Last week our team from Language Fundamentals attended the annual Zimmet Healthcare Services Group convention “The Theory of Reimbursementivity” in Atlantic City, New Jersey
There was so much to learn and observe; just try saying “reimbursementivity” 5-times fast….
PDPM
By the end of the conference there was a clear sense of optimism around PDPM– During the opening PDPM session’s audience poll (which was a fun way for attendees to participate), the overwhelming emotion attendees felt about PDPM was anxiety. By the end of the conference, that feeling had shifted to optimism. Yes, there are different feelings about PDPM from the therapy community and the nursing community. Also, there are even more questions of whether most SNFs have the nursing documentation practices in place to code and document skilled care. The pressure on nursing departments to support and capture skilled care will be intense.
Section GG
The Zimmet team touted Section GG as an opportunity for therapy and nursing to collaborate. Higher scores in section GG mean higher levels of functional independence. Section GG starts on Day 1. However, remember that Section G will still be used on OBRA assessments.
SLP Component
Steven Littlehale’s insight was outstanding. He referred to identifying and treating Cognitive Impairment as the “lynchpin to success in the SLP component.” According to Littlehale, Cognitive Impairment has been linked to higher rates of re-hospitalization, higher Part A length of stay in the SNF, and more frequent ER visits. Having an expert speech-language pathologist identify and treat cognitive impairment will not only lead to increased reimbursement in the SLP component but will also prevent costly adverse events down the road.
Marc Zimmet was very clear to identify items like Medicaid rates “cut to the bone,” bed prices, and Institutional Special Needs Plans (ISNIP) as more pressing issues for the SNF industry than PDPM.
Do you have any questions or thoughts on PDPM, Speech Therapy, or perhaps something else? We’d love to hear from you.
