Home Health & Hospice Articles by Topic: Therapy

Learn from skilled nursing facilities, keep track of therapy utilization in 2020

• Homecare Direction, Issue 1, January 14, 2020

  Avoid significantly changing therapy utilization as soon as the Patient-Driven Groupings Model...

CMS proposes allowing therapy assistants to perform maintenance therapy

• Homecare Direction, Issue 9, September 4, 2019

  Home care providers should weigh options for providing more cost-effective therapy in 2020 under...

Find the balance between preparing for PDGM and living in the current PPS world

• Homecare Direction, Issue 4, April 8, 2019

  While experts agree it’s important to start preparing now for the Patient-Driven Groupings...

Is it legal for the outpatient therapy agency to provide services in the assisted living?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 3, March 22, 2019

  Therapy can provide Part B billing if patients are outpatient or even in their homes.

I have a question about therapists submitting a list of patient medications for the nurse to review.

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 2, February 25, 2019

  You say that your agency just learned that according to the revised CoPs, in rehabilitation...

Can we send an LPN to have consents signed and do wound care at SOC if the RN can’t come timely?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 10, June 11, 2018

  PNs - along with occupational and physical therapy assistants - aren't qualified to establish the...

If a therapy case patient is recertified, a new evaluation is done before beginning the new episode. Does this mean that no functional reassessment is needed anymore since an evaluation was done?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 8, April 17, 2018

  In most agencies with an electronic health records (EHR) system, the therapist completes a...

New targeted probe info shows need to scrutinize therapists' documentation

• Homecare Direction, Issue 3, March 19, 2018

  Conduct a quality audit of documentation your therapists submit. CMS’ targeted...

President Trump signs bill that creates new home health payment model

• Homecare E-News, Issue 7, February 12, 2018

  On Friday, February 9, President Trump signed into law a bill designed to keep the federal...

Can you point me to the regulation that addresses plan of care and therapy goals?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 3, February 2, 2018

  Under the new Conditions of Participation, these are all identified in 484.60(a):

We are wondering if an OT can discharge a patient if he or she is the last discipline in? Can the OT do the discharge OASIS or a transfer OASIS?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 19, October 3, 2017

  Yes, the OT can perform a discharge, or transfer, or any other OASIS after the SOC.

Tip: Are reassessment mandatory for maintenance therapy?

• Homecare E-News, Issue 26, July 10, 2017

  The topic of reassessment is nearly always met with the initial question to confirm if they have...

I have a question regarding maintenance therapy ...

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 17, September 3, 2016

  While Jimmo v. Sebelius may have clarified “maintenance,” this does not mean that the...

What about single physical therapy and continuing occupational therapy?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2016

  In the PPS, there has been a big problem with coverage of occupational therapy after a single...

If the system changes the response to M2200, is it necessary for us to transmit OASIS data to the state agency so the HIPPS codes match?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2016

  Therapy visits have a direct impact on the first (grouping step) and fourth (services utilization...

When answering M2200, Therapy Need, what exactly is meant by the ?home health plan of care??

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2016

  M2200 asks about the number of visits on the plan of care, which reflects physician orders. This...

For a resumption-of-care assessment, do we count the visits we have already done, or just the one we are going to do, or all of them?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2016

   Because there will be no adjustments in the HHRG after the RAP is sent, the reporting of...

If we have no therapy visits ordered at the start of care, but then the physician orders six or 14, must we change the answer to M2200?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2016

  The CMS system will automatically change the answer to M2200 to reflect the number of visits...

What is the difference between restorative and maintenance therapy?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, July 17, 2016

  CMS Publication 100-2, Chapter 7, speaks to two types of therapy: restorative therapy geared...

What are the exceptions to the reassessment time periods for home health therapy?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 11, June 3, 2016

  Situations may arise that can impact the ability of the therapists to complete reassessments at...

What tips do you have for therapy assistants in terms of clinical documentation?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 10, May 17, 2016

   As is true for the qualified therapist, the amount of information and regulation that the...

In Focus | CMS Correct Home Health Pricer Error

• Homecare E-News, Issue 15, April 11, 2016

  Change Request 9608, issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), revises a...

Inside story | '485' versus supplemental therapy orders

• Homecare E-News, Issue 14, April 4, 2016

  Often referred to as the “485,” the plan of care generated at the time of admission...

