End of Therapy OMRA in a SNF

End-Of-Therapy OMRA
 
Last week in our Newsletter, Kris B Harmony discussed the start-of-therapy OMRA which will be instituted in the SNF setting beginning October 1, 2010.  In addition to this new type of OMRA, CMS is changing the criteria for the End-of-Therapy OMRA. This change will also go into effect for FY 2011 with an initiation date of October 1, 2010.
 
 The following excerpt from the Final Rule explains the upcoming changes to this assessment:
 
"The ARD for the end-of-therapy OMRA is to be set in a shorter time frame, that is, no more than 3 days following the cessation of all therapies."
 
CMS states:..."the changes to provide for a voluntary start-of-therapy OMRA and a required end-of-therapy OMRA will result in more accurate payments to providers."
 
As with the start-of-therapy OMRA CMS will allow for a shortened the end-of-therapy OMRA so that it consists only of the required demographic items and all of the payment items (unlike the MPAF, which includes all of the required demographic items, the payment items, and many other clinical items).
 
CMS plans to provide detailed MDS coding and billing instructions in the Internet-only Manuals and the RAI Manual.

Please contact Kris B Harmony with any questions regarding this change to the end-of-therapy OMRA.