We are just a couple of weeks into PDPM and some interesting trends are starting to develop.
Let’s have a look at 5 areas worthy of a close inspection.
- Non-Therapy Ancillaries (NTA) – Capturing non-therapy ancillaries could mean earning huge potential dollars. In order to capture these NTAs, having excellent documentation of items like isolation, IV meds, suctioning and more is imperative.
- SLP Component – Identifying swallowing disorders is where a great Speech-Language Pathologist should shine. The speech therapist also plays a key role in identifying patients clinically appropriate for mechanically altered diets. Lastly, buildings whose SLPs do a great job in capturing the speech-related comorbidities can be huge PDPM winners. Since the SLP Component has such a wide range of dollar variation from high to low, having involvement from Speech will go a long way to determining your success.
- Primary Reason for diagnosis – This is at the heart of PDPM. It needs to be the primary reason for the SNF stay. Using the crosswalk is a helpful tool.
- Efficiency in Rehab – There has been a great deal of discussion about various providers and contract rehab companies reducing PT & OT positions since October 1st. Now is the time to make certain that SNF leadership has buy-in from rehab professionals, is making thoughtful use of group & concurrent therapy, and continues to prioritize reducing hospital readmissions.
- Reviewing UB-04 claim forms prior to submission has always been an important task. Since the process has changed for PDPM, using a real expert for at least the next few months is highly recommended. The more we can learn about the process, the better.
If you have any questions or ideas, we’d love to talk. Feel free to contact us today!
