Our Consonus Rehab leaders, Guy Cowart, Jonalyn Brown, and Tracy Fritts, all participated in the Advion Legislative & Regulatory Conference in Washington D.C. Advion is a strong advocate for issues related to the rehab business. Some of the key issues were promoting long-term reform to the physician fee schedule. The last few years have resulted in reductions to the fee schedule, which is how rehab is paid for their Part B services. The reductions included a 15% reduction for services delivered by licensed assistants who are critical to serving patients in rural areas. We are strongly advocating for CMS to waive the reduction for rural and underserved areas where more staff is desperately needed.
CMS made it clear that they have enough data to start reviewing the PDPM reimbursement model and adjust as needed. We will be fighting hard to protect our Medicare Part A reimbursement over the next year.
Some good news from the conference is that Telemedicine has been extended through 2024. Telemedicine became more common during the pandemic and is now proving particularly beneficial in rural areas where the therapists can be limited. Consonus has successfully used Telemedicine and will continue to do so where needed.