http://www.chartlinks.com/blog Rehabilitation Software Specialists Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:42:52 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As reported in Physical Therapy Products, on August 9, Rep Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) sent a letter signed by 68 members of Congress to Donald Berwick, MD, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The letter expresses concern over CMS’s proposal to cut payment for outpatient physical therapy, ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/08/congress-letter-to-cms-re-payment-cuts-for-outpatient-physical-therapy-services/ On July 1, 2010, Florence Clark, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, became the 28th president of the American Occupational Therapy Association. Clark is brimming with great ideas on how to move occupational therapy into the spotlight and to achieve the goals of the Centennial Vision. The AOTA talked to Clark about her priorities for her term ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/08/new-aota-president-florence-clark/ Patients and Staff at Providence Speech and Hearing Center embrace and applaud the new and efficient electronic system Chart Links, a provider of rehabilitation workflow management software, announces the implementation of its electronic therapy documentation and scheduling system by a team of 25 audiologists, speech therapists and pediatric occupational therapists at ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/07/providence-speech-and-hearing-center-implements-chart-links-electronic-therapy-documentation/ The final rule for meaningful use of electronic health records has been posted by The Department of Health and Human Services. Read all 864 pages here. http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/07/ehr-meaningful-use-final-rule-published-today/ MMCH Rehabilitation Center chooses Chart Links for niche-specific solution and hospital information system interface capabilities Margaret Mary Community Hospital (www.mmch.org) in Batesville, Indiana, runs an off-site Outpatient Rehabilitation Center that handles more than 15,000 patient visits annually. The rehab facility employs 21 therapists providing physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Other services ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/07/margaret-mary-community-hospital-chooses-chart-links/ As reported by APTA.org, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the proposed physician fee schedule rule that would implement key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and update payment rates under the physician fee schedule for services furnished on or after January ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/06/2011-proposed-physician-fee-schedule-rule-contains-proposed-pay-cuts-for-outpatient-therapy-services/ Flow sheets are one form of documentation used by physical therapists in the daily notes for patient care. They provide a format for documenting exercises, repetitions and weights.   In Chart Links' Rehabilitation Software, flow sheets provide electronic management of clinical data entry and review of patient progress over time. Flow sheets can accommodate multi-disciplinary documentation requirements ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/06/electronic-physical-therapy-documentation-for-flow-sheets/ The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), which represents the professional interests and concerns of more than 140,000 occupational therapists, assistants and students nationwide, released the following statement in response to First Lady Michelle Obama’s "Let’s Move" campaign, which aims to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. Dear Mrs. ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/06/occupational-therapy-profession-supports-first-ladys-campaign/ HealthPoint Rehab (www.healthpointplaza.com), a service of Southeast Missouri Hospital, comprises two outpatient rehabilitation centers located in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, Missouri. Combined, the centers employ 25 therapists engaged in physical, occupational, speech and specialty therapies including orthopedic, neurological, myofascial and lymphedema. The two centers handle about 33,600 total patient visits ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/05/healthpoint-rehab-chooses-chart-links-as-its-ehr/ The President of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), R Scott Ward, PT, PhD, recently blogged about a movie that is getting both positive and negative attention in industry listservs.   “Just Wright,” in theaters May 14th, stars Queen Latifah as a physical therapist who -- it appears from movie trailers -- falls in love ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/05/just-wright-or-just-plain-wrong/ According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), on March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which extends the exceptions process for outpatient therapy caps (see Section 3103).  Outpatient therapy service providers may continue to submit claims with the KX modifier, ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/04/extension-of-therapy-cap-exceptions-process/ The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recently submitted comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in response to a proposed rule that would establish a temporary program for the testing and certification of electronic health records (EHRs). The proposed rule, released March 10, is the third ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/04/apta-submits-comments-on-ehr-testing-and-certification-process/ The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a series of "Nationwide RAC 101 Calls." The calls, open to the public healthcare community, are scheduled for late April and early May as follows: April 28, 2010 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST: Nationwide RAC 101 Call, 1-877-251-0301 May 4, 2010 1:00pm - ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/04/cms-announces-series-of-nationwide-rac-101-calls/ The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—health system reform legislation signed into law by President Obama on March 23—contains a number of key provisions for you and your patients. Some provisions may have an immediate impact on your practice and patients, while others will not take effect for some time. ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/03/ama-health-system-reform-insight/ The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is promoting "Better Hearing and Speech" in the month of May.  This annual event provides opportunities to raise awareness about communication disorders and to promote treatment that can improve the quality of life for those who experience problems with speaking, understanding, or hearing. For resources to ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/03/may-is-better-hearing-and-speech-month/ On March 21, 2010, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  Also passed was H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, which contains additional refinements. Historically speaking, these two bills are perceived to be as important as the creation ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/03/house-passes-health-reform/ Each year in April, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and students in practice, education, research, and science host a month long celebration showcasing the importance of Occupational Therapy. It's the time of year when everyone in the profession goes out of their way to tell the world about what they do.  The ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/03/april-is-occupational-therapy-month/ The day begins and ends with a simple appointment. But, in outpatient rehabilitation facilities, the therapy scheduling process is not always so simple, is it? You know what it takes -- scheduling across multiple locations for multiple days with multiple providers often in multiple therapy disciplines. You need not only to ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/03/therapy-scheduling-in-outpatient-rehab-facilities/ Jim Hammer, COO of Chart Links, was invited again this year to participate in a software roundtable interview with editor of  Physcal Therapy Products, Arati Murti.  Here are a few of the questions and answers that were exchanged in the January 2010 edition: PT Products:  Budgets are tight in today's economy; what ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/02/chart-links-participates-in-pt-products-software-roundtable/ The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) encourage public comment on two regulations issued on December 30, 2009 that lay a foundation for improving quality, efficiency and safety through meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology. The ... http://www.chartlinks.com/blog/2010/01/cms-onc-issue-regs-proposing-definition-of-meaningful-use-and-setting-standards-for-ehr/