This week’s Condition of Participation involves Professional Services.  These are common practice and similar to what is in place in your agency anyway.   There are new requirements for the Administrator and a new position called ‘Clinical Manager’.  The requirements are linked in the post.  Adjust your job descriptions and a review of the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, chapter 7 would be a good idea.

The Condition is pasted below followed by the standards that will be surveyed to verify compliance.

484.75 Condition of Participation: Skilled professional services.

Skilled professional services include skilled nursing services, physical therapy, speech-language pathology services, and occupational therapy, as specified in §409.44 of this chapter, and physician and medical social work services as specified in §409.45 of this chapter.

Skilled professionals who provide services to HHA patients directly or under arrangement must participate in the coordination of care.

This Condition is written as though you know all about subsections 409.44 and 409.45 but in case you do not, you can click the links.

Not to be confused with official guidance from Medicare, here’s an abbreviated summary of what you already know:

Skilled nursing services are those skills which can only be performed by a nurse.  Coverage is determined by the complexity of the skill as well as the condition of the patient.  If the skill could be performed by the average Joe, it would not be considered skilled.  The Medicare Benefit Policy Manual is our favorite source for researching skilled nursing services.

Physical Therapy skills must be of a nature that they can only be performed safely by a skilled therapist.  In determining if therapy is skilled, determine if the Jimmo ruling of 2013 applies.

Medical Social Workers provide services ordered by the physician to address emotional and social needs that may interfere with the patient’s ability to respond to the plan of care or the agency’s ability to carry out the plan of care.  According to the Interpretative Guidelines, they are furnished ‘on a short-term basis and it can be demonstrated that the service is necessary to resolve a clear and direct impediment to the effective treatment of the beneficiary’s medical condition or to his or her rate of recovery’.

The standards that demonstrate compliance should be familiar to you even if you did not know they were a part of the Conditions of Participations.

The first standard reads:

484.75(a) Standard: Provision of services by skilled professionals.

Skilled professional services are authorized, delivered, and supervised only by health care professionals who meet the appropriate qualifications specified under §484.115 and who practice according to the HHA’s policies and procedures.

The appropriate qualifications are in another section, so we made a quick cheat sheet.  The information is straight forward except for physical and occupational therapists.  Each of these therapists have provisions for states that do not have licensing laws.  A quick search of the web revealed that all states require licensing so if you stick with licensed therapists in your state, you should be okay.

There is also a provision in this condition that professional services are provided according to the agency’s policies and procedures.  This includes contracted therapists so be sure to share relevant policies with contractors and include them in compliance training.

484.75(b) Standard: Responsibilities of skilled professionals.

Skilled professionals must assume responsibility for, but not be restricted to, the following:

1. Ongoing interdisciplinary assessment of the patient;

The interpretative guidelines define ‘interdisciplinary’ as an approach to healthcare that includes a range of health service workers, both professionals and non-professionals, with the majority being from professional groups. Ongoing interdisciplinary assessment is the continual involvement of all skilled professional staff involved in the plan of care from the initial assessment through discharge and periodic interactive, discussions regarding the status and recommendations for the plan of care. The interdisciplinary approach recognizes the contributions of the disciplines (MDs, RNs, LPN/LVN, PT, OT, SLP, MSW, HH aides) and their interactions with each other to meet the patient’s needs.

The Coders recommend weekly or bi-weekly case conferences where patients approaching the end of their episodes are discussed in a meaningful way by all involved disciplines.  Any patients who have significant changes in their condition or treatment plans can be added to the list.  It also means documentation of any casual discussions you may have with other agency employees or physicians.

2. Development and evaluation of the plan of care in partnership with the patient, representative (if any), and caregiver(s); 

3. Providing services that are ordered by the physician as indicated in the plan of care; 

4. Patient, caregiver, and family counseling; 

5. Patient and caregiver education; 

6. Preparing clinical notes;

7. Communication with all physicians involved in the plan of care and other health care practitioners (as appropriate) related to the current plan of care; 

8. Participation in the HHA’s QAPI program; 

9. Participation in HHA-sponsored in-service training 

Some of these criteria will be discussed in subsequent parts of the Conditions of Participation so don’t worry if one or more confuses you.

Supervision

Supervision is the focus of the next standard supporting the condition involving Skilled Services.  There are numerous references made to §484.115; our little cheat sheet referenced above with personnel qualifications. 

484.75(c) Standard: Supervision of skilled professional assistants

This is a generic supervision standard that applies to therapy assistants, LPN, etc.  As such, it does not include a time frame or the criteria for supervision.  Oversight is usually guided by the practice standards for each discipline.  Additionally, there must be written instructions for these assistants and you can expect that they will be surveyed.

484.75(c)(1) Nursing services are provided under the supervision of a registered nurse that meets the requirements of §484.115(k).

484.75(c)(2) Rehabilitative therapy services are provided under the supervision of an occupational therapist or physical therapist that meets the requirements of §484.115(e, f) or (g, h), respectively. 

Please note that therapists can only supervise assistants within their disciplines.  Occupational Therapy must supervise Occupational Therapy assistants, etc.

484.75(c)(3) Medical social services are provided under the supervision of a social worker that meets the requirements of §484.115(m).

Home Health Aide services, training and competency are soon to follow.  Meanwhile if you have any problems with the Professional Services information, feel free to drop us a line.