Question:I was informed that we can treat beyond what was there prior lever of function, I work in skilled rehab, and they said this was part of the new rules. If the patient would benefit from going beyond PLOC. Is this true?

Answer: Absolutely NO. There has been no changes in the regulations on that topic AND once the patient does not require the 5 day a week intensity of the SNF Part A they need to be discharged to a lower cost provider such as HHA or Part B. So the goals in the SNF should never be to their PLOF but to the level where they can either go home and continue their care or move to the LTC section of the SNF or move into an alternative care center until they can go homePart B is the payor source to get them back to their propr level.

The only exception to this requirement being a patient who has undergone any type of medical intervention to improve their current level of function such as elective joint replacement.