Free Rehab e-Newsletters

Rehab Regs

This free, weekly e-zine will keep you current on the industry, from the latest news on CMS to what your colleagues are doing throughout the country. RehabRegs keeps your finger on the pulse of the rehab and therapy world.

2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2001

Rehab Regs

Issue 46, December 26, 2008

• Mississippi physician accused of healthcare fraud

  Cassandra Faye Thomas, the owner and operator of Central MS Physical Medicine in Mississippi, was...

• Optimizing reimbursement: Tips and tools

  Obtain complete information regarding the patient’s home environment, and document it...

Issue 45, December 12, 2008

• Alternative therapy becomes more popular

  Approximately 38% of adults and almost 12% of children under the age of 18 use some form of...

• Avoid common denials with these strategies

  When treating a patient you must be accurate in your billing and documentation.

Issue 44, November 14, 2008

• Optimizing Reimbursement: Weekly tips and tools

  Therapy documentation develops the patient’s story and justifies the need for therapy. In...

• Virtual tool to help stroke patients heal

  The University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Media Convergence Lab (MCL) is partnering with...

Issue 43, October 31, 2008

• California doctor indicted for fraudulently billing PT services

  Mark Thomas Paskewitz of Pasadena, CA was indicted October 22 for fraudulently billing Medicare for...

• Tips and tools for rehab professionals

  Information concerning the modalities and procedures provided to the patient must be documented for...

Issue 42, October 17, 2008

• HHS announces physical activity guidelines

  On October 7, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the physical activity...

• A note to our readers

  A note to our readers

• Optimizing Reimbursement: Weekly tools and tips

  It is possible to bill more than one unit of a service-based CPT code to the same patient on the...

• Documenting medical necessity

  Medicare may deny a claim due to it not having enough or appropriate documentation to show that the...

Issue 41, October 3, 2008

• OIG to review independent therapists' services in 2009

  The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) work plan for fiscal year 2009 revealed that...

• Tip of the week: Determining prior and current functional status

  Ask patients specific questions regarding what they could do prior to their injury or illness and...

Issue 40, September 26, 2008

• Taxpayer money wasted on questionable Medicare claims

  A recent report by Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security investigations subcommittee revealed...

• Strategies for effective communication

  Rehab managers master the skill of communication to ensure smooth business operations...

Issue 39, September 19, 2008

• PTs exempt from DMEPOS accreditation requirements

  PTs are exempt from Medicare’s accreditation and quality standards for durable medical...

• Improving your medical record documentation

  Documenting events, occurrences, interactions, and outcomes in a medical record serves many...

Issue 38, September 12, 2008

• Study shows knee surgery no more effective than PT

  A recent study has determined that patients who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery for...

• Tip of the week

  Document all information concerning the modalities and procedures provided to the patient during...

Issue 37, September 5, 2008

• CMS claims providers are satisfied with fee-for-service contractors

  CMS said that Medicare providers have remained satisfied with the services provided by Medicare...

• Tip of the week

  A functional maintenance program (FMP) or a maintenance program is an individualized plans of...

Issue 36, August 29, 2008

• More Americans receive health insurance through Medicare and Medicaid

  The percentage of Americans who received health insurance through work or purchased health...

• Tip of the week

  Insurance companies will pay for therapy services to relieve pain if the pain: Limits the...

Issue 35, August 22, 2008

• Report suggests CMS officials downplayed Medicare fraud

  CMS officials may have used faulty auditing standards to downplay the number of fraudulent Medicare...

• Tip of the week

  Preventing denials due to insufficient information requires efforts on two separate fronts.

Issue 34, August 15, 2008

• Arkansas SLP sentenced to six years in prison for Medicaid fraud

  An Arkansas SLP who pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud and failure to maintain patient records was...

• Documenting initial evaluations

  The initial examination is usually your first encounter with your patient, and the resulting...

Issue 33, August 8, 2008

• Michigan rehab agency sues Blues over broken contract

  TheraMatrix Physical Therapy, a Pontiac, MI rehab agency, is suing Blue Cross Blue Shield of...

Issue 32, August 1, 2008

• Private companies offer solutions to stop Medicare fraud

  A publishing company executive recently told the Senate Republican Conference Committee the...

Issue 31, July 25, 2008

• Medicare billing scam costs government millions

  A Congressional investigation found the federal government paid more than $92 million in Medicare...

• Tip of the Week

  CMS does not reimburse separately for using VitalStim to treat dysphagia because its efficacy has...

