Rehab Newsletters

Ever-changing reimbursement policies and government regulations affects your facility's ability to stay in compliance. Briefings on Outpatient Rehab Reimbursement & Regulations reports on these changes and offers suggestions on how best to cope with them.

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Briefings on Outpatient Rehab: Reimbursement and Regulations

Issue 12, December 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS clarifies documentation rules in transmittal

  CMS released Transmittal 60 on November 9, updating the guidelines it set back in February in...

• Prepare for a new year of challenges

  As the year winds down, plenty of your staff will be taking time off for the holidays and getting...

Issue 11, November 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• 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...

• Creating an effective compliance program can help reduce fines

  Beginning January 1, 2007, rehab providers who receive more than $5 million in Medicaid...

• Providers shouldn't take ICD-9-CM coding for granted

  Rehab providers began taking a serious look at ICD-9-CM codes when Medicare released its exceptions...

• Improve your workers' comp business through solid relationships with employers

  Rehab providers who aren't always looking for potential new income sources or ways to improve those...

Issue 10, October 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CARF accreditation aims to improve your facility's overall quality

  Although typically associated with inpatient rehab facilities, outpatient rehab programs should...

• Creativity is vital to recruit and retain qualified therapists in tough market

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

• Reminder: OSHA rules apply to rehab facilities

  With so much focus on CMS, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and...

Issue 9, September 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Learning from others' mistakes

  Although it's rare for the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to issue a report detailing a rehab...

• Getting a read on your patients

  Nearly 11 million American adults are illiterate, and 29% of the U.S. population reads at or below...

• Open up your doors to educate the public

  Rehab providers looking for ways to reach out to a new patient base should consider holding regular...

Issue 8, August 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Cashing in on a new set of patients

  The world of reimbursement is changing. If your facility wants to succeed, you need to change with...

• Improving your facility's atmosphere

  Tips on how to make patients enjoy going to therapy Finding ways to save money in your rehab...

• Put your coding skills to the test

  How well do you know your coding and billing? Rick Gawenda, PT, director of rehabilitation...

• Start your transition to NPIs now

  May 23, 2007, is the date that rehab providers must begin using their national provider identifiers...

Issue 7, July 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The do's and don'ts of documenting medical necessity

  With rising therapist salaries making it more difficult for rehab providers to turn a profit...

• MIRE can be beneficial to your patients

  Make it worthwhile financially for your facility as well More than 20 million people in the...

• The 10 hidden truths of CMS' Transmittal 47

  It's been five months since CMS issued Transmittal 47, updating its documentation policy for...

Issue 6, June 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Knowledgeable technicians help increase overall productivity

  Although they'll never actually perform a therapy service on a patient, technicians are one of the...

• Teaming up with local high school athletic programs offers big benefits

  June is the time of year when students are thinking about getting out of school-but it's also the...

• OIG: Physicians incorrectly bill Medicare for PT services

  On May 1, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services...

Issue 5, May 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Beware of offering free services

  OIG advisory opinion warns against free preop assessments Rehab providers need to take a close...

• Adult day service centers are often in need of qualified therapists

  In the constant search for new patients, rehab providers may find the answer in adult day service...

• Noncompete clauses can save facilities from potential new rivals

  Rehab facilities spend a lot of money recruiting, hiring, and training employees. Losing a valuable...

• Log on to continue learning

  Online learning offers therapists cost- and time-saving ways to collect CEUs No one questions...

Issue 4, April 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• An exception to every rule

  Therapy caps likely won't keep patients from necessary treatment if you follow CMS' new exception...

• CMS clarifies its rehab documentation policy for therapists nationwide

  After years of leaving documentation requirements up to individual Medicare contractors, CMS issued...

• BRRR Q&A

  Editor's note: Nancy J. Beckley, MS, MBA, president of Bloomingdale Consulting Group in Brandon...

Issue 3, March 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Internal reviews can offer a revealing reflection

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

• Selecting the right software can be a hard choice to make

  Follow these tips to make updating your systems an easier, worthwhile process Of all the items...

• A primer on Medicare appeals letters

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

• BRRR coding corner

  Editor’s note: This column appears monthly in BRRR to help answer subscribers’ coding...

Issue 2, February 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Keeping up with the cap

  How to ensure that the therapy cap doesn’t affect your patients’ treatment On...

• Work assessments can get you the business to increase your cash flow

  Offering employers special services can bring in extra clientele Reaching out to other local...

• Taking care of your contract negotiations

  Tips on how to ensure that you get good value out of your managed care contracts Although...

• BRRR Q&A

  Editor’s note: Nancy J. Beckley, MS, MBA, president of Bloomingdale Consulting Group in...

Issue 1, January 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Cancel out patient no-shows

  Patients missing appointments is a fact of life in the healthcare industry. Some patients will call...

• The road toward safe driving

  Consider driver evaluations as a niche specialty As more states begin passing driver evaluation...