June 15, 2009

Therapeutic Resources Long Term Care Council Scores Another Big Success


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On June 9, forty-five long term care rehab managers attended our quarterly
Long Term Care Council. The Council was designed to provide information and education in the ever challenging LTC arena. The meeting featured a dynamic presentation by Ira Silfan, PT, well known rehab consultant to the long term care industry. Medicaid Case Mix Revisited: Six Months Later outlined how facilities have managed the significant changes to Medicaid reimbursement in the nursing home environment.

He presented many useful strategies to ensure that rehab directors properly manage the complex set of guidelines to ensure reimbursement for services delivered. Some issues covered included management of caseload, identification of residents in need of services, managing annual assessments and MDS schedules, documentation issues, physician orders, our role in the capture of non-rehab categories and the increasingly important role of speech pathology in revenue capture. All agreed that the changes in reimbursement have resulted in improved quality of care for long term care residents.

Ira's presentation was followed by our regular feature New and Noteworthy Issues, led by Alice Massa, MA, OTR/L, Director of Rehabilitation at Kings Harbor Health Care Center. During this session, the group shared information and clarified some of the reimbursement issues presented by Ira. Therapeutic Resources presented Alice with a gift in gratitude for her role in the growth and development of the LTC Council. We truly appreciate her ongoing efforts and contribution to the TR forum and our industry.

Stay tuned for our fall Long Term Care Council Meeting on September 15 at the Holiday Inn Downtown-Soho featuring a presentation by Professor Richard Sabel on Reimbursable Alternative Treatment Techniques in Long Term Care. Also look for information on our comprehensive full day course entitled Rehab Boot Camp: Survival Strategies for Long Term Care Managers.

-Lisa & Marilyn

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