THE SUMMIT SPECTATOR

A letter from Kelly CrawfordBundled PaymentsOur FacilitiesCreative Therapy Competition2016 Medicare UpdatesNew Regional Director: Trent AdkinsNew Level of ManagersMardi Gras Slaw Recipe

Experts in Rehab, Excelling in Service --

THESUMMITREHAB.COM

THE SUMMIT is more than just a rehabilitation company. We are an outstanding healthcare and information company. As part of our promise to keep up-to-date on all the latest healthcare news and information, here is the thirteenth edition of our newsletter, The Summit Spectator. Our commitment to you is to work together, share information, collaborate together in the tough times, and rejoice together in our successes. It is crucial to stay informed, and as your therapy provider, we treat that responsibility with the utmost importance. Thank you for allowing us to show you that we are exactly who we say we are- Experts in Rehab, Excelling in Service.

VOLUME 13 | FEBRUARY 2016<<<<<<<

IN THIS ISSUE

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A LETTER FROM

KELLY CRAWFORDChief Executive Officer

I HOPE YOU’RE ENJOYING A GREAT START TO 2016

Now that we have begun another year in the challenging world of healthcare, let me start out by saying how grateful we are to have the opportunity to meet the healthcare needs of our customers and clients. We truly have been blessed with the greatest customers—those who are like-minded in the desire to provide the utmost in healthcare quality for the clients entrusted to our care. It truly is the highest calling. Secondly, we are thankful for YOU. We get to know so many outstanding people and find great significance in walking alongside you, the healthcare leaders of today. We at The Summit Rehab take these commitments very seriously and know it is so important now more than ever to collaborate, brainstorm, and strategize ways to continue serving our patients well. I am fully convinced that through the process of working together, we will find that our greatest days are ahead. Last year brought many changes that we successfully implemented and as we look at challenging reimbursement trends in 2016, you can rest knowing that your rehab provider is RIGHT NOW establishing normative data and trends in preparation for a changing healthcare landscape. We are integrating evidence-based practice into our daily operations along with data to support our clinical decision-making. We are excited about the opportunity to objectively prove that The Summit Rehab has better outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, and quality interventions that change lives. This is why The Summit Rehab is known as EXPERTS in rehab, EXCELLING in service. So come alongside us as we continue on this path to excellence. We want to work together to serve our patients well. The old adage is true…TEAM=Together Everyone Achieves More!

Sincerely yours,

On November 16, 2015, CMS released their Final Rules regarding the new initiative entitled Bundled Payments. Bundled Payments will be in effect beginning April 1, 2016 and ending December 31, 2020 for all knee and hip replacements performed in 67 geographic regions throughout the nation. The regions effecting Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are as follows:

Louisiana – Monroe - Ouachita and Union Parish; New Orleans & Metairie - Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, & St. Tammany Parish

Mississippi - Memphis - Crittenden (Arkansas), Benton (Mississippi), Desoto (MS), Marshall (MS), Tate (MS), Tunica (MS), Fayette (Tennessee), Shelby (TN), & Tipton (TN) Counties

Alabama - Dothan – Geneva, Henry, & Houston Counties; Montgomery Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, & Montgomery Counties ; Tuscaloosa – Hale, Pickens, & Tuscaloosa Counties

Bundled Payments will hold hospitals responsible for ensuring quality care is provided for patients during the joint replacement surgeries through 90 days from discharge from the hospital. It will track the amount of money spent on the procedure and all post-op care related to the procedure (including therapy, medicine, equipment, wounds, etc.) in all levels of care (hospital, rehab, SNF, Home Health, outpatient, etc.). Beginning in 2017, hospitals will be required to pay back money to CMS if they exceed the threshold set for them. In turn, they will receive a “reconciliation payment” if they remain under the threshold and meet certain quality indicators. The total money spent will be the sum for the year, and each episode will not be examined by CMS. All entities will continue to bill according to the Medicare FFS schedule and each entity will be reimbursed accordingly. Our goal as The Summit Rehab is to ensure quality care is provided while still managing costs. Hospitals will be penalized financially if we contribute to their exceeding the threshold, therefore we must communicate any unexpected expenses that may occur. They will also have to trust that we are delivering quality care so that they can meet those requirements as well. For more information visit: https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/cjr

OUR FACILITIES

The Summit Rehab employs the finest therapists who are not only experts in their field, but are kind and compassionate with the patients they treat. We like to acknowledge that with The Summit’s Wall of Praise in our corporate office. Whenever a patient expresses gratitude towards their therapists for a job well done, we recognize that at our corporate office by hanging their picture up on the wall. We are so proud of our awesome therapy teams- here are a few of our favorite pictures from our Wall of Praise.

