A corrective statement to clarify Medicare coverage of therapy delivered in a skilled nursing facility or in the home setting was approved recently by a federal court. The statement, to be used as part of the settlement in the Jimmo v. Sebelius case, is designed to clearly explain that therapy to maintain a person's condition or slow down his or her decline is covered under Medicare. Read Full Post

Learn how partnering with an experienced rehab provider can position your facility for success in the new value-based environment.

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A recent ruling attempts to change the perception that beneficiaries are only eligible for therapy coverage if their health is improving. The ruling is related to a 2013 settlement that established that improvement is not one of the criteria for coverage.

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As part of the Affordable Care Act, in recent years Medicare and Medicaid have worked with federal government agencies, states, patient organizations and others to identify and prevent health conditions that have caused long-term care residents to be unnecessarily hospitalized. As a result, we have seen a significant decline in avoidable hospitalizations over the last several years, according to analysis released by CMS.

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A new study shows that occupational therapy has the potential to "be an effective intervention to maintain cognition and functionality and to reduce psychiatric symptoms in dementia patients."

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Kindred's partnership with Lancaster Rehabilitation Hospital is indicative of how IRFs can operate profitably while meeting the Triple Aim goals of reducing costs, improving the patient experience, and producing better outcomes.

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Recently, Kindred announced its strategic exit from the Skilled Nursing Facility business as an owner and an operator. This difficult decision represents an important step forward for the Kindred enterprise. The company is confident the right home can be found for all patients, employees and facilities, and believes these and other nursing centers will continue to be an important part of the Kindred continuum of care for years to come.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized a major new rule approximately one month ago to make significant changes to improve patient care and safety. The new rule’s compliance obligations, which will be implemented in three phases that begin this year and extend through 2019, represent the largest update the industry has seen since 1991. The “megarule" as some in the industry are calling it sets high standards for care and targets infections, hospital readmissions, staffing practices and resident safety among other areas.

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To all of our highly trained PTs and PTAs leading our clinical programs, we say thank you and happy PT Month!

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"Occupational therapy places a unique and immediate focus on patients’ functional and social needs, which can be important drivers of readmission if left unaddressed." - Study authors Rogers, Bai, Lavin, and Anderson

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