“Nowadays, folks don’t talk much about OBRA ‘87, and I would venture to guess that most therapists don’t even know what it is. But they should, and here is why…” - New Article by Elizabeth Johnson, PT, CDP, RAC-CT

Did you know that optimal staffing models for long-term care therapy departments function much differently than staffing for other SNF and CCRC positions? Learn why and discover best practices you should keep in mind when hiring staff for your rehab department.

By having a skilled rehabilitation professional screen patients on a regular basis, you can catch issues before they turn into a more serious event and help residents maintain their level of independence and quality of life.

How confident are you in the effectiveness and financial benefits of your therapy program? If anxieties about liabilities or profit losses nag you, or you just want to learn more about in-house therapy, read the Top 7 Things You Should Know​, so you can stop worrying and start improving.

As you may have heard, the telehealth waivers have been extended with the Public Health Emergency (PHE), and so I wanted to take a minute to clarify important points to help your team make decisions about resident care. And for situations when up close and personal is not required, to make sure you have the information you need to not miss an important option related to the waiver: telehealth for therapy providers.

In this article, we will focus on the fundamental areas you should consider when choosing between the two top therapy software options in order to determine which will be the best fit with your facility’s needs.

How to manage therapy during an active COVID outbreak, along with answers to the common question, “If we don’t feel comfortable with ‘business as usual’ nor do we want to completely shut down, how do we manage to treat our residents and keep them safe?“

This heartfelt update from our RVP, Elizabeth Johnson, explores ways to mitigate clinician burnout in long-term care settings.

Most facilities screen every new admission for fall risk using the Morse scale during the nursing admission assessment. But then what happens? Unfortunately, in many cases, nothing else happens until the resident actually has a fall, and that is just too late.

While it is imperative that the Interdisciplinary Team works together with the resident in the discharge planning process, a successful discharge of a rehab patient will rely heavily on the skill and effective communication of your therapy team as well. Lack of proper planning, quality documentation, and effective communication on the part of your rehab team could lead to failure in regard to your discharge goal setting, and a possible hospital readmission.

Have you received a letter from your Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) that you have been selected for a TPE? It is always stressful to be under review, but a better understanding of the process may help decrease your anxiety and allow you to be better prepared in case you are ever selected.

Too often a facility starts its fall reduction policy too late - after a fall has occurred. In order to have an effective and successful program, fall reduction must start with preventing falls. The first step in preventing falls is to identify those at risk for a fall.

For the sake of this discussion let’s divide your residents into two groups, new admissions and existing residents…

The CDC has indicated that “social distancing” along with proper PPE is the best way to combat the spread of the virus. Of course, social distance when providing hands-on care to a resident is impossible, as we are often up close and personal with our residents as we provide care. However for situations when up close and personal is not required, a new option is now available: telehealth for therapy providers. (Read on for some limitations.)

Learn about the top five benefits SNFs experience as part of the In-House Therapy Alliance.

“Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them.” - Syrus

Understanding the RUGs payment model and having managed multiple contract therapy locations over the years, I would say that the contract therapy provider was often the master of their own fate, with an ability to create prosperity for themselves and their SNF clients. Now that we are in changing times experiencing adversity, how is that partnership holding up?

Sometimes contract therapy companies are still the right fit for a SNF depending on their size, location, and other attributes. Both rehab models, contract and in-house, have their place in the long-term care industry. However for some, the type of therapy partner who was a great fit last year for your SNF during a time of prosperity, may not be working out well for you today during the reality of a global pandemic and in the post-PDPM landscape. Questions to Ask Yourself…

You have known hundreds of patients just like Glenda Jimmo. Elderly, diabetic, multiple comorbidities. But this Vermont senior and mother of four will be forever known in history as the one who fought against the federal government, at the age of 76, and won. Ms. Jimmo was the lead plaintiff in a 2011 class-action lawsuit seeking to broaden Medicare’s criteria for covering physical therapy and other care delivered by skilled professionals. In this article, learn why patients do not always have to show progress in order to qualify for skilled therapy, even though many of us in the rehab world had it ingrained in our brains that patients need to demonstrate progress in order to qualify for Medicare coverage.

Whether your patient is actually in isolation, or just confined to their room during the COVID-19 pandemic or any cold/flu epidemic, therapists are often limited to treating patients bedside in their room. Learn more about the two best tools you have and how to use them to creatively engage and treat isolated patients.

I am asked from time to time, “Why did you become an Occupational Therapist?”

Need help navigating all the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) talk out there? We are here to guide the way! Over the last year and a half, Mark has combed through CMS Updates for PDPM info and penned previous summaries (August 2018 & April 2018). Once again, he’s taken the time to go through all the information out there and create a new September 2019 edition as our PDPM Final Review, so it’s time to tear up the previous summaries and then read or download this new one to understand the upcoming regulatory changes…

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF THE PATIENT DRIVEN PAYMENT MODEL

PDPM Final Review - September 2019