Skip to main content

Physical therapy services comprise a significant amount of Medicare expenditures in postacute care settings—inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and home health agencies (HHAs) under Medicare Part A. Physical therapists (PTs) practicing in postacute care are integral to improving the quality of care provided to patients while reducing overall costs. This is particularly true under new value-based payment initiatives such as bundled payment models, accountable care organizations, and patient-centered medical homes.

Payment Squeeze

The Medicare payment system is shifting away from the fee-for-service payment structure, in which providers are rewarded solely for the volume of services provided, and toward a structure that holds providers accountable for patient outcomes and costs. This move to value-based care is intended to advance the goals of health care's "triple aim"—improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction), bettering the health of populations, and reducing the per-capita cost of health care.

Log in or create a free account to keep reading.


Join APTA to get unlimited access to content.

  1. Medicare Postacute Care Reform. American Physical Therapy Association. http://www.apta.org/Payment/Medicare/PACReform/. Accessed October 17, 2017.
  2. A history of home health cuts. Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare. http://homecarenh.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/HistoryOfHHCuts_OnePager_FINAL-FINAL.pdf. Accessed October 18, 2017.

You Might Also Like...

News

CMS Streamlines Approval Processes for Outpatient Clinics

Sep 12, 2024

Updates to the agency's State Operations Manual make it easier to apply for certifications of primary and extension sites.

News

2025 McMillan, Maley Lectures to Feature Experienced Educators

Sep 11, 2024

Terry Nordstrom will deliver the 56th Mary McMillan Lecture; Nancy Bloom is the 30th John H.P. Maley Lecturer.

Open Access

Understanding ICD-10

Sep 11, 2024

Access answers to the most frequently asked questions on ICD-10.