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.

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."

"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

Congratulations to our own OT Becky Finni, who was recently elected President-Elect of the Ohio Occupational Therapy Association!

We would like to recognize Sage Weaver, our program director at Kindred Medical Hill in Oakland, California, who recently attended the AOTA (American Occupational Therapy Association) Visioning Summit in Washington D.C. The AOTA president personally invited Sage and thirty other stand-out occupational therapists.

Each year, we pause to reflect on the importance of rehabilitation in healthcare and the successes of occupational, physical and speech therapy. So when did we begin setting aside a week devoted to rehabilitation?

Early research suggests that rehabilitation before cancer treatment can prepare the body for treatment and minimize some long-term effects, reports Kaiser Health News. According to a study published last year in the journal Anesthesiology, patients who receive prerehab for cancer treatment may be able to return to regular physical functioning more quickly than patients who do not.

A stroke can be a life-changing event for stroke survivors as well as their loved ones and caregivers. But quality rehabilitation that begins early after survival can preserve function and cognition to return people to independence and the activities they enjoy.

Jeanna Conder, OTR/L, MBA, Senior Director of Clinical Operations for RehabCare offered real-life solutions for treating patients with mental health conditions at this year's AOTA Annual Conference & Expo in Nashville.

Each year, approximately 30,000–40,000 lower extremity amputations are performed in the United States. 30% of lower extremity amputations are performed above the knee (AKA), and 70% are performed below the knee (BKA). In every instance, intensive and specialized rehabilitation is required to adjust to a prosthesis and adapt in order to return to activities of daily living and the hobbies a patient enjoyed prior to surgery.