June Newsletter

Welcome to Summer!

As the warm weather comes and the sun shines more everyone loves to get outdoors and enjoy all the activities that Oregon offers! We just want to remind you to stay safe and keep up with you home exercise programs to avoid injuries that can happen while you are having fun!

Goodell Physical Therapy needs your help!!

Help Private Physical Therapy practices (like us) keep the ability to provide care to Medicare patients!!

Currently Medicare has an $1810 max amount paid out per calendar year for physical therapy and speech therapy services combined. We have been able to request an exception to this cap for more complicated patients, or for patients who are seen for different injuries throughout the year. As of July 1st, 2008 this exception process is being discontinued except for patients seen in an outpatient hospital physical therapy clinic. We need your help to appeal the Medicare physical therapy cap permanently and we need it NOW!

       Having a physical therapy cap limits your option to choose who you want to see for physical therapy services

       It is unfriendly to small businesses that they have to lose clients to large hospital systems and it is bad for our economy

       Large hospital systems are already overcrowded with patients making it harder for patients to get needed physical therapy services in a timely manner.

       It is bad patient care to have a patient transfer care in the middle of rehabilitation and wasteful of medical dollars to have an evaluation to get re-established with a new physical therapist.

There is a way you can help! The best long term solution is to totally repeal the therapy caps through the legislation that members of congress have introduced.

You can contact your senators and state representatives and ask them to support and help pass The Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2007 (S.450/H.R.748).

Congress will be meeting in the next week so we urge you to take action right away!

I have attached copies of letters you can send to the senators and representatives to ask them for support. If you prefer to call I have also included the phone numbers in the attachment titled Oregon Medicare Patients. This issue not only affects Medicare beneficiaries but affects everyone when the government is limiting free trade.

We as a Private Practice appreciate you support in appealing the Medicare Physical Therapy Cap!

Do you need help deciding on health care coverage?

I have had several patients ask me about different insurance companies when faced with a decision to change insurance plans, whether it be a patient becoming eligible for Medicare, to different plans offered by employer groups, or just looking for individual coverage.

I have been working directly with insurance billing in the healthcare industry for 8 years, and attend provider seminars conducted by insurance companies several times a year. I am more than happy to give you insight from a provider point of view on which insurance companies are more limiting in benefit coverage and have better out of pocket costs for the patient. Insurance companies are changing their coverages and plans all the time and more recently insurance companies are offering plans that give patients more responsibility in their healthcare decisions (or in lay persons terms more out of pocket cost). I know it is a tough game weighing insurance premium costs vs. covered services and patient out-of-pocket expense! Please let me know if I can be of any help when making these decisions.

Liesl Jeck

Office Manager

 

Please contact us if you have any questions or need to make an appointment.

Goodell Physical Therapy & Fitness Training

503-292-5882

www.goodhealthphysicaltherapy.com

 

If you would like to be removed from our newsletter list please email Liesl at liesl@goodhealthphysicaltherapy.com.