On Friday, August 26, Representatives Joe Courtney (CT) and GT Thompson (PA) introduced a long awaited piece of legislation: HR 8746, Access to Inpatient Rehabilitation Therapy Act. This legislation would add Recreational Therapy to the skilled therapeutic modalities that could be provided under the three hour rule. We encourage everyone in the SMART CEUs Hub family to contact their representatives TODAY. Advocate for our profession and our valuable clients. Let them know how important RT is for recovery!

In a recent article from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the ‘Three Hour Rule’ is explained: “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires that Medicare beneficiaries need a “relatively intense” course of rehabilitation treatment to qualify for an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) stay. CMS defines “relatively intense” as three hours of skilled therapy per day, five days per week, the so-called, “three-hour rule”. In 2010, CMS revised the IRF regulations and narrowed the three-hour rule so that only physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and/or orthotics and prosthetics are countable toward the three-hour rule. Other skilled therapies including recreational therapy, psychological services, respiratory therapy, and neuropsychological services are no longer counted, limiting their availability in many rehabilitation hospitals.