An important change has taken place in Medicare payments for certain types of skilled care, such as physical therapy. Thanks to the terms of a settlement in a class-action lawsuit, no longer will Medicare payments be discontinued because a patient’s condition has stopped improving. This is a significant benefit for many patients whose conditions may not be improving, but who need skilled care to keep their conditions from deteriorating. However, the change was made quietly, without informing Medicare beneficiaries, so many people are not aware of the new rules.<\/p>\n
The change affects many Medicare beneficiaries with chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. The requirement that patients show improvement has been removed from Medicare’s policy manual, meaning that Medicare will cover skilled care from physical, speech and occupational therapists, as well as nursing home care and home (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An important change has taken place in Medicare payments for certain types of skilled care, such as physical therapy. Thanks to the terms of a settlement in a class-action lawsuit, no longer will Medicare payments be discontinued because a patient’s…<\/span><\/p>\n