Medicare Blog

what diagnosis does medicare cover aquatic therapy

by Dr. Amelie Padberg Jr. Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Full Answer

Does Medicare cover eecp?

Medicare has approved coverage for EECP for patients with angina who have exhausted all their other choices. In 2014, several professional organizations finally agreed in a focused update that EECP ought to be considered for patients with angina that's not helped by other treatments.

Does Medicare cover Swim Spas?

You do not need to know how to swim before beginning aquatic therapy. Hydrotherapy has been around since 2400 B.C. when the ancient Egyptians used it for a large variety of therapeutic purposes. Today, your Medicare Part B or Medicare Advantage plan may help cover medically necessary aquatic therapy. Medicare Coverage for Aquatic Therapy

How much physical therapy does Medicare cover?

If you do receive your physical therapy at a doctor’s office or other outpatient center, Medicare will cover 80 percent of the Medicare-approved cost. This cost is predetermined by the insurance company as the maximum amount they will pay for a specific service. You will be required to pay the additional 20 percent of the treatment out of pocket.

Is Aquatic Therapy covered by Medicare?

Since so many people need gentle physical therapy, aquatic therapy is covered by Medicare. Doctors recommend aquatic therapy for people that can’t handle weight-bearing exercise. Doing physical activity in water reduces the strain on the body, which enables people to go through therapy easier.

Why is aquatic therapy necessary?

What is JIA in medical terms?

Does Aetna cover physical therapy?

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What disabilities that is best associated in aquatic therapy?

Some of the diagnoses that can benefit from aquatics include spinal cord injuries, stroke, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, developmental delay, hypotonia and Down syndrome.

What does aquatic therapy fall under?

Aquatic Therapy is a specialized form of physical therapy conducted in temperature-controlled pools. Individualized treatment plans are designed to improve mobility, balance, strength, and endurance. The goal is less pain, better function.

What type of patients benefit from aquatic therapy?

The Benefits of Aquatic Therapy. Aquatic therapy is beneficial for treating people with common conditions such as low back pain, chronic pain and arthritis, but it can also be utilized for treating people post surgery.

What is the CPT code for aquatic therapy?

Aquatic Therapy with Therapeutic Exercise (CPT code 97113) Aquatic therapy (CPT code 97113) should not be billed in situations where no exercise is being performed in the water environment (e.g., debridement of ulcers).

What is the difference between aquatic therapy and hydrotherapy?

Aquatic therapy is physical therapy that takes place in a pool or other aquatic environment under the supervision of a trained healthcare professional. Aquatic therapy is also known as water therapy, aquatic rehabilitation, aqua therapy, pool therapy, therapeutic aquatic exercise or hydrotherapy.

Who should use hydrotherapy?

Hydrotherapy has many benefits and is used to treat a wide range of conditions including spinal, upper and lower body. It is helpful following surgery, particularly after joint replacements and back surgery. It has also proven to be extremely helpful in the management of arthritis.

What is aquatic physical therapy good for?

Increase in joint flexibility. Buoyancy offers a tremendous advantage because it reduces the effects of gravity allowing for increased joint range of motion. Your affected body part will float, making it easier and less painful to move. The warm water also helps to relax muscles that are sore or tight.

What are the disadvantages of aquatic therapy?

The perception of objects (like the instructor demonstrating exercises) in water is also affected by refraction, leading to difficulty in learning specific motor skills for people with limited eyesight, or impaired sense of body position or balance due to stroke or other injury.

What is aquatic therapy for autism?

Pediatric aquatic therapy can help children with Autism to improve their concentration and attention span. The therapy focuses on play-based functional movement, facilitating neurodevelopmental growth and improving range of motion. The therapy improves body awareness, while also helping the children to have fun.

Is hydrotherapy covered by Medicare?

Although hydrotherapy, like many other Allied Health professional services, is typically not covered by Medicare, it may be covered in an NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) package.

Is aquatic therapy a modality?

Note: Pool, aquatic, or hydrotherapy is considered to be a physical therapy modality subject to the physical therapy guidelines and any applicable plan benefit limits for physical therapy (see CPB 0325 - Physical Therapy).

Is aquatic therapy a timed code?

What code(s) are used to bill for aquatic physical therapy? The correct code for billing aquatic physical therapy services is 97113. This is a timed code that includes therapeutic exercise, allowing one unit for each 15 minutes of direct service.

Therapy Requirements Fact Sheet - CMS

Therapy Requirements Fact Sheet . While changes to Publication 100-02, Chapter 7, Home Health Services are pending, the following information related to therapy requirements contained in the Calendar Year 2011

Documentation and Billing for Aquatic Therapy | 3452 | Aquatics

i'd love to see pictures and videos included of the equipment mentioned such as when Beth discusses use of Eddies in therapy, show us an Eddie and adding a video of you using one with a patient would be awesome; same for other techniques mentioned. loved the interactiveness of the lecture; read from the slides a lot and quickly doesnt really enhance the lecture

Does Medicare Cover Aquatic Therapy? | Medicare & Medicare Advantage ...

