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October 22, 2021 – HealthPRO Pediatrics is proud to announce that its Director of Staff Development Rebecca (Becky) Crouch, OTR/L was awarded the “2021 Fieldwork Educator Award” by the Occupational Therapy Association of California (OTAC) at their annual conference last night.

On Monday, October 18, 2021, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, renewed the Public Health Emergency declaration, which includes access to waiver or modification of requirements under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act, for another 90 days. The new expiration date is set for January 16, 2022. Should the PHE end prior to the expiration date, a 60-day notice will be required.

Seems as though CMS has taken a page out of Dorothy’s book with the mantra, “there’s no place like home.” For those of us who have been in healthcare for an extended period of time, we can say, “We aren’t in Kansas anymore!” 

These past two years have been exceedingly eye opening for the medical world and the home health sector in particular as we are clearly still involved in a public health emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic escalated the importance of home health care as a needed and valued alternative to institutional and facility based care settings. In addition, as Valued Based Purchasing (VBP) will come onto the scene in early 2022, many agencies have had to shift the way they admit and care for higher acuity patients in a more efficient, cost effective, and responsive manner. 

Recent functional impairment data and staffing intel presented at the National Association of Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) Financial Managers Conference (FMC) surrounding visit utilization highlights the enhanced need to implement strategic scheduling. PDGM set out the initiative to reimburse agencies based on patient acuity and left it to providers to determine the appropriate level of care.

It’s been almost two years since the implementation of PDPM. However, since 2020 was so fraught with challenges from the COVID pandemic, almost no one had the opportunity to take stock of how they had fared last October, at the one-year mark. As we approach the second anniversary of the greatest change in Medicare reimbursement in more than 20 years, the industry is pausing to see how things have gone.

On the heels of several states announcing vaccine requirements, President Biden and CMS followed suit with an announcement on August 18 requiring that all U.S. nursing home staff be vaccinated. HealthPRO Heritage, along with many other healthcare associations, is advocating for equal treatment regarding vaccine requirements across care settings, rather than isolating to nursing home employees. The specific regulatory implementation guidelines are not yet fully developed and aspects of the mandate may change over the next several weeks. 

Pediatric foot management is therapy to address any foot or ankle concerns that a family or medical practitioner may have for a child. It can encompass many different intervention options and can address a wide array of concerns that are centered around what matters most to the child, family, and medical team.

Our physical therapists are trained in evidence-based interventions to address foot management-related concerns. They are an excellent resource to families and medical teams and provide information on appropriate intervention strategies.

Julie Burkhardt PT, DPT with Milestone Pediatric Therapy Services, a HealthPRO Pediatrics Company, is sitting down to answer some of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to foot management in order to help guide families.

Q: WHY DOES MY CHILD WALK ON HIS/HER/THEIR TOES?

Our HealthPRO Heritage leadership team recently attended the National Association of Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) Financial Managers Conference (FMC) in Chicago. The FMC is where industry leaders of home care and hospice connect on industry trends and opportunities. All the buzz this year was centered around: