When the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) implements this October 1 in the fee-for-service Medicare Part A Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS), concurrent therapy, group therapy, and even restorative nursing will once again take on a renewed importance as tools for achieving a resident’s clinical goals, says Joel VanEaton, BSN, RN, RAC-MT, vice president of compliance and regulatory affairs for Broad River Rehab in Asheville, NC.

“However, you may run into trouble if SNFs or therapists simply dictate, ‘We will do X amount of concurrent and group therapy,’” suggests VanEaton. “PDPM is intended to be a reimbursement system that elevates the resident’s voice by ensuring that resident care decisions appropriately reflect each resident’s actual care needs.”