Aquatic therapy is the scientific practice of physical therapy in an aquatic environment. You or a loved one may benefit from aquatic physical therapy if you have some form of neuromuscular or musculoskeletal disorder that restricts traditional physical therapy practices. During aquatic therapy session, the buoyancy and resistance of the water...

CMS Finalizes 15% Cut to Therapy Assistant Services for 2022

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Tuesday finalized its Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), confirming a 1% cut to Medicare Part B physical and occupational therapy rates, down from the proposed 2% in July, and a 15% cut for services provided by therapy assistants.

Aquatic Therapy Compliance - Nancy Beckley and Associates

Hi Dawn – Thank you for your comment. If the aquatic location is an enrolled location in hour group private practice enrollment, signage and hours should be posted, to ensure that the site visit validation contractor is able to complete the checklist required.

Why do we use aquatic therapy?

Aquatic therapy exercises should be used to facilitate progression to land based therapy and to increased function. The qualified professional/auxiliary personnel does not need to be in the water with the patient unless there is an identified safety issue.

How many visits to a pool for aquatic therapy?

The home program may need to be carried out through community resources. Documentation must clearly support the need for aquatic therapy greater than 8 visits.

Does Medicare cover aquatic therapy?

Medicare, as well as other Payers, have specific policies that dictate payment and coverage for Aquatic Therapy. Medicare guidance speaks to the provision of Aquatic Therapy by a Private Practice not only in the “clinic” but also in a Community Pool. Medicare further differentiates the provision of Aquatic Therapy in a Community Pool by ...

Is the minutes for the patient to dress/undress, get into and out of the pool included in the

CGS also provides guidance that minutes for the patient to dress/undress, get into and out of the pool should not be included in the tally of minutes. Of significance, but perhaps obvious, CGS points the Therapy Provider to Group Therapy for guidelines when treating more than one patient at the same time in the pool.

Is aquatic therapy necessary?

Aquatic therapy may be considered reasonable and necessary for a patient without the ability to tolerate land-based exercises for rehabilitation. Aquatic therapy exercises should be used to facilitate progression to land based therapy. The qualified professional/personnel auxiliary personnel does not need to be in the water with ...

Why is aquatic therapy necessary?

Aquatic therapy may necessary for a loss or restriction of joint motion, strength, mobility, or function which has resulted from a specific disease or injury . The medical record should show objective loss of joint motion, strength, or mobility (e.g., degrees of motion, strength grades, levels of assistance).

What is JIA in medical terms?

Ramirez and associates (2019) stated that juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a rheumatologic disease in children under 16 years of age, which causes early physical disability. The use a form of passive hydrotherapy in chest-deep thermo-neutral water (WATSU [WaterShiatsu]; 35° C = 95° F = 308.15 K) in these patients was proposed. WATSU combines elements of myofascial stretching, joint mobilization, massage, and shiatsu. These researchers examined the effectiveness of WATSU compared with conventional hydrotherapy on HR-QOL, functional health status, pain, and ranges of joint motion in patients with acute or subacute JIA. In a single-blind, parallel controlled clinical trial, 46 patients with acute and subacute JIA between 8 to 18 years of age were randomized in a 1:1 manner to the WATSU group (n = 24) and to the conventional hydrotherapy group (n = 22). Subjects participated in 10 sessions of 45 minutes once-weekly. Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL4.0), Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ), and 10-joints Global range of motion score (GROMS) assessments were measured in the beginning, post-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up. WATSU therapy showed statistically significant improvements in physical functioning – HR-QOL (p = 0.041), disability index (p = 0.015), distress index (p = 0.015), and functional health status -- CHAQ (p = 0.013) after treatment compared to conventional hydrotherapy. The authors concluded that WATSU therapy improved HR-QOL, pain sensation, and functional health status compared to conventional hydrotherapy. Moreover, these researchers stated that methodological adaptations are needed in future studies to improve the external validity of these findings.

Does Aetna cover physical therapy?

Note: Aetna covers only the professional charges of a physical therapist or other recognized , licensed providers (e.g., doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, podiatrist, and physical therapy assistant), for physical therapy modalities administered in a pool, which require direct, one-on-one, patient contact.

What is Medicare approved amount?

Medicare-Approved Amount. In Original Medicare, this is the amount a doctor or supplier that accepts assignment can be paid. It may be less than the actual amount a doctor or supplier charges. Medicare pays part of this amount and you’re responsible for the difference. , and the Part B deductible applies.

What is part B in physical therapy?

Physical therapy. Part B covers certain doctors' services, outpatient care, medical supplies, and preventive services. Health care services or supplies needed to diagnose or treat an illness, injury, condition, disease, or its symptoms and that meet accepted standards of medicine. outpatient physical therapy.

