Eli's Rehab Report

Reader Question:

When Should You Do a Change in Therapy for a SNF Resident?

Question:  I am still confused about when to do a Change in Therapy (COT). I was under the impression that I could do a COT to increase from a clinical to a rehab RUG, but I am not told that this is not true.

Answer:  Marilyn Mines, RN, BC, RAC-CT, of FR&R Healthcare Consulting in Deerfield, IL says the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently clarified the requirements for doing a COT OMRA, but they are confusing to many MDS Coordinators. Under the October 2013 clarification on 2-51 of the RAI manual, a COT cannot be completed for a resident that is not currently in a therapy RUG. 

This will alter the completion of COTs making communication between nursing and therapy even more critical than ever.