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Objective. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of hospital-based rehabilitation services on community discharge rates after hip and knee replacement surgery according to hospital participation in value-based care models: bundled payments for care improvement (BPCI) and comprehensive care for joint replacement (CJR). The secondary objective was to determine whether community discharge rates after hip and knee replacement surgery differed by participation in these models. Methods. A secondary analysis of Medicare fee-for-service claims was conducted for beneficiaries 65 years of age or older who underwent hip and knee replacement surgery from 2016 to 2017. Independent variables were hospital participation in value-based programs categorized as: (1) BPCI, (2) CJR, and (3) non-BPCI/CJR; and total minutes per day of hospitalbased rehabilitation services categorized into tertiles. The primary outcome variable was discharged to the community versus discharged to institutional post-acute care settings. The association between rehabilitation amount and community discharge among BPCI, CJR, and non-BPCI/CJR hospitals was adjusted for patient-level clinical and hospital characteristics. Results. Participation in BPCI or CJR was not associated with community discharge. This analysis found a dose-response relationship between the amount of rehabilitation services and odds of community discharge. Among those who received a hip replacement, this relationship was most pronounced in the BPCI group; compared with the low rehabilitation category, the medium category had odds ratio (OR) = 1.28 (95% CI = 1.17 to 1.41), and the high category had OR = 1.90 (95% CI = 1.71 to 2.11). For those who received a knee replacement, there was a dose-response relationship in the CJR group only; compared with the low rehabilitation category, the medium category had OR= 1.21 (95% CI = 1.15 to 1.28), and the high category had OR = 1.56 (95% CI = 1.46 to 1.66). Conclusion. Regardless of hospital participation in BPCI or CJR models, higher amounts of rehabilitation services delivered during acute hospitalization is associated with a higher likelihood of discharge to community following hip and knee replacement surgery. Impact. In the era of value-based care, frontloading of rehabilitation care is vital for improving patient-centered health outcomes in acute phases of lower extremity joint replacement. Keywords: Acute Care, Bundle Payment, Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement, Hip Replacement, Knee Replacement, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Post-Acute Care, Introduction Hip and knee joint replacement accounted for over $7 billion in Medicare spending (approximately 1% of overall Medicare spending) in 2017, with approximately one-half million procedures performed. (1,2) Given [...]

Objective. The objective was to use the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care "6-Clicks" scores at initial physical therapist and/or occupational therapist evaluation to assess (1) predictive ability for community versus institutional discharge, and (2) association with discharge destination (home/self-care [HOME], home health [HHA], skilled nursing facility [SNF], and inpatient rehabilitation facility [IRF]). Methods. In this retrospective cohort study, initial "6-Clicks" Basic Mobility and/or Daily Activity t scores and discharge destination were obtained from electronic health records of 17,546 inpatient admissions receiving physical therapy/occupational therapy at an academic hospital between October 1, 2015 and August 31, 2018. For objective (1), postacute discharge destination was dichotomized to community (HOME and HHA) and institution (SNF and IRF). Receiver operator characteristic curves determined the most predictive Basic Mobility and Daily Activity scores for discharge destination. For objective (2), adjusted odds ratios (OR) from multinomial logistic regression assessed association between discharge destination (HOME, HHA, SNF, IRF) and cut-point scores for Basic Mobility ([less than or equal to]40.78 vs >40.78) and Daily Activity ([less than or equal to]40.22 vs >40.22), accounting for patient and clinical characteristics. Results. Area under the curve for Basic Mobility was 0.80 (95% CI = 0.80-0.81) and Daily Activity was 0.81 (95% CI = 0.80-0.82). The best cut-point for Basic Mobility was 40.78 (raw score = 16; sensitivity = 0.71 and specificity = 0.74) and for Daily Activity was 40.22 (raw score = 19; sensitivity = 0.68 and specificity = 0.79). Basic Mobility and Daily Activity were significantly associated with discharge destination, with those above the cut-point resulting in increased odds of discharge HOME. The Basic Mobility scores [less than or equal to]40.78 had higher odds of discharge to HHA (OR = 1.7 [95% CI = 1.5-1.9]), SNF (OR = 7.8 [95% CI = 6.8-8.9]), and IRF (OR = 7.5 [95% CI = 6.3-9.1]), and the Daily Activity scores [less than or equal to]40.22 had higher odds of discharge to HHA (OR = 1.8 [95% CI = 1.7-2.0]), SNF (OR = 8.9 [95% CI = 7.9-10.0]), and IRF (OR = 11.4 [95% CI = 9.7-13.5]). Conclusion. 6-Clicks at physical therapist/occupational therapist initial evaluation demonstrated good prediction for discharge decisions. Higher scores were associated with discharge to HOME; lower scores reflected discharge to settings with increased support levels. Impact. Initial Basic Mobility and Daily Activity scores are valuable clinical tools in the determination of discharge destination. Keywords: Activities of Daily Living, Acute Care, Case Management, Outcome Assessment (Health Care), Patient Discharge, Introduction Implementation of health care cost containment measures, such as the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (1) and Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, (2) has forced inpatient facilities to optimize care and [...]