Document Information

CPT codes, descriptions and other data only are copyright 2021 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/HHSARS apply.

CMS National Coverage Policy

This LCD supplements but does not replace, modify, or supersede existing Medicare applicable National Coverage Determinations (NCDs) or payment policy rules and regulations for therapy and rehabilitation services. Federal statute and subsequent Medicare regulations regarding provision and payment for medical services are lengthy.

Coverage Guidance

Compliance with the provisions in this policy may be monitored and addressed through post payment data analysis and subsequent medical review audits. History/Background and/or General Information This LCD provides guidelines for many physical medicine and rehabilitation services. However, this LCD does not address all services.

What is the correct CPT code for aquatic physical therapy?

CPT code 97113 is the correct code used to bill for aquatic physical therapy. The code includes therapeutic exercise. Billing for aquatic physical therapy using codes other than 97113 is fraudulent and referred to as "coding around.". 5.

Does the APTA have a written guideline for therapists?

The APTA Academy of Aquatic Physical Therapy does not have written guidelines for therapists who treat in the therapy pool, but the academy supports best practice guidelines for achieving and maintaining the highest quality of care for each individual. 8.

Do you need a certification to do aquatic physical therapy?

There is presently no legal or professional requirement for a therapist to be certified or credentialed to perform aquatic physical therapy. However, it is critical to the profession for therapists to become knowledgeable in the specifics of aquatic physical therapy to provide safe and clinically relevant treatment. 13.

What is hydrotherapy for?

Hydrotherapy is useful in post-operative extremity (joint) rehabilitation (e.g., total hip or knee arthroplasty, total shoulder, elbow, and wrist arthroplasty). Click to see full answer. Similarly one may ask, how do you bill for aquatic therapy? For example aquatic therapy as a skilled intervention has a CPT code of 97113.

What is CPT code 97799?

What does CPT code 97799 mean? Per the American Medical Association (AMA), CPT code 97799 is defined as “Unlisted physical medicine/rehabilitation service or procedure”. CPT code 97799 would be used when the therapy service or procedure provided is not described by a more specific CPT code.

Spotlight

The Therapy Services webpage is being updated, in a new section on the landing page called “Implementation of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018”, to: (a) Reflect the KX modifier threshold amounts for CY 2021, (b) Add more information about implementing Section 53107 of the BBA of 2018, and (c) Note that the Beneficiary Fact Sheet has been updated.

Implementation of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018

This section was last revised in March 2021 to reflect the CY 2021 KX modifier thresholds. On February 9, 2018, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA of 2018) (Public Law 115-123) was signed into law.

Other

On August 16, 2018, CMS issued a new Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to reflect the changes of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. Please find the document in the below Downloads section titled: “August 2018 ABN FAQs”.

Why is aquatic therapy necessary?

Aquatic therapy may necessary for a loss or restriction of joint motion, strength, mobility, or function which has resulted from a specific disease or injury . The medical record should show objective loss of joint motion, strength, or mobility (e.g., degrees of motion, strength grades, levels of assistance).

What is JIA in medical terms?

Ramirez and associates (2019) stated that juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a rheumatologic disease in children under 16 years of age, which causes early physical disability. The use a form of passive hydrotherapy in chest-deep thermo-neutral water (WATSU [WaterShiatsu]; 35° C = 95° F = 308.15 K) in these patients was proposed. WATSU combines elements of myofascial stretching, joint mobilization, massage, and shiatsu. These researchers examined the effectiveness of WATSU compared with conventional hydrotherapy on HR-QOL, functional health status, pain, and ranges of joint motion in patients with acute or subacute JIA. In a single-blind, parallel controlled clinical trial, 46 patients with acute and subacute JIA between 8 to 18 years of age were randomized in a 1:1 manner to the WATSU group (n = 24) and to the conventional hydrotherapy group (n = 22). Subjects participated in 10 sessions of 45 minutes once-weekly. Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL4.0), Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ), and 10-joints Global range of motion score (GROMS) assessments were measured in the beginning, post-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up. WATSU therapy showed statistically significant improvements in physical functioning – HR-QOL (p = 0.041), disability index (p = 0.015), distress index (p = 0.015), and functional health status -- CHAQ (p = 0.013) after treatment compared to conventional hydrotherapy. The authors concluded that WATSU therapy improved HR-QOL, pain sensation, and functional health status compared to conventional hydrotherapy. Moreover, these researchers stated that methodological adaptations are needed in future studies to improve the external validity of these findings.

Does Aetna cover physical therapy?

Note: Aetna covers only the professional charges of a physical therapist or other recognized , licensed providers (e.g., doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, podiatrist, and physical therapy assistant), for physical therapy modalities administered in a pool, which require direct, one-on-one, patient contact.

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