New policy triggers rehab mode change
New policy triggers rehab mode change
Data from CMS indicate that the overall patient case-mix at nursing facilities remains largely unchanged, an indication that residents were not provided significantly less therapy than before. CMS also said that the breakdown of therapy minutes is not significantly different based on whether the facility is a for-profit, nonprofit or government-owned.
Most Medicare patients are in skilled nursing for short-term stays. About 92% of these residents were classified into a rehabilitation category between 2010 and 2011, according to government data.
Although the therapy mode shift has been attributed to revisions in payment by some industry analysts, the general consensus is that it is too early to accurately draw a conclusion.
