One of the primary factors that control salaries of long term care therapists is the reimbursement fee schedule that is established by Medicare. Basically, dollar amounts are set for various levels of care, and each higher category means a higher reimbursement rate. Therapy minutes ...

  One of the questions I get asked often is why I remain a COTA, and not further my degree to an OTR. This is a question I ask myself, and as much as the change would be nice sometimes, there are many reasons why I remain a COTA. Of course the educational factor is first. As much as I enjoy school, the things that come with it such as ...

  Healthcare reform, the economic depression, reduced insurance reimbursements, Medicare and Medicaid cutbacks, how will this affect the future of the COTA?             Some people are quite nervous right now, thinking that Obama's healthcare reform will eliminate the COTA position. ...

  Well, I must admit that talking to others with different experiences and listening to the other side of the story is one good way to learn. This past weekend my thoughts were changed on the health care reform issues, and simply by listening to another opinion from someone who sees another side of the story. ...

  Changes in Medicare funding for skilled nursing facilities happened just a few days ago on October 1st. These changes will cut deeper into the budgets of all Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF's), but the impact will be felt more in smaller SNF's.  With strained budgets, it will more than likely affect the quality of care our senior ...

  Sometimes family members of some of my patients are so clueless it really makes me wonder what they are thinking. Some seem to think therapy is a magic bullet, and we can cure any problem. In the past, there have been a couple of real backward thinking people I've dealt with, but just recently there has been a couple people that have ...

  Probably one of the hardest things to learn as a therapist is writing progress notes. If you're involved in long term care, then you know these are a requirement from Medicare and insurance companies. Documentation of their patient's progress is normally required at specific time ...

              Actually there are lots of reasons. The people you meet and work with. Those unforgettable moments when a patient is able to complete a task for the first time. Those funny moments. And so many more.             ...

           News from some of the town hall meetings that have been happening around the country reminds me of the Vietnam War protests of the late 60's. Large organized groups of people protesting issues with proposed government actions. There were protesters carrying signs with defaced pictures of ...

            Well, here is Part Two of the typical day of mine. Sorry there were a few blogs between since I promised this as the next one when I wrote Part One. Issues that I thought were more important than one of my boring days got blogged about first though. ...