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Rehab Private Practice Alert

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2006 | 2005

Rehab Private Practice Alert

Issue 48, November 29, 2006

• Study: Don't sit up straight

  A recent study shows that sitting up straight may be a cause of lower back pain in some people...

• Orthopedic surgeon sending more patients to PT

  A Boston orthopedic surgeon said he is sending 90% of his patients to physical therapy instead of...

Issue 47, November 22, 2006

• Study: OT improves function in dementia patients

  A recent study by Dutch researchers found that community-based OT helps improve function in...

• Louisiana school board agrees to offer athletes PT services

  The St. James Parish (LA) School Board recently entered into a contract with Brignac Physical...

Issue 46, November 15, 2006

• CMS issues transmittals on caps and documentation

  CMS released two separate transmittals last week in order to clarify the therapy caps and...

• APTA sets up hotline to Congress

  The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging therapists to call Congress directly...

Issue 45, November 8, 2006

• Fee schedule increases cap limits; decreases payment

  The 2007 Medicare fee schedule will increase the therapy caps to $1,780 for PT and SLP combined and...

• Orthopedic surgeon receives subpoena for using therapy codes

  The Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy issued a subpoena to an orthopedic surgeon in the state...

Issue 44, November 1, 2006

• CMS will not cover infrared devices

  CMS announced that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that the use of infrared devices is not...

• Oklahoma hospital buys out rehab facility

  The Stillwater (OK) Medical Center recently paid $925,000 to purchase Total Health Rehabilitation...

Issue 43, October 25, 2006

• CMS searching for alternative therapy payment systems

  CMS released three studies this week that the agency is using in an attempt to fine alternative...

• Study: Manual PT helps treat lumbar spinal stenosis

  In a recent study that looked at patients who suffered from lumbar spinal stenosis, researchers...

Issue 42, October 18, 2006

• Colorado therapists offered free evaluations

  Members of the Colorado Chapter's Private Practice Special Interest Group of the American Physical...

• New PT approach attempts to help disabled children

  The Kids Center in Louisville, KY, is attempting to treat children with debilitating medical...

Issue 41, October 11, 2006

• New bill would overturn incident to rule

  The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) released a statement that it opposes a new Senate...

• Facility finds success with athletic therapists

  An outpatient rehab facility in Corvallis, OR, has found that patients, especially ones coming back...

Issue 40, October 4, 2006

• South Carolina prohibits PTs from working for physicians

  The South Carolina Supreme Court recently concluded to prohibit a PT from working as an employee of...

• Walk will educate participants on PT

  A rehab facility in Fremont, NE, is sponsoring a fun walk this week to celebrate National Physical...

Issue 39, September 27, 2006

• Legislation to extend exceptions process hits Congress

  With less than four months to go until the exceptions process to the Medicare therapy caps expires...

• Rehab clinic expands due to good location

  When the owners of the Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Jackson realized it...

Issue 38, September 20, 2006

• Reminder: CMS will hold payments beginning Friday

  Rehab providers should remember to factor in CMS' temporary Medicare payment hold into their...

• APTA asks patients to write Congress about caps

  The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is hoping for Medicare beneficiaries and other...

Issue 37, September 13, 2006

• Medicaid Commission hears testimony on importance of PT

  Toby Long, PT, PhD, testified this week on the behalf of the American Physical Therapy Association...

• PT clinic loses patient information

  A representative from Northwoods Physical Therapy Clinic on Traverse City, MI, confirmed that the...

Issue 36, September 6, 2006

• Study: Young pitchers being overworked

  Adolescent baseball pitchers are more likely to become injured when throwing more months, games...

• Class helps fine tune older adults coordination

  St. John Siegfried Health Center in Tulsa, OK, is helping older adults avoid falls with a balancing...

Issue 35, August 30, 2006

• APTA expresses concerns over reduced Medicare payments

  The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) submitted comments to CMS last week stating the...

• Tennessee clinic refers to patients as guests

  National Neuro, a West Knoxville, TN, therapy clinic, is receiving positive reviews from patients...

Issue 34, August 23, 2006

• Nebraska PT finds geriatric certification helpful

  With more than 25% of his patients being of age 55 or older, Bill Mackley felt he needed to better...

• PT wellness center offers patients variety

  Montclair (CA) Physical Therapy and Wellness has been forced to change locations three times since...

Issue 33, August 16, 2006

• CMS proposes 5.1% cut to fee schedule; no exceptions process

  CMS released its proposed regulations last week, which included a 5.1% reduction to the physician...

