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.

2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Briefings on Outpatient Rehab: Reimbursement and Regulations

Issue 1, December 17, 2008

• Physician Fee Schedule improves 2009 payments, excludes rehab agencies and CORFs from 90-day recertification rule

  Thirty-day recertification required for rehab agencies and CORFs The 2009 CMS Physician Fee...

Issue 12, December 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS delays Recovery Audit Contractor program

  Use extra time to prepare for audits and appeals Many healthcare providers have been dreading the...

• Tracking productivity: Looking beyond billable units

  When times get tough, it’s easy to think your practice may have to start cutting back on...

• Know the rules for rehab services in home health setting

  Whether you want to make extra money, add another service to your practice, or switch directions...

• Waiving coinsurance may be appropriate at times

  Although it’s important to run your practice as a business, you probably got into the...

• BRRR coding corner

  Rick Gawenda, PT, answers questions about medical necessity denials, the therapy caps, and more.

Issue 11, November 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Rehab providers should take economy concerns seriously; caution suggested

  With the economy sagging, the future of the country’s financial standing is at the top of...

• SLP shortage results in higher salary and benefit demands

  Much has been made about the lack of qualified PTs and OTs available for hire and how the demand...

• Compliance officers crucial to long-term success

  Most rehab facilities know the importance of following payer rules and guidelines, because if they...

• Avoid entering a corporate integrity agreement

  Once the Office of Inspect General (OIG) comes knocking, it may be too late to change your...

• BRRR Q&A

  Nancy Beckley answers questions about documentation for Medicare charts and planning treatment for...

Issue 10, October 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Medicare changes give more SLPs option to go private in 2009

  The good news for SLPs came July 15 when Congress passed HR 6331, the Medicare Improvements for...

• Manage your facility’s front office well for good first impressions and a successful practice

  For a rehab facility to thrive, it takes more than just good therapists helping patients achieve...

• Don’t let backend operations be your facility’s downfall

  You can have the best therapists in the world and a qualified, well-trained front office staff that...

• BRRR coding corner

  Editor’s note: Rick Gawenda, PT, director of rehabilita-tion services at Detroit Receiving...

Issue 9, September 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• PQRI update: The 2007 bonuses have arrived

  Healthcare providers who participated in the 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI...

• Treating autism: More states require insurance coverage

  The services provided by PTs, OTs, and SLPs are often critical for people with autism spectrum...

• Make your electronic records comply with HIPAA standards

  If you’ve decided to start using electronic records at your practice, you’ve probably...

• BRRR coding corner

  Rick Gawenda, PT, answers questions about local coverage determinations and CPT codes for SLPs.

• Delegating tasks and billing appropriately

  When it comes to working with aides, most therapists have two questions: “What can aides...

• BRRR Q&A

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

Issue 8, August 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Congress delays full implementation of therapy caps

  As the July 1 expiration date for the therapy caps exceptions process approached, therapists waited...

• Going digital: Implementing electronic records in your practice

  Electronic health records (EHR) have long been a hot topic in healthcare, but the discussion around...

• Fitness and wellness programs: Make your practice more fiscally fit

  Declining reimbursement rates and physicians who only refer patients to PT clinics they own have...

• BRRR coding corner

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

Issue 7, July 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Recovery audit contractors are coming: Is your facility prepared?

  The prospect of a government audit is already a concern for many therapists, but with the pending...

• Billing for group therapy the right way

  Two patients come to your practice at the same time to receive therapy. One is having trouble with...

• To sign or not to sign

  With managed care contract reimbursement rates dropping, you may feel like you have to sign every...

• BRRR Q&A

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

Issue 6, June 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Transmittal 88 changes plan of care certification standards to 90 days

  On May 7, CMS released the long-awaited Transmittal 88 Change Request 5921, which clarifies and...

• Avoid the common pitfalls of privacy investigations

  Covered entities that have policies and procedures in place for privacy breach investigations might...

• Support your services: Documenting objective measures

  When it comes to objective documentation, your rehab practice is on the right track if therapists...

• Treating bariatric patients a necessity for therapists

  As therapists continue to search for the niche market that will separate them from the competition...

Issue 4, April 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Reporting improper billing practices is never easy

  Rehab facilities have to be concerned with their billing practices on a daily basis. It might...

• ASHA may be close to obtaining supplier status

  A seven-year quest for equal standing in the rehab community may finally come to a positive...

• Nintendo system kicking off wave of Wiihabilitation

  The Nintendo Wii, a game system that requires users to act out the game with a motion-sensor...

• March 1 has come and gone: Are you using the NPI correctly?

  As of March 1, all 837P and CMS-1500 claims must have a National Provider Identifier (NPI) or...

Issue 3, March 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• PQRI: To participate, or not to participate?

  Last year's Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) measures only had one item available for...

• OTs discuss issues with recruitment and retention

  Does your facility have recruitment and retention challenges? The American Occupational Therapy...

• Therapy documentation: Certification and recertification

  Certifications and recertifications prove to your carrier, fiscal intermediary (FI), or Medicare...

• BRRR Q&A

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

Issue 2, February 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Changes to the physician fee schedule: How it will affect your reimbursements

  This year's changes to the Medicare physician fee schedule have been decided, and it could mean...

• Taking a stand

  In December 2007, after more than two years of efforts by the American Occupational Therapy...

• Time to analyze your contracts

  Now that you have contracts-or will soon-there is an opportunity to grow into a mutually acceptable...

Issue 1, January 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Evidence-based therapy generates proper, timely reimbursements

  Being a great PT is really important, but if you don't communicate your services to the payer, you...

• Organize a work plan: Prepare your facility for an audit

  Having a preprepared, general audit checklist is something Chris Apgar, CISSP, president of Apgar...

• What to expect when you're expecting

  The different audit processes, each covering different aspects of therapy, can often cause...

Issue 5, May 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Revised ABN should cause less confusion for patients

  On March 3, CMS released the new Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) of Noncoverage (ABN-R-131). This...

• Choosing the correct ICD-9 code poses problems for therapists

  Because CPT codes lead directly to reimbursement, therapists spend much more time discussing them...

• Out-of-network practice does not mean cash-based

  As insurance companies continue to reduce their reimbursement rate-which makes running a...

• New rule bans the use of stamped signatures

  CMS may have unintentionally made life much more difficult for therapists when the agency decided...

• Beware of hidden clauses in managed care contracts

  It's difficult enough dealing with managed care contracts that are reducing fees and making it...