Tips to Prevent Low Back Pain

Low back pain is very common and can affect 4 out of 5 people at some time during their lives. As a person ages, lower back pain becomes even more prevalent. The lower back is involved in almost all activities of daily living like standing, walking, and lifting. Low back pain can limit many activities and reduce your quality of life. Although the causes can vary for each person; here are a few tips to prevent injury and pain.

How Therapy Can Help
If back pain is impacting your quality of life, talk with your doctor about physical therapy. A physical therapist will assess problems and recommend an individualized treatment plan with key exercises to improve your condition.


Sources: Sleepfoundation.org, Merck Manuals Online Medical Library

/2 Comments

Physical Therapy Can Help You!

Physical therapists work with people of all ages to feel and move better.  They can help maximize your movement, manage pain, avoid surgery, manage chronic conditions and recover from and prevent injury.

Here are some ways physical therapy can help you:

Manage Pain

Physical therapists use a variety of treatment approaches to address the root cause of your pain and movement limitations.  Physical therapy is recommended as a safe alternative to opioids for pain management.

Maximize Movement

Physical therapists can help you maintain or restore as much function as possible to move safely and effectively.  Regular physical activity can improve many chronic conditions and overall quality of life.

Improve Balance and Reduce Fall Risk

Physical therapists can help assess your fall risk factors and design a treatment plan to address your balance deficits.  Physical therapy helps to restore balance, mobility and strength.

 

Physical therapists work hard to help patients maintain and regain their quality of life. Speak with your doctor to find out how Physical Therapy could benefit you!

Source:  ChoosePT provided by APTA

/0 Comments

Falls Prevention for Older Adults

Each year 1 in 3 older adults will experience a fall; which is why it’s vitally important to pay attention to your body and stay on top of your balance. To prevent falls, the CDC recommends adults age 65+ should be screened yearly for fall risk or any time after a fall occurs. You can also check your risk for falling by answering the below 12 questions.

https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/STEADI-Brochure-StayIndependent-508.pdf

Therapy Can Help Reduce Falls & Improve Balance

Talk with your doctor if you fall, worry about falling, or feel unsteady. Physical Therapists provide balance training to restore and correct your balance. Occupational Therapists provide training on assistive devices and home safety to reduce your risk for falls.

/0 Comments
,

SNF Claims with Zero Hospital Days Prior to Admission Under Review

Blog by: Stacy Baker, OTR/L, RAC-CT, CHC, Proactive Medical Review

Effective July 15, 2022, HHS Secretary extended the PHE, the new expiration date being October 13, 2022. CMS continues to recognize that disruptions arising from a PHE can affect coverage under the SNF benefit:

  • Prevent a patient from having the 3-day inpatient QHS.
  • Disrupt the process of ending patient’s current benefit period and renewing their benefits.

While providers may continue using the QHS and Benefit Period Waivers, documentation needs to support how the skilled stay relates to the PHE, and in the absence of the pandemic, that the skilling condition would have required an inpatient hospital stay.

Going back to the March 13, 2020 letter to HHS from CMS Administrator, “SNF care without a 3-day inpatient hospital stay will be covered for beneficiaries who experience dislocations or are otherwise affected by the emergency, such as those who are (1) evacuated from a nursing home in the emergency area, (2) discharged from a hospital (in the emergency or receiving locations) in order to provide care to more seriously ill patients, or (3) need SNF care as a result of the emergency…” The letter goes on to state that the benefit period waiver “will apply only for those beneficiaries who have been delayed or prevented by the emergency itself…”

Furthermore, Proactive has seen recent medical review activity from the Supplemental Medical Review Contractor (SMRC), Noridian. Their current project reports that data analysis completed by CMS and the SMRC identified a potential area of vulnerability, and the SMRC is tasked to perform a medical review on SNF claims (3/1/2020 – 12/31/2021) that had zero hospital days prior to admission.

Click here to continue reading this blog.

 

About Proactive Medical Review
HTS partners with Proactive Medical Review, a third party company who specializes in ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and promoting measurable care excellence. The team includes SNF experienced nurse, MDS, Health Facility Administrator, therapist and reimbursement specialists with experience serving in multi-site contract therapy operations, as corporate directors of quality, clinical program specialists, and Compliance Officers. Proactive is uniquely positioned to assist in managing the many changes and challenges facing providers partnered with HTS. Learn more about our commitment to compliance here.