A patient who was treated at Tyler Holmes Memorial Hospital in Winona, Mississippi, brought her therapists a homemade goody basket.

A patient at Pickens County Medical Center in Carrollton, Alabama, brought his therapists a homemade cake.

A patient at The Summit Outpatient Clinic in Summit, Mississippi, brought her therapists some fresh flowers and cookies.

BUNDLED PAYMENTS The Summit Rehab had it’s second company-wide Creative Therapy Competition this past fall. We sent each therapy team a bag of odds and ends and asked them to come up with the most creative way to use those items for therapy. Our patients loved it, and we had a lot of fun seeing all the creative ways our therapists came up with to administer therapy. First place was a tie between Bill Nichols State Veterans Home in Alexander City, Alabama, and Pickens County Medical Center in Carrollton, Alabama.

CREATIVE THERAPY COMPETITION

MARDI GRAW SLAWINGREDIENTS FOR THE DRESSING: (Serve 10 – 12)

1/3 cup creole mustard (I use Zatarain’s)1/3 cup apple cider vinegar1/3 cup white sugar1/3 cup vegetable oila couple of dashes of hot sauceFor the slaw:½ head purple cabbage½ head green cabbage2 yellow bell peppers Blend all the ingredients together in a blender or in a small bowl with a whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the dressing is creamy.

Despite the massive ongoing effort to repeal the therapy cap, it’s still in effect. The new amounts for 2016 are $1960 for PT and ST combined and a separate cap of $1960 for OT. This represents an increase of $20 per cap over the 2015 amount of $1940. The increment is based upon a medical economic index. The therapy “threshold” for manual medical review (MMR) continues at $3700, where it was initiated in the 4th quarter of 2012. The new amount of $1960 is based on the Medicare allowed amount after the MPPR has been applied and before the 1.6% government sequestration has been applied. The Medicare program pays 80% of the allowed amount of covered services. If the part B deductible has been applied ($166 for 2016), Medicare will pay $1568.00 (80% of $1960). If none of the Part B deductible has been met, then Medicare will pay $1435.20 (80% of $1794).

2016 MEDICARE UPDATES

NEW REGIONAL DIRECTOR

TRENT ADKINS Named New Regional Director for The Summit Rehab

The Summit Rehab is proud to announce that Trent Adkins, of Philadelphia, Mississippi, has been named the new Regional Director for The Summit Rehab. Trent, an Occupational Therapist, is a professional with a heart to help others reach their goals and lead the life they want. He focuses on where the patient wants to be while working through issues and obstacles one at a time. With over three years of experience in occupational therapy, Trent has provided oversight for the daily operations of the rehabilitation needs at Neshoba County Nursing Home in Philadelphia, Mississippi. His management included care coordination of patients, development of rehabilitation programs, establishing and maintaining relationships with other health care professionals throughout the facility as well as administrators, and providing evidence based patient treatment of the geriatric population. Trent was promoted to the Regional Director position in December of 2015. He will cover territory in both Mississippi and Alabama, and will manage the therapy

programs in a variety of healthcare settings including: hospital/acute care, swingbed, outpatient clinics, school systems, and skilled nursing facilities. Trent graduated from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in September of 2012 with a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy, after receiving an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from East Mississippi Community College in June of 2009. Trent is married to the former Bailey McCann, and they have one son, Mason Hayes Adkins. Trent’s family resides in his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi. They are active members of Madden Baptist Church and the local community. Trent enjoys spending time with family and friends, hunting, and attending local and statewide sporting events. He is also a huge Mississippi State University fan. The Summit Rehab strives to develop leadership and personal growth, and is proud to have promoted from within such a fine therapist and manager, Trent Adkins!

