It’s been a little over a month since the Q4FY21 release of the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER). Have you downloaded your reports yet?…
Therapists, take note! Proposed changes to ICD-10 mapping
By
Renee Kinder
May 12, 2022
The buzz around the proposed rule for fiscal 2023 continues as providers aim to review, digest and comment on proposed updates to the SNF payment rates, wage index adjustments, methodology for recalibrating…
April 2022: CMS updates National Quality Strategy
By
Renee Kinder
Apr 28, 2022
Spring is in the air! We all welcome the annual change in seasons, which also comes with a rush to review, digest and comment on multiple proposed rules. April 2022, however, also brings us a renewed approach…
Patient and family engagement — understanding CoreQ
By
Renee Kinder
Apr 14, 2022
On April 11, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a proposed rule that would update Medicare payment policies and rates for skilled nursing facilities under the Skilled Nursing Facility…
DMPAG & TCET: Acronyms for therapists to know
By
Renee Kinder
Mar 31, 2022
We navigate our days and communicate with a bowl full of alphabet soup and acronyms for therapists.
Barbershops are for girls too
By
Renee Kinder
Mar 17, 2022
The Lansdowne Barber Shop in Lexington, KY, is a special place for many reasons. To begin, it is a hidden gem tucked literally behind restaurants, a candy store and an ice cream shop, requiring its customers…
What your therapy team should know about the CMS REACH Model
By
Renee Kinder
Mar 03, 2022
We all know it to be true. Common sense, really. When we as therapists coordinate our care more efficiently across teams and settings our patients excel. They feel supported. And in many cases, they…
Health literacy and rehab: The deviled eggs are in the details
By
Renee Kinder
Feb 17, 2022
Nothing makes me much more nervous than making deviled eggs. I know it sounds ridiculous, but the level of precision needed in each step of the process can send me into downright panic. A simple…
You think we’re doing this for fun?
By
Renee Kinder
Feb 03, 2022
Two weeks ago, over her post-game Chick-fil-A, my 14-year-old put me in my place. I was, because I thought being a good mother required so, upset over the overly aggressive basketball schedule her father…
Why ask why? Applying research to daily therapy practice
By
Renee Kinder
Jan 20, 2022
Understanding research methods and findings can influence daily therapy practice.
New Year’s resolution or rehab bucket list? What is your 2022 approach?
By
Renee Kinder
Jan 06, 2022
2022 is here. Can you believe it? Just today I had a colleague ask me, with a smile, “What is your resolution?” I thought and tried to come up with something clever… “Honestly, I have got nothing,…
2022: What will the technical experts say?
By
Renee Kinder
Dec 09, 2021
The new year is upon us. What new areas of regulatory change will your teams monitor in 2022? CPT? Parity? Survey trends? Quality? Yes, obviously quality, Renee, but the future of quality… where…
Therapists think SMART: #FightTheCuts
By
Renee Kinder
Nov 18, 2021
On Nov. 2, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule that includes updates on policy changes for Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), and other Medicare Part…
Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM): What your rehab team should know about the final rule
By
Renee Kinder
Nov 04, 2021
One positive outcome published in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Final Rule on the 2022 Medicare Physician Payment Schedule was clarification around the use of RTM codes. In an era of…
Oh me, oh my… thank goodness for CMMI!
By
Renee Kinder
Oct 21, 2021
There are two deep cleaning seasons in our household. Spring and fall. Fall cleaning includes the neighborhood kids closet rotation (I haven’t had to buy school khakis in three years!), washing…
Skilled services 101: Understanding the medical appropriateness exception
By
Renee Kinder
Oct 07, 2021
In our industry, we have all read it numerous times. Some of us can quote portions of it in our sleep… three consecutive calendar days, for a condition that was treated during the qualifying hospital…
Not so depressing after all
By
Renee Kinder
Sep 23, 2021
I had a milestone birthday recently. A birthday which I refused to celebrate, threatened my husband and friends not to dare surprise me with any activities and had planned to spend alone on the couch with…
The data is in! More trends from CMS ResDAC
By
Renee Kinder
Sep 09, 2021
All data lovers you are in luck! Another quarter of data is in, courtesy of the CMS Research Data Assistance Center (ResDAC). We have all watched trends since the initiation of the Patient Driven Payment…
Dysphagia is a swallowing disorder involving the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus or gastroesophageal junction. Consequences of dysphagia include malnutrition and dehydration, aspiration pneumonia, compromised…
Therapists, take note! FY 2022 changes in PDPM ICD-10
By
Renee Kinder
Aug 12, 2021
The long-awaited final rule for FY 2022 provided updates in payment rates, wage index, value-based purchasing, quality reporting and a pause to the anticipated parity adjustment. Of equal interest, we…
