Payment policies for post-acute care services, including occupational therapy services, are ever-evolving. Learn about AOTA’s legislative and regulatory advocacy activities to promote and protect quality therapy services, reimbursement, and the role of occupational therapy practitioners working in post-acute care settings—including skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities.
Medicare's recent implementation of the SNF Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) and the Home Health Patient Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) have resulted in significant changes to therapy practice and the amount of therapy provided to patients in post-acute care settings. AOTA is closely monitoring these changes and meeting with Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), and industry leaders regularly to promote and protect occupational therapy.
Policymakers are contemplating additional post-acute care payment reforms such as site-neutral payment, expansion of bundled payments, and value-based purchasing. These reform efforts could change the way post-acute care payment is determined, which in turn could impact the utilization of therapy in all post-acute care settings. If you currently work in a post-acute care setting, these issues will affect your daily practice.
Occupational therapy practitioners will have to adjust their practice to comply with federal and state laws and regulations, as well as payer policies, that in many cases return to “normal” once the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) ends.
Payment for occupational therapy in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) continues to change. Utilize these AOTA resources to keep up to date on this information.
Payment for occupational therapy in home health (HH) continues to change. Utilize these AOTA resources to keep up to date on this information.
The Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act requires nursing professionals and facilities to report specific standardized patient data. Learn how this affects you.
The final Medicare home health PPS rule permanently allows occupational therapists to perform the initial and comprehensive assessments required to open Medicare home health therapy cases beginning on January 1, 2022. Jennifer Bogenrief, AOTA Assistant Director of Regulatory Affairs, Karen Vance, BSOT, and Clarice Grote, MS, OTR/L, share what the final rule means for OTs.