“Nowadays, folks don’t talk much about OBRA ‘87, and I would venture to guess that most therapists don’t even know what it is. But they should, and here is why…” - New Article by Elizabeth Johnson, PT, CDP, RAC-CT

Did you know that optimal staffing models for long-term care therapy departments function much differently than staffing for other SNF and CCRC positions? Learn why and discover best practices you should keep in mind when hiring staff for your rehab department.

By having a skilled rehabilitation professional screen patients on a regular basis, you can catch issues before they turn into a more serious event and help residents maintain their level of independence and quality of life.

In this article, we will focus on the fundamental areas you should consider when choosing between the two top therapy software options in order to determine which will be the best fit with your facility’s needs.

How to manage therapy during an active COVID outbreak, along with answers to the common question, “If we don’t feel comfortable with ‘business as usual’ nor do we want to completely shut down, how do we manage to treat our residents and keep them safe?“

This heartfelt update from our RVP, Elizabeth Johnson, explores ways to mitigate clinician burnout in long-term care settings.

Most facilities screen every new admission for fall risk using the Morse scale during the nursing admission assessment. But then what happens? Unfortunately, in many cases, nothing else happens until the resident actually has a fall, and that is just too late.

While it is imperative that the Interdisciplinary Team works together with the resident in the discharge planning process, a successful discharge of a rehab patient will rely heavily on the skill and effective communication of your therapy team as well. Lack of proper planning, quality documentation, and effective communication on the part of your rehab team could lead to failure in regard to your discharge goal setting, and a possible hospital readmission.

Have you received a letter from your Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) that you have been selected for a TPE? It is always stressful to be under review, but a better understanding of the process may help decrease your anxiety and allow you to be better prepared in case you are ever selected.

Too often a facility starts its fall reduction policy too late - after a fall has occurred. In order to have an effective and successful program, fall reduction must start with preventing falls. The first step in preventing falls is to identify those at risk for a fall.

For the sake of this discussion let’s divide your residents into two groups, new admissions and existing residents…

You have known hundreds of patients just like Glenda Jimmo. Elderly, diabetic, multiple comorbidities. But this Vermont senior and mother of four will be forever known in history as the one who fought against the federal government, at the age of 76, and won. Ms. Jimmo was the lead plaintiff in a 2011 class-action lawsuit seeking to broaden Medicare’s criteria for covering physical therapy and other care delivered by skilled professionals. In this article, learn why patients do not always have to show progress in order to qualify for skilled therapy, even though many of us in the rehab world had it ingrained in our brains that patients need to demonstrate progress in order to qualify for Medicare coverage.

Whether your patient is actually in isolation, or just confined to their room during the COVID-19 pandemic or any cold/flu epidemic, therapists are often limited to treating patients bedside in their room. Learn more about the two best tools you have and how to use them to creatively engage and treat isolated patients.