Physical Therapy & other Rehabilitative Therapies - What You Should Know...
re-ha-bil-i-tate
1. To restore to good health or useful life, as through therapy and education.
2. To restore to good condition, operation, or capacity.
What is Rehabilitation?
In the healthcare industry, the process of rehabilitation is one of restoring to good condition. There are several different disciplines to cover different functions, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to name a few key elements.
Physical Therapy - focuses on gait and balance
Occupational Therapy - focuses on the function of Activities of Daily Living (i.e. eating, dressing, bathing, transferring, toileting, continence)
Speech Therapy - focuses on the ability to communicate but also on the swallowing mechanism and function, as well as cognition.
Does Medicare pay for Rehabilitation?
As with most Medicare coverage, there are qualifying criteria requirements. While the criteria share some common elements, it can vary, depending on the individual's needs and scenario. Most professionals in the rehabilitation field are best qualified to assess the individual and determine the available coverage.
A few consistent elements of the criteria, include -
- Physician Referral
- Medically necessary
- Patient must show improvement toward goals
Rehabilitation is available in many different settings, such as:
- A Hospital
- A Skilled Nursing Facility
- Outpatient Therapy
- Through a Home Health Provider
Depending on the setting, rehabilitation treatment may be covered under Medicare Part A or Medicare Part B. The timeframe of Medicare coverage for rehabilitation is contingent upon several factors particularly the recovery of the patient. The goal is always to return the patient to their prior level of function, but the patient must show documented progress in intervals during the plan of treatment. There are other forms of payment for rehabilitation and the specifics of an individual's case will trigger whether other payer sources area available, such as Worker's Compensation, Major Medical Health Insurance, etc.
Things to Remember...
Since rehabilitation restores to good health or useful life, everyone agrees that staying active is one of the most important factors in keeping good health and useful life. Our bodies are able to recuperate faster and more fully when we have maintained an active healthy lifestyle!