• Florida practice believes less is more

  Lanier Therapy in Gainesville, FL, is attempting to grow its practice by taking on fewer patients...

Issue 32, August 9, 2006

• NBCOT clarifies rules for international OTs

  The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) recently expanded and...

• Pennsylvania chiropractor arrested for providing fraudulent therapy

  Gary Weissberger, a chiropractor from Jackson Township, PA, was arrested last week on charges of...

Issue 31, August 2, 2006

• NY passes direct access law

  New York became the 43rd state to pass direct access legislation when Gov. George Pataki signed the...

• Nevada practice focuses on wellness

  North Tahoe (NV) Physical Therapy recently completed a remodel of its practice that made the...

Issue 30, July 26, 2006

• HealthSouth acquires seven Indiana facilities

  In its first acquisitions since the 1999 $2.7-billion scandal, HealthSouth Corp., purchased seven...

• Mass. PT pleads guilty to Medicare fraud

  A Framingham, MA, PT pleaded guilty to illegally billing Medicare for at least $55,000 worth of...

Issue 29, July 19, 2006

• Fall prevention bill hits Congress

  A bill that would enhance education and research for programs to reduce falls in older Americans is...

• Survey lists PT as a top-eight job in the U.S.

  The profession of physical therapist is one of the top eight jobs in the U.S., according to a...

Issue 28, July 12, 2006

• Medicare fixes two billing problems

  CMS recently took steps to resolve two billing problems that were causing confusion for rehab...

• OTs worry about children overusing gadgets

  Children are using electronic gadgets at a younger age than ever before, according to a study by...

Issue 27, July 5, 2006

• Healis, Advance PT Network merge in Florida

  In an effort to allow independent therapists to get onto major insurance carrier networks, Healis...

• CMS' proposed competitive bidding process could affect PTs

  A new rule would force therapists who provide durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics...

Issue 26, June 28, 2006

• CMS amends the use of the KX modifier

  CMS has identified a glitch in its system regarding the use of the KX modifier, according to the...

• PTs may see increase in payment with new fee schedule

  Medicare payment for outpatient physical therapy services could change significantly in 2007 under...

Issue 25, June 21, 2006

• Medicare implements cardiac rehab payment correction

  As of June 21, Medicare began requiring its fiscal intermediaries to process claims submitted under...

• Study: PT may help with infertility in women

  Physical therapy may be responsible for 167 women avoiding surgical infertility treatment to become...

Issue 24, June 14, 2006

• Illinois practice finds success with wellness program

  Monroe Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine is set to open up its fourth rehab practice in Illinois...

• Overweight children more at risk for bone fractures, muscle pain

  According to a recent study conducted at the National Institutes of Health, overweight children and...

Issue 23, June 7, 2006

• NY woman indicted for stealing identity of PT

  A Manhattan, NY, district attorney indicted Caryn Dinetz on charges of stealing the identity of a...

• Pennsylvania state representative asks for therapy cap action

  Pennsylvania Rep. Philip English recently wrote a letter to the members of the House Ways and Means...

Issue 22, May 31, 2006

• Memphis practice teams up with PGA tour

  Physiotherapy Associates, a Memphis-based physical therapy clinic, is touring around the country...

• Report: 18% of Americans have a disability

  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 18% of Americans (51.2 million people) said they had...

Issue 21, May 24, 2006

• ASHA hosts hearing screenings for Congress

  The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) hosted free hearing tests for members of...

• Kansas PT clinic focuses on new techniques to drive business

  Farah Gohari is just trying to survive in the competitive Wichita, KS, rehab market. When she first...

Issue 20, May 17, 2006

• APTA advises members on how to speak to Congress members

  The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) gave members five pieces of advice for contacting...

• HealthSouth considers name change

  In attempt to distance itself from past accounting scandals, HealthSouth Corp., the Birmingham...

Issue 19, May 10, 2006

• OIG study finds physicians bill PT incorrectly

  The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services found that 91...

• ASHA announces early intervention campaign

  The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) announced a new five-year national effort...

Issue 18, May 3, 2006

• CMS sets Medicare enrollment requirements

  CMS will require providers and suppliers of Medicare services to revalidate their enrollment...

• APTA offers tips for proper biking

  The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) says PTs should consider educating their patients...

Issue 17, April 26, 2006

• ATI PT partners with minor league baseball team

  If you're looking for a nontraditional way get your practice's name out to your community, consider...

• Nevada practice opens as integrated medical facility

  Fernley (NV) Physical Therapy merged with Fernley Chiropractic to open up an integrated medical...