Background. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced functional limitation reporting (FLR) to capture patient progress in functional status in outpatient rehabilitation settings. FLR along with the severity modifier (SM) measure the effectiveness of the rehabilitation services at the physical therapist evaluation (initial examination [IE]) after 10 days of therapy and at discharge. Objective. The objective of this study was to explore the completeness of FLR codes and describe changes in SMs at scheduled checkpoints for patients receiving outpatient physical therapy. Design. The design was a retrospective cohort descriptive study. Methods. A 5% random sample of 2014 Part B fee-for-service Medicare claims for outpatient physical therapy was used. FLR codes with SMs were analyzed at required periods. The number of claims with FLR codes and SMs was calculated to describe the completeness for each period. Planned changes in SMs at the physical therapist IE (current status and projected goal status) and differences in SMs from the physical therapist IE (current status) to discharge (discharge status) were calculated. Results. For 114,588 beneficiaries, 166,572 physical therapist IE and 130,117 discharge claims were analyzed. Completion was greater than 90% for current status and projected goal status FLR codes at the physical therapist IE but was markedly lower for interim and discharge reporting ([less than or equal to]50% for all). More than 75% of claims had planned improvements in SMs at the physical therapist IE (projected goal status--current status), with variations by specific FLR codes. For the episodes with FLR codes at the physical therapist IE and discharge, improvements were reported in more than 2 of 3 episodes. Limitations. Limitations for these analyses include a missing discharge claim on many outpatient physical therapy episodes and potential coding errors with Medicare claims. Conclusions. Except for the physical therapist IE, FLR codes were not submitted consistent with regulations. Most physical therapy episodes showed improvements in FLR SMs from the physical therapist IE and discharge, although the low completion rate limited interpretation. Changes to the FLR program are warranted to understand whether changes in SMs correspond to changes in a patient's function., In 2012, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act (Section 3005) required the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to 'implement, beginning on January 1, 2013, a [...]

Background. Despite the frequency of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the Medicare population, little is known about the use of postacute physical therapy among those discharged to home. Objective. The objectives of this study were to explore factors associated with geographic variability in discharge disposition and outpatient physical therapy utilization for Medicare patients after TKA discharged to home/self-care. Design. The design of the study was a retrospective cohort study. Methods. Medicare patients with TKA discharged alive from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011, with discharge disposition to home/self-care (HSC), home health agency (HHA), inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF), or skilled nursing facility (SNF) were selected. Geography was measured with Census region. Outpatient physical therapy utilization was calculated from Medicare Part B claims. Odds ratios for discharge disposition and adjusted means for physical therapy utilization variables by Census region were calculated, accounting for county-clustered data and adjusting for demographics, clinical, and environmental characteristics. Results. There was significant variation with discharge destination by Census region among 18,278 patients. With discharge disposition analysis, the patients from the West region who were discharged home were the referent group. The patients from the South and Northeast regions had higher odds for discharge to HHAs (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI = 1.80 [1.48-2.19] and 2.20 [1.70-2.84]), SNFs (1.34 [1.08-1.66] and 4.42 [3.38-5.79)], and IRFs (2.36 [1.80-3.09] and 8.83 [6.41-12.18]). For those discharged to HSC, 40.4% received outpatient physical therapy within 4 weeks. Significant differences were found with time to first physical therapy visit (Midwest < South < [West = Northeast]) and length of therapy episode, but not with the number of therapy visits by geographic region. Conclusions. Geographic region was associated with discharge setting, postacute physical therapy, and outpatient therapy utilization in Medicare beneficiaries after TKA. Differences in outcomes of outpatient therapy should be assessed to better describe the impact of geographic variation in care., Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most common surgical procedures in Medicare beneficiaries, (1) and its frequency is projected to continue to increase through 2030. (2) Although TKA [...]