Healthcare Reform

Welcome to the Healthcare Reform Occupational Therapy
The effects that the Affordable Care has had on occupational therapy have been remarkable. The implementation of the government regulated healthcare plans has caused recognition for this growing field and the chance for patients to receive therapeutic care necessary for recovery of certain debilitating injuries. Unlike other healthcare professionals, occupational therapist have mostly benefited from the Obama Care Act being that the approach to healthcare has shifted to prevention, early detection and safety which allows for occupational therapy to be considered a covered service as part of the essential circle of care making it a primary benefit under government funded plans given that
Occupational therapy has not been previously recognized as necessary treatment under government funded plans until the Obama care act came into place. Given that the government has now deemed this therapeutic service as a necessary benefit on these plans, there is now a reimbursement “cap” (a maximum calendar year dollar amount that can be paid out for a specific service) that is specific for occupational therapy. According to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare services, the annual “cap” for occupational therapy under Medicare plans for 2016 is $1960.00. Medicare has also included an exemption policy to this benefit which states that if services are truly medically necessary, then there is an additional reimbursement cap of $3700.00 that will be available if documentation is provided for necessity of services and Medicare deems the additional therapy to be critical for rehabilitation. Based on the new insurance policy changes that allows occupational therapy services to be considered covered as an essential health benefit under government funded policies, there has been a rise in patient volumes for therapy services. Even if reimbursements are slightly lower than previous private insurance plans, a rise in patient volumes will cause a rise in
Being that occupational therapy is both a rehabilitation service and a preventative service, the reform has allowed more recognition to be brought to this rising healthcare field since the focus of healthcare is now being directed towards wellness and prevention. Patients who desperately needed care but could not afford it are now seeing that treatment is possible and they are able to receive the healthcare that they so desperately need. The voices of occupational therapy advocates are finally being heard and healthcare is developing into a true wellness program. Overall, the Obama Care Act has reflected positively on Occupational Therapy and is now allowing this service to be widely recognized as an important role in patient wellness and