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, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• What will Congress do? Medicare reimbursement, therapy caps, and the PQRI

  Congress has at least three items on its plate that need a final decision before January 1, 2008...

• Prepare to testify before an administrative law judge now

  Even with stellar documentation and coding, you may still experience a denied claim at your...

• Outcomes matter: Measure your performance and your patient recovery rates against your colleagues'

  Stay ahead of the pack and start measuring patient outcomes today. Follow the initiative taken by...

• A look at CNA Healthpro's claims study

  Understanding risk management and how to implement a risk management program that works best for...

Issue 11, November 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Ensure compliance and improve your HIPAA policies and procedures

  The HIPAA privacy and security rules have been enforceable for several years now, but many...

• Be your own boss: Tips to private practice success

  The thought of opening a practice may be daunting to some, especially to anyone who has never owned...

• Find the right therapist to fit your clinic

  These top tips for what to do and what not to do when recruiting will guide you in developing a...

Issue 10, October 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Teamwork and asking the right questions equals PQRI success

  A step toward pay for performance, the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) is an...

• You asked, we answered: Common ICD-9 coding questions

  Editor's note: This excerpt was adapted from HCPro's Coding and Billing for Outpatient Rehab Made...

• The future is here: Accepting evidence-based practice

  Evidence-based practice is becoming a familiar concept in many therapy practices. With national...

Issue 9, September 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Stop leaving your therapy dollars on the table

  Not collecting copayments and only billing for hands-on services are the leading culprits behind...

• What's hot in rehab: Objective documentation

  Mrs. Jones has just finished telling you about the pain she's experiencing in her left shoulder...

• BRRR coding corner

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

• BRRR Q&A

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

Issue 8, August 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Be aware of the looming 9.9% reimbursement reduction

  It's the comment period for updates to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), and you have...

• Streamline your hiring process to attract and employ qualified therapists

  As demand for qualified therapists has grown, the tables have turned in the rehab hiring market...

• New Jersey PTs could benefit from coverage minimum

  PTs in New Jersey can expect a brighter future ahead of them with the passage of an assembly bill...

• One health plan works toward outcome- and efficiency-based care

  Two years ago, a midsize healthcare delivery system in New Mexico decided to study whether its...

Issue 7, July 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Will the 1.5% bonus be worth the work?

  The Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) is just around the corner, and therapists are...

• Paint an accurate patient picture during the initial evaluation

  Painting an accurate picture of a patient's status prior to an injury or illness sets the stage for...

• Know your facility's cost of providing care

  An unfair managed care contract for which you are not paid for your services can dramatically...

• It's time to pick an outcome measurement tool

  Seven months ago, CMS began its push for better documentation by outpatient therapists with the...

Issue 6, June 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Utilize your networking and marketing skills to yield more patient referrals

  To grow your business you need to market it. This is true no matter what your profession is, and...

• The per-diem cap: Is there a solution in sight?

  Count to four and you have the number of ways therapists are capped. First, therapists are being...

• SLPs are paving the way to a brighter future for students

  SLPs who work in a school environment are familiar with helping struggling students improve their...

Issue 5, May 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Minimizing risk part two: Quality assurance and liability insurance

  Editor's note: This is the second part of a two-part series about risk management. Last month, you...

• The ins and outs of negotiating a managed care contract

  Signing a managed care contract can be intimidating. But there are tips every therapy clinic can...

• Backstroke, breaststroke . . . tire inner tube?

  Therapists, are you looking for an innovative way to help your patients in their recovery process...

• Attention: CMS outlines new roles for therapists

  Avoid denial of payment by understanding the role of the therapist and therapist assistant under...

Issue 4, April 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The appeals process: New, improved, and better than ever in 2007

  The appeals process just got a little easier and less expensive for suppliers or providers of...

• Managing risk part one: Patient relations and documentation

  Editor's note: This is the first part of a two-part series on risk management. Next month you will...

• Wound management coding: Deconstructing the Unna boot and infrared therapy

  A lack of a national coverage decision is leaving therapists searching for answers on how and if...

Issue 3, March 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Are per-visit reimbursement fees hurting your facility?

  Although reimbursement rates are never as high as rehab providers would like, UnitedHealthcare's...

• Use AM-PAC for outcome measurements across settings

  Rehab providers looking for another option to measure function in patients should consider the...

• Gauge your patients' satisfaction with regular surveys

  Understanding how your patient feels physically is the most important part of any therapist's job...

• Look worldwide to fill staffing voids

  Rehab providers tired of sifting through the same pile of résumés and, more likely, lack of...

Issue 2, February 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS wants therapists to use outcome measurements in evaluations

  CMS continued its push for better outpatient rehab documentation with the release of Transmittal 63...

• CMS: All exceptions will be automatic

  After Congress extended the exceptions process of the Medicare therapy caps for another year with...

• NOMS is the only tool CMS recommends for SLPs

  Of the four assessment tools mentioned by CMS in Transmittal 63, the National Outcomes Measurement...

Issue 1, January 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Congress extends exceptions process; freezes fee schedule cuts

  After months of letters, phone calls, and pleas from therapists and their professional...

• Get your facility fit in the new year

  In the quest for new patients, the more benefits your rehab facility can offer the better. One of...

• Unfinished business: Tips to ensure that your patients complete their programs

  Therapists understand why payers require the creation of plans of care (POC) prior to beginning an...