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In our last blog post, we talked about the changes occurring in rehabilitation therapy now, and those that’ll continue to occur over the next few years. We’re not referring to the changes in treatment methods or modalities, rather how rehab departments will have to rethink daily activities and business models.

This is going to be true for all specialties, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, and all settings – but even more so in the skilled settings.

One of the major reasons is that HMOs are having an even greater impact on reimbursement for therapy treatments. This change is becoming more and more obvious in the skilled nursing sector, where in the not-too-distant past, therapy treatments were almost always paid for by federal Medicare.

Now in some facilities, up to 50% and more of the patients’ treatments are paid by private (HMO) Medicare, which totally changes the billing and reimbursement model.

Patients are allowed only a certain amount of funds (or minutes of therapy in this case) based on their doctors’ recommendations and their initial therapy evaluation. In fact, how the physicians phrase their treatment plan and how the evaluating therapists write up observations and plans can make all the difference in how many minutes of therapy the HMO will pay for.

In truth, the evaluating therapist and physician’s notes should pretty much be the same or very similar; however, the evaluating therapist can recommend additional treatments if they can demonstrate the need and the quality-of-life impact it will have on the patient.

Furthermore, if a patient isn’t given the number of minutes the treatment calls for, then the patient’s reimbursement amount is docked by the HMO.

TheraStaff has been in this industry long enough to remember when 65% efficiencies (that is, 65% of a therapists time is billable) was fine. Now 80% is the norm and we are seeing some facilities demanding 90% efficiencies from their therapists from the moment they enter the building.

Therefore, the therapist’s best bet is to arrive a minimum of 15 minutes early so that he or she can get settled and organized for the day. Facilities are requesting this level of efficiency not only to get more work out of the therapist but also to comply with a third-payer contract.

In our next blog post, we will discuss how some to these issues can be addressed. Topics covered will include:

• How therapists can make the most of their time in the facility.
• How therapists can elicit support from others at the facility.
• How therapists can get all treatment minutes with an uncooperative patient.

“It’s been a long, a long time coming but I know a change is gonna come. Oh, yes, it will.”
-Sam Cooke, 1963

These are the lyrics that defined the Civil Rights Movement of the ‘60s, inspired Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech and has recently been revived in the very successful campaign of President Obama.

Now this anthem can be applied to healthcare and all of us involved have a choice: we can either embrace it or struggle with it. But, like the great movements of the past, it’s “gonna come,” however you deal with it.

Many involved in healthcare feel we are recession proof, but the reality is different. While we may not go the way of the American automobile industry, the effects are still significant and will probably change the face of healthcare forever.

For the first time in many years, we are seeing layoffs in specialties that were formerly deemed secure and safe. Facilities are closing, consolidating and merging. Reducing costs is now not a goal but a must.

While the healthcare industry has not experienced the plant closures and layoffs that many other fields have, it’s still greatly impacted by this recession. With more people out of work and having trouble paying for COBRA or losing their insurance completely, treatments are reduced, revenues slow and bad debts increasing. Patients cancel, skip or stretch out treatments.

And while your paycheck may look the same (for now), those you work for are facing serious challenges keeping up with paying the bills. But we need not despair, we can adapt, we can be part of the solution and there will always be opportunities for skilled and talented healthcare professionals.

“A change is gonna come,” and we can be ready for it. Watch for future blog posts for tips and suggestions on how you can survive – and even excel – during change.

Bill Stone
Founder and CEO

Today, we’re officially launching the TheraStaff blog, and I suppose that now make us bloggers.

There’s lots of new and exciting changes going on at TheraStaff. As of the first of April, we’ve joined forces with The Eastridge Group of Staffing Companies, named one of the Largest Staffing Firms in the U.S. – in both private and public sectors – by Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc.

Eastridge has temp and direct-hire staffing roots stretching back almost 40 years and is present in several markets across the United States. Eastridge provides us with so many new and expanded services that it’s hard to know where to start.

We now have sister divisions that specialize in staffing for many different fields including human resources, information technology and an additional sector of healthcare, to name a few.

HR Solutions specializes in staffing human resources professionals and consultants for a variety of projects, including jobs for the health care industry.

Our information technology staffer, Eastridge InfoTech, has expertise in health care IT staffing and another division, Medical Resources Staffing Services, offers back-office medial support like coders, billers, transcriptions and more.

We even have the support of a stellar marketing-communications department through our affiliate Eplica, responsible for our great new website with all of the up-to-date features and tools.

Additionally, TheraStaff has just expanded to Texas. That said, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce Jessica Smiddy, our Texas Regional Director. Jessica has almost 10 years experience working in the health care sector, specifically for a large rehabilitation management company.

In her role there, Jessica was responsible for recruiting, hiring and staffing therapy professionals for as many as 35 facilities across the U.S. Jessica knows this business very well, and has made an excellent addition to our team.

If you have any physical, occupational or speech and language therapy friends in the Loan Star State who are looking for a new position or to pick some additional shifts, have them call Jessica at 214.606.5513 or 800.458.7777 extension No. 7.

Look for our future blog posts and let us hear from you as well! Thanks for all you do and the great service you provide to medical facilities and patients.

Bill Stone
Founder and CEO