Age-related changes are a natural part of everyone’s existence. We can all expect to get wrinkles, gray hair, and decreases in our vision and hearing, among many other delightful changes. However,...
The power of words
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Mar 25, 2014
“The pen is mightier than the sword” is an age-old adage that implies that the power of communication — in this case, written communication — is more powerful than a physical weapon. Do...
Defining tolerance in therapy
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Feb 12, 2014
How do you define tolerance? Is tolerance measurable? Is tolerance too subjective? What about activity tolerance? We love to document how patients are improving activity tolerance, but many times that’s...
Therapy patients need, and deserve, this simple self-image booster
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jan 14, 2014
Have you ever had a day when you looked great but felt depressed? Or you looked your worst but felt great? Perception of self-image is stronger than actual self-image with determining our emotions. Would...
Medically Complex Medicare Part B
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
May 08, 2013
While CMS tries to figure out how to proceed with the manual medical review process, we continue to track our caps and apply our modifiers. In the meantime, has anyone noticed how our typical Medicare...
Bon appétit for therapy!
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Sep 23, 2014
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, physical, occupational and speech therapy used to provide group therapy and often co-treat. This was a totally different time and place for the history of rehabilitation.
Palliative possibilities: Therein lies the rub
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Apr 22, 2014
When a patient is referred to therapy, and they are receiving hospice care, then therapy needs to seek permission from the hospice company to provide any treatment. Hospice is required to reimburse the...
To group, or not to group
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jul 25, 2011
By simply creating more confusion, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has made it more difficult for providers. In turn, providers are still expected to be ready to provide the best treatment...
Entitlement or over utilization?
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Oct 07, 2014
Many of our therapy patients are medically complex and we, unfortunately, are not able to predict the future, as it sometimes seems that regulators want us to do.
Do your residents have a ‘sexy style’?
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jul 29, 2014
I recently read an article entitled, “J.Lo’s sense of sexy style.” It really made me think about the nursing home resident’s role with this type of thinking.