Medicare Blog

what patients can be put on maintenance therapy with medicare

by Dr. Kim Moen Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago

Re: Medicare Guidelines for Maintenance Home Health & Outpatient Physical Therapy Rationale: Clients with neuromuscular disorders (e.g. ALS, SMA, Muscular Dystrophies) have chronic impairments which affect their ability to mobilize and function at their maximal potential. Examples include strength, balance, respiration, posture, balance, and pain

Full Answer

Does Medicare cover maintenance therapy?

Skilled Maintenance Therapy Under Medicare. Medicare does indeed cover services to maintain or manage a beneficiary's current condition when no functional improvement is possible. There has been a longstanding myth that Medicare does not cover services to maintain or manage a beneficiary's current condition when no functional improvement is possible.

What are the Medicare guidelines?

  • Doctors' services
  • Nursing and medical services
  • Durable medical equipment for pain relief and symptom management
  • Medical supplies, like bandages or catheters
  • Drugs for pain management
  • Aide and homemaker services
  • Physical therapy services
  • Occupational therapy services
  • Speech-language pathology services
  • Social services

More items...

Are Medicare plans complying with CMS regulation?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Friday released a toolkit ... community providers and meet network adequacy standards. It also released guidance on plan year 2021 compliance reviews and direct enrollment requirements.

Do health maintenance organizations work for Medicare?

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) A type of health insurance plan that usually limits coverage to care from doctors who work for or contract with the HMO. It generally won't cover out-of-network care except in an emergency. An HMO may require you to live or work in its service area to be eligible for coverage.

What is maintenance therapy in nursing?

A3: These are nursing or therapy services to maintain the patient's condition or to prevent or slow further deterioration.

What is a functional maintenance program?

Therapists have the responsibility of helping our clients, even when experiencing injury and chronic illness, maintain their functional abilities. Functional Maintenance Programs are designed to optimize and maintain a client's performance after they are discharged from therapy.

What is the goal of maintenance therapy?

Maintenance therapy goals include preventing unnecessary, avoidable complications from a chronic condition, such as deterioration of communication skills and reduced functional independence in activities of daily living.

What is maintenance physiotherapy?

Maintenance, as opposed to rehabilitation, is a rationale for ongoing physiotherapy management, which has gained some acceptance in recent years (Crawford 1997). The aim of maintenance physiotherapy is to prevent objectively measurable deterioration in a patient's condition and sustain quality of life.

How do you document maintenance therapy?

Documentation: Narratives: spell it out and show your work. Make sure your documentation highlights the response to treatment and changes and shows communication among members of care team. Establish a Maintenance goal or goals that prevent or slow decline. Consider a patient defined goal.

What is the jimmo settlement?

The Jimmo Settlement means that Medicare beneficiaries should not be denied maintenance nursing or therapy when skilled personnel must provide or supervise the care for it to be safe and effective. Medicare-covered skilled services include care that improves, maintains, or slows the decline of a patient's condition.

What is a maintenance session?

Treatment sessions are any session where an acute or chronic injury or illness is being addressed. Maintenance sessions are any session where general massage is applied to the full body for the purposes of staying well, staying motivated, and checking in to one's wellness goals.

What is maintenance therapy after chemo?

Treatment that is given to help keep cancer from coming back after it has disappeared following the initial therapy. It may include treatment with drugs, vaccines, or antibodies that kill cancer cells, and it may be given for a long time.

How long can you be on maintenance chemo?

How long you receive maintenance therapy depends on many factors. When used for potentially curable cancers during remission, maintenance treatment is given for a specified length of time, usually between 6 weeks and 2 years.

Why do physical therapists discharge patients?

Often physical therapists discharge patients [with chronic, degenerative conditions] because they do not realize that ongoing skilled maintenance therapy is covered by Medicare.

Can you do PT on your own?

There are times when a short course of physical therapy (PT) can meet your current needs, and you can then continue exercises on your own. Other times, however, ongoing PT may be necessary to maintain your current status (strength, flexibility, mobility, etc.) and to prevent further deterioration of your condition.

Can a therapist give you a home program?

The therapist can give you a home program, but continue to periodically re-evaluate you, address new needs, and modify your home program, or. The therapist can personally provide ongoing skilled maintenance therapy due to safety and/or complexity of your situation.

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.

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”.

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