Home Health & Hospice Week

Therapists' frustration mounts as new requirements sink in. Making sure you hit your deadlines for the new therapy reassessment requirement is hard enough -- don't make it harder by mixing up your counting timelines. Background: Under new requirements that took effect April 1, therapists (not therapy assistants) must complete reassessment visits both every 30 days and on the 13th and 19th visits, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said in the 2011 prospective payment system final rule. Under certain exceptions, therapists can provide the visits in the 11-13 and 17-19 visit ranges, or on visits "close to" the 13th or 19th visit (see Eli's HCW, Vol. XX, No. 16, p. 122). This new requirement is giving therapists and home health agencies big headaches. "Therapists have become very frustrated with the amount of calling, scheduling, rescheduling, canceling, holding of a discipline while waiting on a reassessment, etc.," related to this requirement, [...]