Today’s blog post comes from WebPT cofounder and COO Heidi Jannenga, PT, MPT, ATC/L

To all of our Super Therapists working diligently to improve their patients’ functional level and quality of life, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has tossed a chunk of Kryptonite into our clinics.

As you know, CMS has implemented many changes this year and continues to have the Proposed Rule for prospective payment and data collection pending. Keeping up to date with these changes is crucial if you are treating patients with Medicare insurance. As our fellow superhero Spiderman says, “Whatever comes our way…we always have a choice...It's the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what's right.” As therapists, we want to do what’s right for our patients, and that means producing excellent documentation that aligns with Medicare’s compliance requirements. Our skillset as therapists includes validating the need for our services, and we can only achieve this through thorough documentation and use of tests and measures to help show progress during the episode of care. EMRs can help to enforce Medicare compliance, while improving workflow efficiency, but ultimately you’re the last line of defense.