2024 Medicare Rules & Regulations
Medicare recently published their Final Regulations for 2024. Below is an overview of what to expect:
• Beginning 1/1/2024, Non-Physician Providers (NPPs) may provide Direct Supervision of CR, ICR, SET PAD and PR.- ORDER any of these services.
- Sign ITPs for CR, ICR, PR.
- Serve as Medical Directors.
• Non-Excepted ICR programs located off-campus will now be reimbursed at 100% of the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment Schedule (HOPPS) rate.
- This means that reimbursement for ICR programs will be the same for both Hospital Outpatient Departments and Physician offices.
Reimbursement Update
Did you hear the good news? CMS has released the final 2023 reimbursement rates for hospital outpatient services. The table below details the updated payment rates for CR/ICR/PR. It is important to note that these rates are specific to hospital outpatient services and do not apply to physician-fee schedules.
Pulmonary Rehab Services
The Centers for Medicare Services announced that they will be replacing G0424 with two new CPT codes beginning January 1st, 2022. In addition to billing code changes, Medicare added Covid-19 to the list of eligible diagnoses for Pulmonary Rehab Services and updated requirements for the individualized treatment plan. To learn more about the new regulations, check out our new resource document.
Company Meeting / AACVPR Annual Meeting
The LSI team had a productive week in San Antonio despite the AACVPR Annual conference moving to a virtual platform. This was the first time we have all been together in person since the start of the pandemic and we took full advantage. We had a week jam-packed with various presentations, brainstorming sessions, planning strategies, and goal setting. But we made sure to set aside plenty of time for fun, including a group scavenger hunt, a friendly game of Jeopardy, and a birthday celebration!
Effects of Heat & Humidity
As temperatures rise across the US, many people are heading outdoors to enjoy the warmer weather. For those planning to incorporate exercise into their time spent in the sun, it is important to understand and consider the various factors that can lead to heat-related injury. To learn more, click here to read “Effects of Heat, Humidity, and Dew Point on Outdoor Activities”.
Who Learns More from 6MWT?
The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is a well-known functional capacity assessment used in most cardiopulmonary rehab programs across the country. But are you doing it right? Click here to order “Who Learns More After a 6MWT, You or Your Patient?. You may be surprised. Click here to access the Resource Document.
Exercise + Face Masks
Most hospitals and medical offices continue to require patients and visitors to wear face masks to help protect against the spread of Covid-19. For patients attending cardiopulmonary rehab, the idea of exercising while wearing a face mask may be daunting. Check out our latest resource document for ways to help patients acclimate.
How to Restart Your Program Post COVID-19
Excerpt from the New Resource Document:
Read more »Our world is facing unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several industries, including cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, have been deeply impacted. Many programs have decided to close operations to protect the health and safety of staff and patients. The good news is there is light at the end of the tunnel. Some states are starting to lift their stay at home orders and non-essential businesses are being allowed to re-open under restrictive guidelines. Before a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program decides to re-open, several things must be considered to ensure a safe and easy transition.
Exercise Programs + Face Masks
It is well documented that patients with cardiovascular risk factors, known cardiovascular disease, or COPD are at higher risk for contracting COVID-19 so it should come as no surprise that patients in a cardiopulmonary rehab program may be required to wear a face mask during visits. Since many of these patients already have difficulty breathing, it is imperative that staff set proper expectations.
Read more »Converting Your LSI Rehab Telemetry System to ICU Mode
When LSI was founded in 1985, we specialized in ICU and PCU patient monitoring systems with our ECG telemetry system leading the way. In the early 90’s, we introduced the first ever Windows based Cardiopulmonary Rehab Telemetry and Management system using Windows 3.1. Since then, the majority of our customers and end users have been cardiac and pulmonary rehab departments.
Despite our focus and advocacy over the years in the rehabilitation industry, we have always maintained our product’s ICU and PCU modes (Today, these modes have been renamed to “VSP” mode). As a medical device manufacturer, the product life cycle and the need to support it can go on for years. This creates an opportunity for us to assist our customers in this time of need during the Covid-19 pandemic.