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 12, December 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Set policies and procedures to comply with new federal HIPAA regulations

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on August 19 released its interim final rule...

• Master the -KX modifier and therapy documentation

  The therapy cap exception process is set to expire December 31. As of now, the only action on this...

• Simulation learning modalities: Going beyond the basics

  The phrase “simulation modalities” may conjure up a variety of images.

• BRRR Q&A

  Q. Have the recovery audit contractors (RAC) started to review rehab claims? We know that the...

Issue 11, November 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Interim final rule: Significant challenges for BAs and covered entities

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human ¬Services’ (HHS) interim final rule on breach...

• ICD-10-CM/PCS: Bridging the Generation Gap with Diverse and Creative Approaches to Education

  For the first time in history, there are four distinct generations in the American workplace...

• Build a successful marketing plan for your practice: Tips for a profitable business

  Marketing your business is essential to ensuring optimal cash flow from prospective clients.

• BRRR Q&A

  Nancy J. Beckley, MS, MBA, CHC, answers readers’ questions.

Issue 10, October 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Skills for success: Efficiently manage your time and delegate tasks

  In order for a time management process to work, it is important to know which aspects of our...

• ICD-10-CM/PCS: The next generation of coding

  The compliance date for implementation of the ICD-10-CM/PCS is October 1, 2013, for all covered...

• Wound care under Medicare

  In the past 20 years, wound care has increased in older Americans.

Issue 9, September 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Top-notch customer service equals happy patients

  Customer service is the impression left with the customer when he or she has an encounter with the...

• Create a culture of HIPAA compliance at your facility

  HIPAA may not be fun to teach, learn, or execute because of its complexity, but it needn't be...

• Master the Medicare appeals process

  At one point or another, many rehab facilities will disagree with a decision from their fiscal...

• Swine flu scare provides real-time preparedness training

  Healthcare facilities around the United States and the world may be heeding the Centers for Disease...

• BRRR coding corner

  Q: Should the certification period match exactly the duration that is expected on the plan of care...

• BRRR Q&A

  Q: In the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program, what does an automated review mean?

Issue 8, August 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Compliance with HIPAA a must for business associates

  For the first time since HIPAA became law in 2003, BAs of covered entities must comply directly...

• Therapists: Master your contract negotiation tactics

  In an aggressive managed care market, the cost of reimbursement may very well be below the cost of...

• Right- and left-brain learners: Strategies to facilitate hemisphere learning

  There is increasing evidence that the learning preferences and styles of adult learners drastically...

Issue 7, July 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Prepare for the recovery audit contractors now for audit success later

  The recovery audit contractors (RAC) countdown has begun. While some states are preparing for the...

• The Medicare opportunity knocks, it’s time for speech-language pathologists to answer

  The wait is finally over for SLPs. July 1 officially marks the day that SLPs in private practice...

• What does RUG-IV mean for your facility?

  Although aspects of RUG-IV may change before implementation, SNFs should know how the proposed...

Issue 6, June 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• New HIPAA provisions: More important than you think

  Enforcement of HIPAA is about to get tougher due to provisions passed under the $787 billion...

• The ins and outs of dealing with problem employees

  In a wrongful termination lawsuit, your decision to investigate before you terminate will limit...

• Is your facility prepared for ICD-10-CM?

  Although the proposed implementation date for ICD-10-CM is not until 2013, billers should begin...

Issue 5, May 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Individual involvement necessary to achieve federal direct access

  For the third consecutive year, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has teamed up with...

• Direct access laws vary greatly by state

  The following is a summary of the direct access laws in each state. There are 48 states with direct...

• External focus helps Parkinson’s disease patients ease their symptoms and achieve success

  As PTs play an increasingly vital role in the treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease...

• Future government budget could cause hospital rehab services to be bundled

  President Obama released the plan A New Era of Responsibility: Renewing America's Promise earlier...

Issue 4, April 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CERT audit for contractors could cost your clinic

  Established to monitor and report the accuracy of Medicare payments, the CERT program audits...

• Dry needling may end your patients’ pain

  The technique of dry needling is an option therapists are beginning to learn more about and are...

• Recent studies provide evidence for therapy benefits

  Two such recent studies published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons...

• BRRR coding corner

  Rick Gawenda, PT, answers questions about billing Medicare for VitalStim therapy and...

Issue 3, March 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Therapy caps exceptions becoming too routine?

  A more permanent system may eventually replace the caps. What that process will entail remains to...

• DMEPOS competitive bidding explained

  CMS changed its policy for the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies...

• Closing your clinic

  When you opened your practice, you hoped you’d never have to face the decision to close. But...

• Need for women’s health specialists is growing

  Incontinence is a large part of what is referred to as the women’s health market in the world...

• BRRR Q&A

  Nancy J. Beckley, MS, MBA, CHC, explains the questions managed care providers ask when negotiating...

Issue 2, February 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Falls and balance programs help patients and business

  Nearly one-third of U.S. adults will fall at least once each year, according to the Centers for...

• Legislative update: New president, Congress will put focus on healthcare

  With a new Democratic president in the White House and a Congress of the same majority party...

• CMS cutbacks make it more difficult to gain certified rehab agency status

  Being flexible in an uncertain economy can be the difference between thriving as a business and...

• SNF care is emerging, dynamic field

  At a time when so much in the economy and business is uncertain, many therapy providers are...

Issue 1, January 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• PQRI program measures increasing in 2009

  Therapists gaining in chances to earn bonus, compare quality Although private practice PTs and OTs...

• Beware of bad billing agency contracts

  Sharing reimbursement could get you in hot water An Illinois court issued a decision in 2008 that...

• Marketing may be key to surviving tough economic times

  Showing your strengths will help keep your business consistent When times get tough, many...

• BRRR Q&A

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