Issue 30, July 18, 2008

• Congress overrides veto to pass Medicare bill; therapy caps exceptions continue

  The U.S. House and Senate voted Tuesday to override President George W. Bush’s veto of the...

• Tip of the week

  Do not bill Medicare and other third-party payers for CPT code 97537 (Community work/reintegration...

Issue 29, July 11, 2008

• Medicare bill extending therapy caps exceptions moves forward

  A Medicare bill that includes a provision to extend the therapy caps exceptions process moved one...

• Tip of the week

  When you are dealing with more than one wound for codes 97597 or 97598, which both pertain to...

Issue 28, July 4, 2008

• Congress fails to pass Medicare legislation; Therapy caps go into full effect

  After Congress failed to pass Medicare legislation before adjourning for the Fourth of July recess...

• Tip of the week

  SLPs perform assessments of aphasia, CPT code 96105, often but don’t bill for it enough.

Issue 27, June 27, 2008

• Investigation finds Medicare providers owe billions in back taxes

  A Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation revealed 27,000 Medicare providers in a...

• Optimizing Reimbursement: Weekly tools and tips

  Mastering proper ongoing therapy documentation, including daily notes and progress reports, will...

Issue 26, June 20, 2008

• ASHA asks politicians to use evidence to guide autism policy

  The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recently urged presidential candidates...

Issue 25, June 13, 2008

• APTA and OSHA forge alliance to prevent PT injuries

  The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the Occupational Safety and Health...

• Optimizing Reimbursement: Weekly tools and tips

  Billing and documentation accuracy is imperative for therapists to avoid denials and obtain...

Issue 24, June 6, 2008

• California court upholds therapy cap for workers' comp

  The California Court of Appeal upheld the state’s right to limit the number of PT, OT...

Issue 23, May 30, 2008

• New law brings Colorado OTs closer to licensure

  A new law will require Colorado OTs to verify they have met specific education, experience, and...

Issue 22, May 23, 2008

• CMS announces winning durable medical equipment suppliers for competitive bid program

  CMS announced Wednesday the 325 winning suppliers that will provide medical equipment and supplies...

Issue 21, May 16, 2008

• APTA lobbies against physician fee schedule cuts

  American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) members testified May 8 before the U.S. House...

• Study tests whether more muscle mass helps diabetics

  Researchers at the University of Utah’s Department of Physical Therapy will test whether...

Issue 20, May 9, 2008

• CMS reeases new transmittal extending plan of care recertification

  On Wednesday, CMS released Transmittal 88/ Change Request 5921, which provides guidance on new...

• ASHA promotes Better Hearing and Speech Month in May

  The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) will sponsor some National Public Radio...

• Article of the week: Offer staff the right incentives to keep them happy

  A shortage of qualified therapists to fill staffing voids continues to be a problem that plagues...

Issue 19, May 2, 2008

• Sensory integration therapy reduces autistic mannerisms, study finds

  Researchers from the Occupational Therapy Department at Temple University in Philadelphia found...

• New law gives Minnesota residents more time to see a PT

  A Minnesota law enacted April 17 gives patients 60 more days to visit a PT without a physician...

Issue 18, April 25, 2008

• South Carolina man accused of running fraudulent therapy clinics

  A 57-year-old South Carolina man has been accused of running fraudulent physical therapy...

• American Physical Therapy Association urges support for uninsured Americans

  The American Physical Therapy Association will observe “Covered the Uninsured Week&rdquo...

• Article of the week: Therapists name that tune

  Why you should consider offering relief to musicians? Unlike other niche markets, finding a...

Issue 17, April 18, 2008

• Institute of Medicine releases report on state of U.S. elder care

  The number of healthcare workers to manage the needs of the elderly, who make up nearly 20% of the...

• California PTs can now call themselves doctors

  Licensed physical therapists with a doctoral degree can now call themselves doctors within...

• Article of the week: Have a policy for treating patients who speak foreign languages

  Every day in many areas of the country, rehab providers treat patients who speak a variety of...

Issue 16, April 11, 2008

• CMS announces round one DMEPOS single payments

  CMS announced the single payment amounts for round one of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment...

• Fall-related deaths spike in Massachusetts

  Massachusetts experienced a sharp rise in fall-related deaths among the state’s elderly in...

• Article of the week: Self-care is essential for therapists

  It’s a therapist’s job to make his or her patients feel better. But what happens when...

Issue 15, April 4, 2008

• AHRQ releases report on states' healthcare quality

  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released its 2007 State Snapshots Web...

• Uninsured patients causing U.S. healthcare costs to rise

  A report issued by the New America Foundation estimates the cost to the U.S. economy for caring for...

