Respiratory Question for the Week of November 26, 2018

Question:

Does Medicare have any guidelines related to discharge criteria for patients who have had outpatient respiratory rehab services?

Answer:

A patient should be discharged from RTR services when the documentation shows any one or more of the following:

• The patient, his or her family, or caregiver can assume responsibility for continuing the RTR at home.
• There is minimal or no potential for material gains or significant progress.
• The patient is non-compliant with the established plan of care. The total number of timed minutes must be documented in the medical record.