Controversy emerged when a panelist representing therapists asserted to a crowd of about 1,300 at the joint AANAC/AADNS meeting that “your therapist is the most highly educated person in the building” other than a physician.
Several shouts of “No!” shot up among ripples of disbelief and disagreement.
Affirmation, however, came from an unlikely source for most of the crowd: the panel’s other two expert members, Robin Hillier and Judy Wilhide Brandt, representing the DONs and assessment coordinators. They pointed to the doctorate degrees many therapy employees must now hold.
They encouraged care teams not to shun therapy members, despite their tapered influence on reimbursements under the Patient-Driven Payment Model.
“Therapists have smaller case loads [than nursing staff], and they do see patients for longer periods. I’m glad he brought that up,” said Hillier, referring to Mark McDavid, the owner of Seagrove Rehab Partners. “Bring that person [the therapist] back into the day-to-day clinical discussions.”
McDavid said earlier that therapists’ own fears have needed to be allayed.
“Medicare will still pay for therapy,” he noted. “[Therapy is] just not going to be the driver” of the payment system any longer
From the May 1, 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
