Tuesday February 21st, 2012 by djones

Routing the Outpatient Plan of Care

Category: Outpatient Rehab

The road map to patient care is the plan.  Not one treatment session can be rendered unless the route and endpoint has been established.  What specific functional issue has compelled the patient to seek professional help in solving their unique issue and what is the straightest point to achieving resolution to that problem? As skilled professionals, our unique training and...

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Thursday February 16th, 2012 by vgravley

Metamorphosis

Category: Respiratory

Holding patient’s more accountable for their own health. How do we, as respiratory therapists, motivate our patients to put into action the lifestyle changes needed to maintain and improve their own health? A radical new vision of our profession is required. Moving beyond the traditional role of “therapist” we must recast ourselves as agents of health and change. As partners...

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Monday February 13th, 2012 by bhabasevich

Post Acute Care’s Value Proposition— Where is the Guarantee?

Category: Inpatient Rehab

With all the discussion of the CMS value-based purchasing initiatives, many in our industry still don’t see how this relates to the tasks of rehabilitating patients and improving functional abilities.  The value of improving a patient’s ability to brush his teeth or dress her lower body is different for each patient and thought to be as the ad says, “priceless.”...

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Friday February 3rd, 2012 by bhabasevich

Optimizing the Value of Patient Care: A Principled-Based Professional Responsibility

Category: Acute Care Rehab Inpatient Rehab Outpatient Rehab

I have lived the past five years with daily focus upon what it takes to improve rehabilitation patient care and provide managers and clinicians with the best tools to accomplish this objective. Five years later I can readily admit that improvement has resulted in better tools, but not necessarily better care.  Tools do not define the professionals who use them....

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Monday January 30th, 2012 by djones

Who Needs Percents to Define Admission Appropriateness to Rehabilitation?

Category: Inpatient Rehab

For those in inpatient rehabilitation, the 75% rule (now 60%) has long been a discussion to validate and uphold an exemption status that defines your ability to provide special services at the intensity to earn a designation called ”Inpatient Rehabilitation” whether you are free standing (IRF) or a unit (IRU). IRFs, having fought the long, hard battle with Congress, won...

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