Here’s another one:
the new $1,740 annual limit for Medicare coverage on each of two categories of “medically necessary” physical therapy at outpatient facilities not affiliated with hospitals.
Translated, this means that if a person is in need of rehabilitation services, he/she must obtain them in a hospital, as opposed to a rehabilitation facility. And, it is necessary to point out that there are rehabilitation facitlities that specialize in certain types of treatment that hospitals do NOT.
And,
Thousands of nonhospital physical therapy facilities nationwide – including more than 100 in San Diego County – are affected. Some said they hadn’t heard of the change while others are being accused of not promptly informing their clients about it.
continued
When I first read this, I thought back to my experience with traumatic brain inury (TBI) rehabilitation. My doctors specifically referred me to an out-patient day treatment program. And, at the BIA (Brain Injury Association) Conference that I attended in September, the majority of the tbi providers that I met/know went through some of their rehabilitation at a non-hospital facility, as tbi rehabilitation is detailed at this page of the BIA website.
Tbi rehabilitation can include, but is not limited to the following:
Intensive Care Unit,Acute Rehabilitation Unit, Subacute Rehabilitation, Day Treatment (Day Rehab or Day Hospital), Outpatient Therapy, Independent Living Programs, Home Health Care…
It is my understanding that it is standard medical practice to transfer/refer a patient who has sustained a tbi to a non-hospital setting, as these specialize in tbi rehab.
5.3 million Americans, a little more than 2 percent of the U.S. population, currently live with disabilities from traumatic brain injuries, according a to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
…80,000 Americans experience the onset of disabilities resulting from brain injuries, the report says…
Other TBI statistics reported by the CDC indicated that each year, 1 million people are treated and released in hospital emergency rooms, and 50,000 people die.
The three leading causes of TBI are motor vehicle crashes, violence – mostly from firearms – and falls, particularly among the elderly. The risk of TBI in men is twice the risk in women. The risk is higher in adolescents, young adults and people older than 75 years…
And,
a TBI takes place when an external physical force hits the brain, producing a diminished or altered state of consciousness. It results in impaired cognitive abilities or physical functioning, and sometimes disturbs behavioral or emotional functioning.
TBI can affect a person cognitively, physically and emotionally. A person might experience memory loss, lack of concentration, slowed ability to process information, seizures, double vision or even loss of vision, headaches or migraines, loss of smell or taste, speech impairments, anxiety, impulsive behavior, depression and mood swings.
Another point to consider:
The current administration looks at the concept of the VA as just another expense. They treat veterans’ benefits as another expense line on the budget. They’re not dealing with a moral obligation.
And they ignore the existence of tbi in veterans that are now in Iraq!