The elderly are very vulnerable to dehydration and more than just the nursing staff have to be concerned about it. Not keeping an eye on appropriate hydration can cause a variety of serious problems.
Top 5 ICD-10 changes for 2014
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jan 30, 2014
Have you started your countdown clocks yet? It looks like it’s definitely happening this year on Oct. 1, 2014. The transitions from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding will 100% absolutely take effect for the...
Are you prepared? 5 questions you need to know the answers to
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Aug 27, 2013
With all the recent regulatory changes that have come down the line, or are about to, we developed a simple five-question survey that each provider had to ask every therapy employee. If you can develop...
Out with the drab: Time to add personality to healthcare equipment
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
May 07, 2012
A few years ago, I broke my leg. Ouch! I was stuck in a long-leg cast for 14 weeks. Luckily, no surgery was required. It was around the holidays, so I asked to have my cast done in red and green stripes.
The perfect picnic takes planning — please
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jul 01, 2014
Happy Independence Day! This is such a pivotal period in everyone’s summer plans, and what a great time for weddings, family reunions and/or the perfect simple picnic. That goes for our frail seniors,...
Reviewing the top 10 errors in rehab documentation
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Apr 23, 2013
As a long-term care therapy consultant, I work on a lot of claim reviews and denials management with my clients. I’ve also read a lot of peer-review research articles related to this subject, and...
Beware of hospital observation loopholes
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Dec 07, 2012
Hospitals have been undergoing more and more restrictions on re-admissions and are now facing financial penalties in some situations. Unfortunately, this has also resulted in more patients not being classified...
Are standardized assessment tools our future?
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
May 20, 2014
With therapy documentation being put under the microscope more than ever, you would be wise to make sure standardized assessment tools are at your fingertips. Unbiased views of data and outcomes information...
5 reasons for rehab potential
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Mar 11, 2014
How many clinicians (physical, occupational, and speech therapy) can honestly say that they have achieved full independence with 100% of every patient they have ever worked with? Unfortunately, I definitely...
Therapy not complete without some ‘home’ work
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
May 30, 2012
Is it worth it? I’m referring to home visits by the therapy team, the patient, and their family. These are the clinical visits with the patient to their home for a “practice run” conducted...