It came out February 13th, 2009.
Scroll to 'page 9' - find the new text (usually in red).
Here you will find the following:
"There are a number of sources that suggest the amount of certain services that may be typical, either per service, per episode, per condition, or per discipline."The Transmittal references the Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) Therapy Cap Report and the Edit Tables.
What are these reports?
CSC mines Medicare data to help government analysts understand their own data.
Then, since you and I pay for this data, they make it public.
Transmittal 1678 is the first time Medicare has specifically referenced these CSC reports to give physical therapists guidance on how much therapy to give our patients!
For example, this table (zipped file) says that, on average, Physical Therapists in Private Practice (PTPP) charge four (4) Therapeutic Exercises every session and that the range is 4-6 units.
How much Therapeutic Exercise do you do? More? Less?
Wait!
Shouldn't the physical therapist decide, based on findings from the evaluation, how much therapy the patient needs?
Why are governement bean counters in green eyeshades deciding for physical therapists how much therapy to provide?
Because we let them.
You decide.
If you go over (or under) the statistical ranges in the CSC reports you need to show why your patient needs more (or less) than the average amount of therapy.
Why are you different?
Are you better?
If you are then show it! Say it! Measure it!
Use new measurement tools to show Medicare the numbers - they love numbers!
Use validated outcome measures to show need and progress.
Who gets physical therapy?
Physical therapy happens between your patient and you - not in Washington DC!
I want you to get the message - you decide.
