
Reader Question:
Watch Your Sequencing with Stroke Late Effects
Question: Our patient was admitted to home health for physical therapy and occupational th... Read more
Therapy Caps:
Jump on the Advanced Approval Bus if You're Pushing $3,700
Get advanced approval, or wait up to 60 days to get high-dollar claims reviewed.CMS has fi... Read more
Outpatient Outlook:
Get Involved With PQRS Now -- Or Pay Later
Eligible providers await a penalty of -1.5% in 2015 for nonparticipation.Voluntary incenti... Read more
Part B Questions & Answers
The following Q&As have been provided by Rick Gawenda, PT, president of Gawenda Semina... Read more
Patient Privacy:
Know The Risks Of Pinched Medical IDs
Watch for insider breaches and human error, advise experts.Providers of healthcare --... Read more
Human Resources:
Here's How to Keep Your Staff Enthused And Committed To Change
Change is inevitable and so is resistance to it. Take these steps to help your team deal w... Read more
Staffing Strategies:
Offer Your Employees Flexible Work Arrangements
If you don't, someone else will.Many of your employees may want to switch over to a flexib... Read more
Industry Notes:
Here's the Scoop on Pulmonary Rehab Coverage
CMS has allowed payment for physician-supervised pulmonary rehab programs since 2010, but ... Read more
Reader Question:
Can You Spot The Difference Between Parkinson's Disease And Parkinsonism?
Question: One of our home health patients has documented dementia with Parkinsonism. She w... Read more
Outpatient Outlook:
Prepare for a Functional Status Coding Crash Course in 2013
Proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule seeks data for payment reform.Last winter the Mid... Read more
Industry Update:
Get the Rehab Scoop on Healthcare Reform
Supreme Court decision pushes Affordable Care Act full-throttle.June 28, 2012 marked a his... Read more
Therapy Documentation:
Check Here Which 2013 PPS Provisions Spell Trouble For You
CMS offers clarification for misses in multi-therapy cases.Home health agencies will need ... Read more
Medical Review:
Whittle Down Claim Errors With Meticulous Therapy Documentation
Comprehensive Error Rate Testing report gives therapy pride of place.Get and retain reimbu... Read more
RAI Compliance:
Recognize When To Complete a COT Or An SCSA To Stay On Top Of Documentation
Here is what the specialists have to say.You have to recognize and document when a patient... Read more
Reader Question:
Put Initial Assessment First
Question: I have a question about the order of visits in a new episode when there are phys... Read more
Coding Corner:
Increase Your Reimbursement Odds in Vestibular Rehab
Did you rule out a CNS lesion in your documentation? This spring, Noridian Administrative ... Read more
Inpatient Insights:
Cash In -- Don't Cave In -- on Your Neuro Cases
Expert tips help you squeeze more patients under the 60/40 Rule.Inpatient rehab facilities... Read more
Research:
Look Out For The Psychological Impact Of Trauma On Your Rehab Patients
Experts say that it can hinder activities of daily living, such as bathing, eating, paying... Read more
Therapy Coding:
Tackle Critical Therapy Coding Issues With These 5 Pointers
CMS is looking at how many Start of Therapy (SOT), End of Therapy (EOT) and Change of Ther... Read more
Home Health:
Is Your Documentation Jeopardizing Your Payment?
Check here to see who can complete the OASIS in therapy only cases.Accurately completing t... Read more
Part B Questions & Answers
The following Q&As have been provided by Rick Gawenda, PT, president of Gawenda Semina... Read more
Inpatient Insights:
Keep Your RAC Savvy From Falling Through the Cracks
Tip: Include acute care stay info in your documentation. If recovery audit contractors are... Read more
Business Strategies:
Boost Your Bottom Line With Cash-Pay Options
Discover wellness programs -- a jackpot you can't afford to pass up.When insurance re... Read more
News You Can Use:
107 Providers Charged in Biggest Medicare Fraud Takedown in History
Improper billings of $452 million were identified prior to arrests.More than 150 medical p... Read more
Home Health Coding:
Avoid Common Aftercare Coding Mistakes with 3 Tips
Never list an acute fracture code in M1020.When you're providing routine aftercare for hom... Read more
Part B Questions & Answers
The following Q&As have been provided by Rick Gawenda, PT, president of Gawenda Semina... Read more
Human Resources:
Help Your Employees Deal With Their Baggage
When one of your employees experiences a personal tragedy, it can affect the entire office... Read more
Reader Question:
Tackle This Late Effects Scenario
Question: Our new home health patient is receiving physical therapy only following an acut... Read more
SNFs:
Look Out: SNF Intensive Therapy Gets MedPAC's Scrutiny
RUG rebasing and a revised PPS may be just around the corner. As if adjusting to the final... Read more
Compliance:
Keep Your Claims Squeaky-Clean: Billing Scrutiny Increasing Nationwide
Private practices in VA, SC, NC, and WV go under the microscope.Heads up: Palmetto GBA wil... Read more
Coding How-To:
Don't Let Symptoms Trip Up Your Therapy Coding
Hint: Uncover the pathology for more accurate diagnoses.You may be providing care for a sy... Read more
Care Planning Tool:
Try These Medication Management Strategies
An occupational therapy referral may help your home care patient manage his medication bet... Read more
Human Resources:
Combat Your Coworkers' Chronic Negativity
