Question: My agency is asking me to fill in every ROM for every joint. They say I cannot write WFL or WNL or write decreased with a percentage which seems a bit tedious and unnecessary to me. What is the answer? -Frustrated in Houston, George. Answer: George, the answer is somewhere in the middle (like usual). The bigger picture you present the better. The more things you show that are wrong with a patient, the better justification. However, your main mission is to show that the impairment is affecting function …
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Question: We have been auditing our records and our consultant keeps saying we are not doing enough discharge planning. I thought if we checked the box that says DC planning is what we needed to do. What else is needed for DC planning? Answer: Your consultant is correct. It helps frame the entire case when you do proper discharge planning from day one. It should be in the evaluation and then in every subsequent note. Discharge plans should be specific and appropriate for the patient’s functional ability and living situation. …
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Question: I work for a company who does Home Health and Part B patients in a senior apartment complex and have recently been having issues/concerns with pts we are seeing under Part B being referred to Home Health. For example: We were seeing a patient under Part B when they were referred to Home Health for “behavioral issues”. How can we justify seeing her under Home Health when for the past 2 wks she has been in outpatient therapy? There hasn’t been a change in functional mobility. We are concerned that if …
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Question: I am looking for information on Medicare guidelines for therapy (PT, OT, ST) documentation. Ideally, I need to find Medicare’s minimum required documentation for therapy evaluations and not start of care requirements. I would appreciate any/all resources you recommend and thank you in advance for any help/consideration you may afford me. Answer: Welcome to Medicare Mentor HHA! I hope I can be of help to you and anyone else who has questions about navigating the world of Medicare Home Health. The answer to your question is based on rules …
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