Home Health & Hospice Week

A little more time is better than none, commenters indicate.

The vast majority of commenters addressing the 2015 PPS proposed rule’s therapy changes are advocating for a reassessment deadline of 30 days or more (see story, this page).

But if the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services won’t commit to a month, it can at least extend the functional reassessment deadline past the 14 days it has proposed, commenters exhort.

“By moving the reassessment to 3 weeks, the PTA or PT could focus on the patient’s individual needs,” says a rep from Signature Home Health in Oregon.

A 21-day deadline would “reduce the burden this rule would place on Home Health Agencies and still meet the goal of ensuring that a patient were reevaluated timely and appropriately,” says Douglas Farrell of Georgia in his letter.

Even a slight change to 15 days would help, says a rep from Partners in Home Care in Montana. “Our agency receives a high volume of referrals on Fridays, necessitating that some patients be admitted on Sundays,” the letter explains. “Allowing 15 days would allow the first two-week evaluation to be scheduled during the regular work week, rather than on a Sunday when staffing is lower. Additionally, the extra day allows some leeway when a patient requests a schedule change on the day a reassessment was scheduled.”