The G-codes are here for payment claims — ready or not
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
May 23, 2013
Effective July 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will begin rejecting claims received for Medicare Part B patients that do not include the new requirement of G-coding. That really means providers...
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...
A study that may never be done — but should
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 28, 2013
Government agencies and lobbyists are famous for conducting studies that prove a point — theirs, namely. That’s why I’ll be very interested to see who will have the courage to conduct one...
Shamelessly invoice at your own risk
By
John O'Connor
Mar 22, 2013
Here’s the good news for providers: new analytics are making it possible to understand and bill your care in ways that would have been impossible just a few years ago. Here’s the bad news:...
$10 million therapy-provider kickback case may proceed, judge says
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 20, 2013
A False Claims Act lawsuit involving a nursing home chain and therapy providers in Missouri can move forward, a federal judge has ruled. The case originated when a whistleblower alleged that a therapy...
Home (safety) for the holidays
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Dec 21, 2012
It’s hard to believe the holidays are already here. As I have frantically baked cookies, mailed holiday cards and waited in long lines for the perfect gift, I couldn’t help but people-watch....
When LTC leaders delegate accountability
By
John O'Connor
Nov 19, 2012
What happens when delegation without accountability takes place? We saw a good example last week, when the Office of Inspector General released a damning report about excessive Medicare charges from nursing...
The resident’s ‘right to refuse’
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Aug 28, 2012
Therapy services can be a tricky business when working with residents with a history of “behavioral issues.”
Therapists can co-treat? Why yes, they can!
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Apr 19, 2012
Have you heard? Yes, it’s true. We can now provide therapy co-treatment with another discipline WITHOUT splitting our treatment time. But, not so fast …
Is this billable time?
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Mar 07, 2012
The title sounds like an obvious question, but I can guarantee that the majority of therapists have under billed at some point in their career.