Issue 16, April 19, 2006

• Nebraska ensures physical therapy standards

  Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman signed a law into action that week to update physical therapy...

• OT named as top profession by Money Magazine

  Money Magazine named the profession of occupational therapist as one of the top 50 jobs in America...

Issue 15, April 12, 2006

• Hospital finds group work helps stroke recovery

  The Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific in Honolulu, HI, has discovered that treating stroke...

• Low gravity chamber may assist in joint surgery healing

  Researchers in San Diego say they believe that a lower body positive pressure chamber may aid in...

Issue 14, April 5, 2006

• Mississippi becomes 40th state with direct access

  Patients in Mississippi needing physical therapy now can go directly to see their PTs, without...

• Protecting young arms serves PT well

  Rehab providers looking to market themselves to a younger crowd should consider following the lead...

Issue 13, March 29, 2006

• Effective pain control may aid physical therapy

  A study by Lenox Hill Hospital links effective pain management in joint replacement surgeries to...

• Physical therapy available by MP3

  Physical therapy continues to grow along with technology as therapists can now help patients...

Issue 12, March 22, 2006

• Women's specialty clinic opens in California

  Womanology, a specialized physical therapy clinic for women, opened this week in Irvine, CA.

• Delaware PT warns of gardening injuries

  As spring approaches, John Bradley, a PT from Performance Physical Therapy and Fitness Center in...

Issue 11, March 15, 2006

• Senate committee debates therapy cap language in 2007 budget

  The Senate Budget Committee may include an allocation of funding to address the Medicare therapy...

• Survey: Half of high school students report some hearing loss

  A recent survey reported that more than 50% of high school students have at least one symptom of...

Issue 10, March 8, 2006

• CMS urges caution on use of therapy cap modifier

  Therapists should use caution in using the KX modifier to apply for an exception to the therapy...

• PT aids in stroke recovery longer than expected

  New research shows that physical therapy can help stroke victims regain strength as long as five...

Issue 9, March 1, 2006

• APTA develops tool to assess professionalism

  The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) developed a free online tool to help physical...

• Physical therapy used to treat tension headaches

  Physical therapists are beginning to treat patients suffering from tension headaches on a regular...

Issue 8, February 22, 2006

• Study: Acupressure more effective than physical therapy

  Researchers in Taiwan found that almost 90% of patients said their lower back pain felt better...

• Inventor receives patent for posture improver

  Christopher Geisert recently received a patent for a product that he said will help physical...

Issue 7, February 15, 2006

• CMS announces therapy cap exceptions process

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its plans for an exceptions process...

• Congressman urges end of cap

  U.S. Representative Bob Filner (D-CA) remains hopeful that Congress will repeal the therapy cap in...

Issue 6, February 8, 2006

• Therapists fight to reverse new state Medicaid policy

  Therapists from a rehab facility in Natchez, MS, are fighting to reverse a Medicaid decision that...

• Conversation important to infants

  A new book written by Susan L. Pike, a pediatric speech-language pathologist, takes a look at...

Issue 5, February 1, 2006

• CMS outlines initial cap appeals plans

  In a letter to several members of Congress, Herb B. Kuhn, the director for the Center for Medicare...

• New technology brings new injuries

  Physical therapists are starting to see an increase in injuries caused by some of the modern...

Issue 4, January 25, 2006

• CMS officials answer therapy cap questions in APTA audioconference

  Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officials responsible for implementing the Medicare...

• AOTA develops its plan for the future

  The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) created a draft of its Centennial Vision...

Issue 3, January 18, 2006

• CMS will reprocess revised physician fee schedule claims

  Rehab providers will not have to resubmit claims to obtain correct payments for services provided...

• OT's focus on children grows business quickly

  Choosing a niche made all the difference for Susan Roberts' occupational therapy practice...

Issue 2, January 11, 2006

• Auditory rehabilitation evaluation code payment increased

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released Transmittal 798, which...

• Waist-to-hip ratio is a better indicator of health risk

  The relationship between waist size and hip size appears to be a more useful measure of health risk...

Issue 1, January 4, 2006

• Cap deadline passes, cap still in effect

  American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) President Ben F. Massey sent out a letter to all its...

• Physical therapy helps knee surgery patients leave same day

  A recent study by the Rush University Medical Center published in the Journal for Arthroplasty...

Issue 1, October 11, 2006

• Writing an appeals letter

  Between patient care and daily documentation requirements, writing appeals letters is an added...