Issue 14, March 21, 2008

• HCPro, Inc. launches new logo and tagline as part of its new corporate branding initiative

  HCPro, Inc. is launching a new corporate branding campaign designed to reflect the company’s...

• CMS issues NPI/NPPES Communication

  CMS released a Communication addressing several issues related to NPI implementation and the...

• Alzheimer’s risk high for baby boomers

  A report released earlier this week by the Alzheimer’s Association, 2008 Alzheimer’s...

Issue 13, March 14, 2008

• National healthcare quality and disparities report released

  The quality of healthcare at a national level got better by 2.3% each year from 1995 through 2005...

• Future may provide private practice opportunity for SLPs

  After years for going back and forth with legislation, lobbyists, and Congress, the American...

• Article of the week: Tips for starting a private practice

  Therapists looking to break out on their own have many things to consider before starting their own...

Issue 12, March 7, 2008

• AOTA provides plan of care recertification advice

  The 90-day plan of care recertification went into effect on January 1, 2008 for Medicare Part B...

• CMS releases new ABN form

  On March 3, CMS released the revised version of the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN...

Issue 11, February 29, 2008

• Healthcare spending anticipated to remain consistent through 2017

  Healthcare spending in 2007 is estimated to be at 6.7%, according to a report released by CMS on...

• Two proposed rules to provide Medicaid design flexibility

  States could expect more flexibility in designing a Medicaid program under two newly proposed...

• Article of the week: Location, Location, Location

  If you work for a large rehab chain or a smaller organization that is spread out geographically...

Issue 10, February 22, 2008

• AOTA endorses United Nations policy

  The American Occupational Therapy Association is endorsing the United Nations policy on the United...

Issue 7, February 15, 2008

• AHSA partners with Califone International

  Califone International, Inc. will be a corporate sponsor of the American Speech-Language-Hearing...

• Loan repayment bill might include occupational therapists

  Occupational therapists can expect to be included under the loan repayment program for professions...

• Article of the week: Ergonomics can have you sitting pretty

  In addition to their current therapy, many of your patients may also need treatment for on-the-job...

Issue 6, February 8, 2008

• Medicare could receive a $196 billion cut

  Over the next five years, Medicare and Medicaid could expect a $196 billion cut if President Bush's...

• APTA facing a potential lawsuit

  The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the Orthopaedic Section of the APTA is facing...

• Article of the week: Ensure outpatient cardiac rehab billing compliance

  Make sure that all outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (OCR) services your hospital provides meet...

Issue 5, February 1, 2008

• Interventions improve auditory and language skills

  Children with auditory processing and language problems can overcome their setbacks through a...

• Occupational therapy assistants on their way to licensure

  Virginia is one step closer to licensing occupational therapy assistants, according to an American...

• Article of the week: Creativity is vital to recruit and retain qualified therapists

  A shortage of qualified therapists to fill staffing voids continues to be a problem that plagues...

Issue 4, January 25, 2008

• Court papers filed against rehab facility for improperly discarding patient information

  Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot is accusing Select Physical Therapy, a rehabilitation facility in...

• Infection control is focus area in 2009 Patient Safety Goals

  The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) is zeroing in on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in...

• Article of the week: Internal reviews can offer a revealing reflection

  Two of the biggest complaints rehab providers have are that they don’t understand why a payer...

Issue 3, January 18, 2008

• Therapy helps reduce elderly falls

  Physical therapy interventions may help reduce the risk of falls among seniors 65 years and older...

• NGS releases PM&R LCD draft

  The National Government Services (NGS) released a draft version of the Physical Medicine and...

Issue 2, January 11, 2008

• Therapists receive a six-month reimbursement extension

  Under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, therapists will receive a .5...

• Association recommends lowering the volume

  The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is spreading the word of volume-safety and...

• Pay-per-view: Organize a work plan: Prepare your facility for an audit

  Purchase this article from the January 2008 issue of Briefings on Outpatient Rehab: Reimbursement...

• Article of the week: Tips for starting a private practice

  Therapists looking to break out on their own have many things to consider before starting their own...

Issue 1, January 4, 2008

• Wii helps patients recover

  Therapists are turning to the Nintendo Wii to rehabilitate stroke victims, according to Reuters...

• ASHA elects new president for 2008

  The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) elects a new president, according to an...

• Article of the week: Have a policy for treating patients who speak foreign languages

  Every day in many areas of the country, rehab providers treat patients who speak a variety of...

Issue 10, February 22, 2008

• Association urges members to comment on the PQRI

  The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is urging its members to comment on CMS...