The Science(?) of Physician Decision-Making in Post-Acute Care Patient Placement

Rehabilitation physicians make expert judgments daily to admit patients to a rehabilitation hospital or unit (RHU). These decisions are commonly disputed before and/or after patient care has been delivered. This session will review the history of how the current admission criteria were developed, the nature of disputes and how resolution is attempted. In addition, three different examples of current research to establish decision support approaches will be discussed; one for an uncommon condition (cancer), one for a common condition (stroke) and one that is independent of the patient's diagnosis. Input from the audience will be sought and encouraged.

3:30 – 3:32 Introduction to Session Goals
3:32 – 3:40 Medicare (and other payer) Admission and Coverage Decision Disputes – Gans
3:40 – 3:50 The State of Post-Acute Care Patient Flow Today – Hedeman
3:50 – 4:10 Stroke Patient Admission Criteria Project – Stein
4:10 – 4:30 Cancer Rehabilitation Admission Criteria – Stubblefield
4:30 – 4:50 Diagnosis-agnostic ADMIT Tool Development - Gans and Hedeman
4:50 – 5:00 Panel Discussion, Audience Q&A