IT HealthTrack Provides IRF-PAI Allied Services
IT HealthTrack provides Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility-Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) allied services including: follow-up data collection, clinical and documentation training workshops, development of educational resources, medical record auditing and consultation.
Follow-up Data Collection
IT HealthTrack collects post-discharge functional outcomes to provide evidence of the durability of goals achieved during inpatient rehabilitation programs. Follow-up items include the 18 functional activities assessed during the inpatient phase of treatment from the IRF-PAI, demographic information and several key satisfaction items. Collecting follow-up data is a requirement for Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) accreditation. ITH provides a cost effective and reliable alternative to using in-house staff for this importation process.
Clinical Training Workshops
Dr. Pamela Smith has over 20 years of experience in teaching clinicians reliable assessment of function using the Functional Independence Measure. Workshops are aimed at clinicians from all fields and focus on patient assessment using uniform definitions and measures of functional items. The goal of the workshop is to help clinicians identify the lowest legitimate score for each item to achieve the optimum reimbursement and length of stay. Workshops also include coding of impairment group, etiologic diagnosis and comorbid conditions. Clinicians’ understanding of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility- prospective Payment System (IRF-PPS) is essential in today’s healthcare environment.
Functional Assessment Testing
IT HealthTrack developed two educational DVDs. The first is entitled, “Module 1 – The Functional Independence Measure” and the second is “Module 2 - Functional Assessment and the IRF-PAI: Testing your Assessment Skills”. Module 1 was designed to provide an overview of the Functional Independence Measure’s development and its principles, its role in the IRF-PPS and examples of reliable scoring. Module 2 is intended to test rating proficiency. Clinicians view video based scenarios and score items which we evaluate for accuracy. Clinicians receive individual reports of test results and have an opportunity to earn ITH Certification and 80%, 90% or 100% accuracy levels as desired by their facility administrators. To date, ITH has certified over 2,500 clinicians.
Documentation Training Workshops
Most post-payment Medicare denials related to medical necessity are based on an alleged lack of documentation. ITH documentation workshops are geared toward providing evidence that patients have met Medicare conditions of participation and justify need for inpatient rehabilitation services. The workshops provide tips, techniques and templates with specific recommendations for pre-admission screening, nursing, therapy, medical and team documentation.
Educational Resources
In addition to our DVD resources and workshops, ITH has developed a number of education materials for clinicians and administrators working in the IRF setting. Such items as documentation templates, data collection tools, coding reference guides, in-service slide presentations and enhanced instructions for scoring the Functional Independence Measure have been found to be invaluable by our clients.
Medical Record Auditing
We provide inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) with medical record auditing services. The primary focus of our auditing process is compliance with Medicare requirements for documentation to support medical necessity. Specific areas of the medical record review are: pre-admission screening, physicians’ history and physicals (H&Ps), nursing and therapy initial assessments, daily documentation and team conference reporting. In addition, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) scoring and coding are assessed for reliability and opportunities for improved reimbursement and 60% Rule compliance.
Consultation
Auditing and education activities together with a review of team functioning and outcomes reports present a comprehensive view of a program’s performance. This information is used to identify strengths to be capitalized upon and opportunities for improved performance. Consulting activities result in specific recommendations and action plans to achieve engagement objectives.