Together with Modern Healthcare, RehabCare is presenting a webinar on October 15 as part of the day-long “Building Tomorrow’s Delivery Model” conference. Please join us on Wednesday, October 15, beginning at 9:30 AM Eastern Time.

When it comes to rehabilitation, patients often have the option to choose who they trust with their recovery. Patients can research and interview therapists and rehabilitation providers to make sure they feel confident about the care they are going to receive. As the first installation in this series about selecting the best therapists and as part of Physical Therapy Month, Mary Moretti, DPT, PT, Director of Clinical Operations for RehabCare shares tips for selecting a great physical therapist and provider.

RehabCare, the rehabilitation division of Kindred Healthcare and the largest employer of rehabilitation therapists in the United States, is partnering with Bellarmine University of Louisville to establish a clinical residency program that will prepare students with specialized training and leadership skills needed to care for older, more vulnerable patients. The program will focus on training physical therapists and is one of just 12 of its kind in the country.

Healthy Aging Month is a time to focus on the positives of aging as well as the steps we can take to meet the challenges associated with getting older. As we experience changes in health, physical condition and medication regimens, it is imperative that we take falls more seriously.

Kindred Healthcare, RehabCare’s parent company, took the opportunity to comment recently on proposed changes to the timeframe of therapy assessments for home health patients. Kindred advocated for therapy reassessments to be conducted every 30 calendar days.

A slowing gait could be one of the first observable changes in people who will develop Alzheimer’s disease and/or dementia.

In early August, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a final rule impacting rules and reimbursement for Skilled Nursing Facilities effective October 1, 2014. Of particular interest to RehabCare – and our parent company, Kindred – was the ongoing discussion of the development of a new methodology for paying for therapy services received in the SNF.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule detailing Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Medicare policies and payment rates which go into effect at the start of fiscal year 2015 on October 1, 2014. As we previously reported, RehabCare took the opportunity to respond to CMS’ earlier proposed rule to advocate on behalf of IRF-level care and those patients who benefit from such care. Read about the final rule and RehabCare's comments.

PEPPER reports were issued last fall by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to highlight areas in which facilities are at risk for improper Medicare reimbursement. Have you accessed yours?

Don’t forget that today RehabCare and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News present “Maintaining Function Beyond Therapy: Ensuring Effective and Efficient Transitions.” Take the opportunity to join our webinar and learn more about what Jimmo vs. Sebelius means for your rehab department and how successful wellness programs can help patients preserve gains made during therapy.