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA – enacted April 16, 2015), extended the therapy cap exceptions process through December 31, 2017. Changes were also made to the manual medical review process of therapy over $3700, which was to have begun in July of 2015. The new “review” process is no longer a 100% review of all claims over $3700, but rather a review based on provider profiling and advanced data analytics. The review will focus on providers with patterns of aberrant billing practices, high claims denial percentage, those newly enrolled, providers that treat certain types of medical conditions, and other criteria. In addition, if you are a provider that is a part of a group which includes a therapy provider identified in the previous mentioned practices, you will be under scrutiny as well. Excellent documentation continues to be the key in regards to treating patients above and beyond the Medicare cap. Services should be reasonable and medically necessary in order for Medicare to continue to cover its share above the $1960. As always, The Summit Rehab is proactively prepared for any and all changes to the process of providing and billing for all therapy services. If you have any questions regarding MMR or therapy caps or would like to discuss further, please contact your Regional Director.

NEW LEVEL OF MANAGERS

The management team at The Summit Rehab is always looking for new ways to improve the way we operate our business. We take our responsibility of managing and providing therapy services for your facility very seriously and so we constantly brainstorm ways to better serve you. One of these ways is by introducing a new level of management by adding Area Managers in some areas. We introduced this in 2015 with Ryan McDonald in Louisiana and again later in the year with Brandy Smith in Mississippi. Ryan McDonald, an Occupational Therapist, graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2004 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Occupational Therapy. He has spent most of his career in long term care, but has also worked with patients in outpatient, rehab, and acute care settings. Ryan has worked for The Summit Rehab for six years and before being promoted to Louisiana Area Manager, he served as the Director of Rehab for The Oaks in Monroe. Ryan and his wife, Laura, live in West Monroe, Louisiana. They have two young children, Aubrey and Gavin, whom they enjoy chasing after. Ryan enjoys cooking, as well as running and working out so that he can eat all the good food Louisiana has to offer. Brandy Smith has been an Occupational Therapist since 2004, where she graduated from The University of Mississippi Medical Center. She graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from Mississippi College in 2002. Brandy started with The Summit Rehab in 2004 at the Mississippi State Veteran’s Home in Jackson, where she is currently Director of Rehab and Area Manager for all 4 Mississippi State Veteran’s Homes. In this role, she has specialized in geriatrics with evaluation and modifications, wheelchair positioning and management, ADL retraining and environmental modifications for Independence within the facility, and fall management protocols. She has been utilizing clinical management skills with employee and caseload management as well as an educator of importance of therapy services to both facilities and families. Brandy and her husband, Barrett, live in Brandon, Mississippi, with their two children, Kinson and Cohen. She spends time volunteering within her community soccer organization, inclusive sports programs, and events for raising Autism and service dog awareness. Ryan and Brandy are excellent additions to our management team and we are excited about all the knowledge and expertise they bring to the table. Again, we look forward to serving you better in 2016 and thank you for the opportunity to demonstrate how we are Experts in Rehab, Excelling in Service.

The Summit Rehab Adds New Level of Management with Area Managers

FOR THE SLAW: Cut out the core of each cabbage half. Slice the cabbage with the slicing blade of a food processor. You’ll need to do this in batches. Transfer the sliced cabbage to a very big bowl. Remove the ribs and seeds from the peppers and finely dice. Add to the cabbage in the bowl. Use you clean hands to toss everything around until evenly distributed. Discard any large cabbage pieces or remnants of hard core. Give the dressing a last whisk to make sure it is creamy and pour it over the slaw. Stir and toss to coat everything well. I like to do this with clean hands as well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend. This is best served soon after it is made, but will keep for up to a day.

OUR TEAM

Front row (L to R) Sydni Boyd, Kelly Crawford, Anna Bell, Brandy Smith, Misty Broussard, Patricia Smith. Back row (L to R) Ryan McDonald, Trent Adkins, Teresa Lomax, Chuck Lambert.

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