Ethics for the SNF Therapy Professional

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 15,600 nursing homes in the United States with about 1.3 million residents in our nursing homes. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and various regulatory agencies have been critical of the Medicare Fee for Service reimbursement modelProspective Payment System and the role rehab services played in driving cost up. As a result, a total overhaul of the SNF Medicare reimbursement model was fully implemented in October of 2019 in the form of the new Patient Driven Payment Model, which bases reimbursement on patient characteristics versus volume of therapy services. This has left clinicians to establish plans of care based on clinicaljudgement versus a dictated level of care based on a Resource Utilization Group. Clinicians are now tasked with using their professional judgement in determining the amountof services, types of services, and length of service that is clinically appropriate for the patient/resident based on evidenced-based practice. As a professional, it is our ethical responsibility to remain knowledgeable about payment systems, billing, coding, documentation, and clinical practice regardless of the population you serve. This course will educate the attendee on how ethics and establishing a personal code of conduct guides our practice, as well as theresources available to the practitioner.

Target Audience: Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Speech-Language Pathologists

Highlights

• Immediately improve your knowledge of healthcare ethics and compliance
• Improve your perception of the role a professional code of conduct plays in making ethical decisions in healthcare in the skilled nursing setting