Have you reported this with names and details to AOTA for follow-up? What was the result of the debate? Will this person continue the blanket refusal of all OT? Targeted refusals of UE exercise without specific rationale and a UE diagnosis might go a long way to changing practice. I wonder how widespread this is in Canada. I did see it 25 years ago as a student. It definitely does not happen in this area. All the OTs are far too busy too waste time that way. Joan Riches B.Sc.O.T., OT(C) Specialist in Cognitive Disability Riches Consulting High River, Alberta, Canada 403 652 7928 -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: April 23, 2009 8:12 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [OTlist] Breaking the Bonds of Upper Extremity OT; Is it even
Listened to a medicare teleconference describing why CMS is denying debility patients from acute rehab stays. When asked why this is so, the medicare communicater stated that they did not have medical necessity for occupational therapy. When debating this issue and how occupational therapy works on a debility patient's occupations, the communicator stated that she thought that all we did was UE exercise. I guess from all of her chart audits she has concluded this over the years. I am starting to slowly see Ron's point of view even clearer now. I now am recognizing that this is more of a standard practice than I thought. I think we really need to focus on occupations when the goal is to get the patient home or to improve their quality of life. I think it is ok to work on UE strength, fine motor control to an extent especiallly when the imparment is effecting the individual on a disability level, but the focus needs to be on the skills that will allow the patient to go home safelyl. I believe that this move by medicare CMS will slowly trickle down into other areas of our care. We need to start now to force our other therapists to treat as occupational therapists not cone and peg pushers. Managers need to initiate policies that address these issues now, No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.12.4/2078 - Release Date: 04/24/09 07:54:00 -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