/0 Comments

What We Are Loving Right Now… Benchmarking!

By: Sheena Mattingly, HTS Director of Clinical Outcomes

What we’re loving right now is benchmarking. Before you call me a data nerd, which I certainly am, let me explain. HTS invests in Business Intelligence (BI) software which is used to analyze outcomes. This information is used for everything from reviewing areas of opportunity to optimizing processes.

Recently, we have been able to benchmark HTS data against national peers. It’s extremely important to be able to measure key performance indicators at the site level compared to internal standards. Arguably, more importantly, we need to be able to measure data at the company level and compare it to external standards. This is the way most industries operate. Unfortunately, benchmarking data in the long-term care space has not been available to us in the past.

Now that Net Health has acquired the two largest therapy documentation software companies (Optima and Casamba), this means we have access to most SNF rehab data across the nation. See below for two examples of how HTS uses benchmarking within BI.

National Outcomes

This Dashboard allows HTS to benchmark outcomes against national peers using admission and discharge GG scores as well as the length of stay.

National PDPM Stats

This Dashboard allows HTS to compare facility specific data to the data of similar facilities nationwide. The key performance indicators analyzed include:

  • ALOS
  • Group & Concurrent Percentages
  • Average Daily Treatment Minutes
  • PT/OT CMG Patient Distribution
  • SLP CMG Patient Distribution

With this new tool in our toolbox, we are able to show therapy outcomes in a more objective manner. Also, legislatively speaking, national associations are now more easily able to show CMS the significant impact therapies have on the long-term population’s independence and wellness. This information is crucial to prove why additional cuts to our industry are detrimental.

 

Need a Powerful Therapy Partner? Contact Amanda Green, Executive Director of Strategic Development amanda@htstherapy.com for information about our contract therapy partnerships.

/0 Comments

5 Tips for Aging Well

As we get older, we experience both mental and physical changes to our health. There are strategies for achieving a healthier life to remain active and independent for as long as possible.

 

Move More. Sit Less:  Sitting too much can be harmful to your health. Research suggests adults age 65+ should do at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week. Walking and swimming are both good options of exercise for older adults.

Maintain Your Flexibility:  Flexibility allows us to move our bodies and joints freely and with ease. You can improve your flexibility at any age with gentle stretching and exercise. Stretching each morning can help reduce pain and stiffness and help you move more comfortably throughout the day.

Take Care of Your Joints:  Poor joint health can impact your ability to move and enjoy life. Engage in low-impact exercises such as swimming, walking, yoga, and stretching to ease joint stiffness and help you move more freely. Reduce the stress on your joints by maintaining a healthy weight.

Reduce Your Risk for Cognitive Decline:  A healthy lifestyle that includes regular cardiovascular exercise, a healthy balanced diet, and proper quality sleep can help lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.

Prevent Falls & Maintain Balance:  Maintaining good balance and sense of body position is critical to preventing falls. Your balance may be improved with exercises that strengthen the core, back, ankle, knee, and hip muscles along with exercises that improve the function of the balance system.

 

Therapy Can Help Aging Adults Stay Active & Independent

Exercise is extremely important in managing many common symptoms of aging. Physical therapists can teach you how to exercise appropriately for joint mobility, muscle strength, and fitness. Occupational therapists help older adults to safely do the things they want to do, stay active and live well despite limitations. Talk with your doctor to see if Physical, Occupational, or Speech Therapy is right for you.

 

/0 Comments

Outpatient Therapy Helps Older Adults Be Strong, Independent, and Live Life to the Fullest!

How Can Outpatient Therapy Help?

Outpatient rehabilitation services including Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy are available to help patients with a variety of therapeutic solutions.

Physical Therapy works with adults to address lower body strength, walking, balance, and use of assistive devices such as walkers and wheelchairs.  Occupational Therapy focuses on upper body strength, fine motor skills, and the ability to perform daily self-care activities such as bathing and dressing.  Lastly, Speech therapy is available to address communication or swallowing disorders.