What are your tips for those of us who review therapy documentation?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 4, February 18, 2016

  What are your tips for those of us who review therapy documentation?

What is the different between "rehabilitation" and "restorative care"?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 3, February 3, 2016

  The term “rehabilitation” is most often used when trained professional therapists are...

Why wouldn’t two overlapping visits be considered reimbursable by Medicare Advantage?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 2, January 18, 2016

  One of our clients had overlapping visit times. The RN visited, provided skilled nursing care, and...

Can you please help define an IADL?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 21, November 3, 2015

  As with ADLs, specificity and relevance are key components to a thorough occupational therapy...

Should gait be included in the occupational therapy assessment?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 21, November 3, 2015

  There has been a periodic debate between physical and occupational therapists about the inclusion...

How would you define the term "intervention" in regard to therapy?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 21, November 3, 2015

  It is interesting to note how often the term “intervention” is used when developing...

How do we ensure our therapy goals are measurable?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 21, November 3, 2015

  Well-written goals correlate to assessment findings. The “measurement” component begins...

The Weekly Roundup

• Homecare E-News, Issue 43, November 2, 2015

  Final Rule Released After receiving 118 comments from the public, the Centers for Medicare &...

Inside Story | Determining and documenting the appropriate visit frequency

• Homecare E-News, Issue 42, October 26, 2015

   For years there has been debate on what is an appropriate frequency for a patient. Frequency...

How do we update the comprehensive assessment for a major deterioration in status with the PPS payment requirements?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 18, September 17, 2015

   This patient’s change in condition has a real impact on resource utilization—an...

What counts for adequate documentation for a bill-able skill?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 18, September 17, 2015

  That documentation is not enough to translate into a billable skill. An example that would be...

What should be our frequency of visits?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 18, September 17, 2015

   We have an 87-year-old woman who was referred by the wound care center for care of a wound...

Is it true that in order for a patient to receive social services under Medicare, that patient must have a skilled need requiring a nurse or a therapist?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015

  Yes, it’s true. Medical social services and home health aide services are considered...

Is it permissible for a hospital discharge planner to make an entry into a patient hospital record and have the physician sign the entry (to support home health eligibility)?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015

  Is it permissible for a hospital discharge planner to make an entry into a patient hospital record...

When there is a patient who might be a candidate for maintenance therapy, how do we conduct a proper assessment to determine what kind of therapy is needed?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 0, June 9, 2015

  Although the diagnosis and the functional limitations do not stand alone in determining the medical...

What does an order for "evaluate and treat" allow a therapist to do?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 11, June 3, 2015

  What exactly does an order for “evaluate and treat” allow a therapist to do? Does this...

Would the following patient type be a better candidate for restorative or maintenance therapy?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 11, June 3, 2015

  Would the following patient type be a better candidate for restorative or maintenance therapy? The...

Can we use "zero" as a frequency in writing physician orders?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 10, May 17, 2015

  Can we use “zero” as a frequency in writing physician orders? For example, physical...

Can a single physical therapy visit determine a need for occupational therapy that is covered under Medicare?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 10, May 17, 2015

  Can a single physical therapy visit determine a need for occupational therapy that is covered under...

Would NA (not applicable) be the correct response to M0110 and M2200 for MA patients?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 8, April 17, 2015

  M0110, Episode Timing, and M2200, Therapy Need, apply when the assessment will determine the...

When are you to begin counting the 30 days from assessment to assessment?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 8, April 17, 2015

  The final rule, and the corresponding correction that CMS put out regarding the therapy...

When was the final rule issued that therapy goals must be delineated as short- and long-term with explicit completion time frames?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 8, April 17, 2015

   The 2015 final rule for home health PPS changed the policy on Medicare therapy reassessments.

Where in the CMS guidelines does it indicate that there should be short-term and longterm goals for therapy?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 7, April 3, 2015

  Palmetto and CGS have specific local coverage determinations (LCD) regarding shortand long-term...

Is it true that the physical therapist has to make a visit no less than once every two weeks when a physical therapy assistant is involved with the same case and primarily doing most visits?

• Homecare Q&A, Issue 5, March 3, 2015

  On the federal level, the CoPs/ Medicare Benefit Policy Manual states that for all certified...

Will home health remain exempt from overtime compensation in most circumstances like it has for 40 years?

• Homecare Insider, Issue 1, January 5, 2015

  Will home health remain exempt from overtime compensation in most circumstances like it has for 40...