Negative people can be downers, but you can help them channel their energy more positively... Read more
Part B Questions & Answers
The following Q&As have been provided by Rick Gawenda, PT, president of Gawenda Semina... Read more
Industry News:
Therapy Reassessment Confusion Continues
Apparently home health agencies aren't the only ones confused over the timeline for therap... Read more
Outpatient Outlook:
Heads up: Therapy Caps Exceptions Get Legislative Boost
Hospitals to play a key part starting in October. Good news: Therapy cap exceptions, as we... Read more
Hospital Buzz:
CMS Jumps Fast on Hospital Interpretive Guideline Snafu
Rehab advocates' hard work to right the wrong in Transmittal 72 pays off.Rehab stakeholder... Read more
Home Health Therapy:
Watch Out For Stealth Home Care Episodes When Furnishing Part B Outpatient Therapy
The shoe may be on the other foot when you're the one furnishing Part B therapy.Providing ... Read more
Part B Coding Coach:
94640: Take This Quick Short-Interval Inhalation Therapy Quiz to Aid Your Coding
If demo is inevitable, you may have to look beyond a diagnostic procedure.Does your physic... Read more
Part B Questions & Answers
The following Q&As have been provided by Rick Gawenda, PT, president of Gawenda Semina... Read more
Reimbursement:
MedPAC Wants Rebasing Cuts Right Away
Another of MedPAC's recommendations will be to "address high overpayments by lo... Read more
Industry Notes:
Avoid Trouble With Therapy Reassessment Scheduling Tool
Having trouble coordinating therapist visits for the reassessment requirements that went i... Read more
Reader Question:
Know When a Homebound Patient Can Receive Outpatient Therapy
Question: We are a small home health agency and we don't offer speech therapy. We have a p... Read more
Outpatient Outlook:
Transmittal 72 Puts Hospital Outpatient Therapy in Tight Spot
Good news: CMS carefully considering rehab community's concerns. All was quiet on the hosp... Read more
Business Strategies:
Infuse Your PT Prowess into Hospital Emergency Departments
New APTA toolkit helps practitioners navigate this growing trend.Hospitals around the coun... Read more
Home Health Therapy:
Safeguard Claims with OASIS-Centered Therapy Documentation
You may have good assessment information, but do you know how to mesh it with the OASIS?If... Read more
Nursing Homes:
Expert Suggests MDS Nurses Use This Approach for COT OMRAs
If they don't, this is what could happen.Marilyn Mines, BSN, RN, RAC-CT, BC, believes MDS ... Read more
Case Study:
Find Out How This Facility Stays on Top of MDS Assessments
The director of clinical compliance gives you the inside scoop."With all the different MDS... Read more
Part B Questions & Answers
The following Q&As have been provided by Rick Gawenda, PT, president of Gawenda Semina... Read more
Industry Notes:
NCCI 18.0 Brings Physical and Occupational Therapy Services Edits
The latest from the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) for 2012 does not bode well ... Read more
Outpatient Outlook:
Exceptions Process Lands a 2-Month Grace Period
Hang tight while Congress hammers out a more permanent solution. You can breathe a sigh of... Read more
Inpatient Insights:
5 Ways to Beef Up Your IRF's Plans of Care
What you change now will pay off big-time when RAC audits hit.Now that you've adjusted to ... Read more
Home Health Therapy:
Connect the Dots to Keep Your Therapy Reimbursement Flowing
Make certain therapy-related diagnosis codes are supported by OASIS functional items.The C... Read more
Therapy Documentation:
Fix Therapy Documentation Disconnects with 3 Expert Tips
Work together to get documentation in synch.Therapy use continues to garner scrutiny in ho... Read more
Rehab Trends:
Follow These SNF Providers' Lead to Keep Residents' Rehab Attendance on Track
Also: Watch out for this potential problem.Sunshine Terrace Rehabilitation & Skilled N... Read more
Industry Notes:
PPS Payment Date Dependent on Completion Date
If you're a home health therapy provider, don't expect to have an episode's worth of lag t... Read more
Clinical Tip:
Figuring Out Why This Resident Wasn't Participating in Therapy Paid Off
Rather than giving up on providing rehab, the team took a different tack.Pauline Franko, P... Read more
Part B Questions & Answers
Question: We are a hospital based outpatient therapy department. Can we bill for negative ... Read more
Outpatient Outlook:
Get Ready: Therapy Caps Exceptions Hang on a String for 2012
U.S. House and Senate hammering out a last-minute fix.Once again, outpatient therapists fa... Read more
Business Strategies:
Take Your Marketing to a New Level With Groupon
Plan wisely, or it could do more harm than good.Groupon has hit the country by storm, and ... Read more
Medicare:
Tread Compliantly With Part A Rehab Therapy Co-Treatment
Be prepared to dot the I's and cross the T's.If your SNF is providing therapy co-treatment... Read more
Prospective Payment System:
2.3% Pay Cut Hits Freestanding For-Profits Hardest In 2012
Case mix changes reduce reimbursement rates for high-therapy episodes.The home care indust... Read more
Part B Questions & Answers
The following Q&As have been provided by Rick Gawenda, PT, president of Gawenda Semina... Read more
Industry Notes:
Check With Individual Payers' Incident-to Guidelines
If you have been wondering whether you can bill under the physician even if she's not in t... Read more
Available Years:  2012  2011  2010  2009  2008  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000