 

Common Conditions Treated

Physical, occupational, and speech therapists treat many conditions and injuries on an outpatient basis, including but not limited to:

  • Arthritis
  • Back, Shoulder, and Neck Pain
  • Facial and Jaw Pain
  • Cognitive Decline
  • Balance Disorders
  • Inner Ear Problems
  • Hand Injuries and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Knee and Leg Injuries or Pain
  • Neurological Disorders
  • Speech Disorders
  • Swallowing Disorders
  • Sports-related Injuries
  • Work-related Injuries

 

Insurance & Medicare Coverage

Therapy services are covered by Medicare Part B, Medicaid, and other insurance providers. We work with your insurance to verify your benefits prior to starting therapy.  A doctor’s referral is required to access outpatient therapy services. Proactively addressing challenges that you may be facing will help to ensure you are living a healthy and happy life. Contact Therapy today to discuss your concerns and treatment options.

/1 Comment

Managing Painful Arthritis with Exercise

Approximately 350 million people worldwide have arthritis. Arthritis is a condition defined by painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints. Exercise may be the last thing on a person’s mind when suffering from arthritis. But exercise is absolutely crucial. A person may think exercise will aggravate their joint pain and stiffness, but that’s not the case. Lack of exercise can actually make your joints even more painful and stiff.

EXERCISE CAN…

    • Strengthen Muscles Around Joints
    • Help Maintain Bone Strength
    • Give You More Energy
    • Help Control Your Weight
    • Enhance Your Quality of Life
    • Improve Your Balance

Keeping muscles and surrounding tissue strong is crucial to maintaining support for your bones. Not exercising weakens those supporting muscles, creating more stress on your joints. Exercise is considered the most effective non-drug treatment for reducing pain and improving movement in patients.

How Therapy Can Help You!

Exercise is extremely important in managing arthritis symptoms, but it may be hard to get started and maintain an exercise program. Overcoming the hurdles of pain, exhaustion, or boredom can be difficult, especially on your own. A physical or occupational therapist can help you to overcome these hurdles and gain success in maintaining your exercise routine. Physical therapists evaluate your needs and teach you how to exercise appropriately for joint mobility, muscle strength, and fitness. Physical therapists can also recommend exercises for you to do on your own. These exercises might include; range-of-motion exercises, aerobic exercises, and strength training. Occupational therapists help by teaching you how to protect and reduce stress on your joints while exercising and performing daily tasks. Talk with your doctor about the benefits of both physical and occupational therapy for your arthritis needs!

/0 Comments

Maintain Flexibility with Aging

As a kid, touching your toes was a piece of cake. For older adults, being agile becomes more challenging and is due to a loss of flexibility as our bodies age. Flexibility allows us to move our bodies and joints freely and with ease. Maintaining your flexibility is important in order to function normally and complete daily living tasks such as putting on your socks and shoes, getting dressed, and household chores like cleaning and picking up items off the floor.

The good news is you can improve your flexibility at any age. Try these gentle stretches each morning to reduce pain and stiffness and help you move comfortably throughout the day.

 

 

Therapy Can Help Adults Stay Active & Independent
Physical therapists can teach you how to exercise appropriately for joint mobility, flexibility, strength and fitness. Occupational therapists help older adults to safely do the things they want to do, stay active and live well despite limitations. Talk to your doctor today about the benefits of physical and occupational therapy!

/0 Comments
,

5 PDPM Process Improvement Solutions

PDPM success is contingent upon excellent communication. Therapy no longer drives the meeting process as all disciplines within the IDT must contribute to the collection of data to assure coding accuracy.

HTS is uniquely positioned with a team of seasoned therapists and nurses to analyze data trends for system optimization under PDPM. The HTS Process Improvement Starter Kit will catapult your building’s ability to tackle PDPM challenges with the use of 5 PDPM solutions.

Starter Kit Includes:

  1. Initial Medicare Meeting Tool & Discussion Guide
  2. Physician Query Process
  3. SLP Component Communication Tool
  4. NTA Case-Mix Group Classification Guide & NTA Quick Tips
  5. Nursing Classification Guide

Get Started Today!

HTS Partners have instant access to all of the tools and resources mentioned above by logging into the PartnerHQ web portal. For questions, please contact your HTS Regional Director.

Need a Powerful Therapy Partner? Contact Amanda Green, Executive Director of Strategic Development amanda@htstherapy.com for information about our contract therapy partnerships.

/0 Comments