Time to be Advocate and for Faculty to Involve RT Students

Professor Thom Skalko sent out the following message to other RT faculty to share how he gets his ECU students engaged as advocates and to take action in support of the Meidicare Access to Recreational Therapy Act. I thought it was worth posting on the RT Blog.

But the information can also be used by professionals in recreational therapy as a model to submit their own communications with to their representatives. I would urge every RT professonal to contact his or her representative about the Medicare Access to Recreational Therapy Act.

Here is the information sent out by Thom:

Colleagues:

In the Fall, I sent out communications that I was using to engage my students in the advocacy process. We NEED your assistance in continuing the effort to solicit co-sponsors for HR 4248, The Medicare Access to Recreational Therapy Act of 2007. I have attached a copy of the act and an example letter. I have also attached a spreadsheet with key congressional representatives on the House Ways and Means and Energy – Commerce and Health Committees.

I implore and encourage you and your students to become active in the process to ensure access to recreational therapy services. It is a great educational tool and a wonderful way for students to realize what grassroots advocacy is about.

Here is my basic approach:
1. I offer extra credit for students to either write a letter to their US Representative using the template attached or, if they are not comfortable writing a letter, I offer them an opportunity to get extra credit by writing a 2 page paper on advocacy.
2. I introduce them to the bill and discuss the highlights. (Let me know if I can assist).
3. I then walk them through how to find their representative using my lap top (hands on when in a wired classroom).
a. Go to www.house.gov to find your representative.
b. Click on Representatives link (left hand side).
c. Click on your state or scroll through the state listings. They either need to know their district (on voter registration card) or they can pretty quickly click on each to see district information.
d. Most have a way to “Contact Your Representative”. Simply click and type in your request. They can cut and past from the letter attached. I post the letter on my class Blackboard site or can send via email. I am also attaching the letter I sent to my representative for his support as an example.
e. The student can do this in class if your classroom is computer usable or do it at home and bring in their letter for credit.
f.If students want to see who has signed on to the bill as a co-sponsor, you can go to www.thomas.gov , enter HR 4248, click on the bill and the “Congressional Record Reference”. You will see dates and you can scroll down to HR 4248 under each date (it will be highlighted) and see who signed on at each update.

Here is the example letter composed by Thom:

January 26, 2008

The Honorable [Your Congressman’s Name]
Member of Congress
Washington, D.C. 20515

Re: Request to Cosponsor H.R. 4248

Dear Congressman [Your Congressman’s Name],

I am contacting you regarding H.R. 4248, the Ensuring Medicare Access To Recreational Therapy Act Of 2007, which was recently introduced by Representatives Tauscher (D-CA) and English (R-PA). H.R. 4248 will help ensure that Medicare inpatients receive rehabilitation therapy services when such services are prescribed by their doctors and warranted by their health condition.

[Write a short paragraph describing who you are, where you live, what you do and where you work.]

Recreational therapy (RT) is recognized as a skilled healthcare service that restores, remediates, and rehabilitates functional capacity in persons with injuries, chronic illnesses and disabilities. It is provided by a certified recreational therapists and is prescribed and supervised by a physician as part of an inpatient facility’s treatment plan for individual patients. However, beneficiary access to recreational therapy services in inpatient settings throughout the country is very inconsistent largely due to a lack of clarity in

However, beneficiary access to recreational therapy services in inpatient settings throughout the country is very inconsistent largely due to a lack of clarity in CMS’s regulations and manual provisions. This lack of clarity has created the widespread misconception that recreational therapy services are not covered in inpatient settings of care, despite the fact that CMS has repeatedly stated that they are both covered and included in existing payment systems. This is a budget neutral bill that does not add new services or additional costs to the Medicare program.

Congress has repeatedly requested CMS to clarify its recreational therapy policy to providers, but while CMS has responded to every congressional inquiry stating that recreational therapy is covered and included in existing payment systems, CMS has not communicated this same message to fiscal intermediaries, facility administrators, treating physicians in these settings, and other relevant entities. As a result, many of them are misinterpreting CMS guidance and denying recreational therapy, often out of concern for potential liability for fraud and abuse.

Public, formal clarification by CMS of recreational therapy coverage and payment policy in these inpatient settings, as directed by H.R. 4248, is all that is needed to ensure that Medicare inpatients who need recreational therapy services receive appropriate access to these vital rehabilitative therapies.

Please cosponsor H.R. 4248 to ensure that Medicare patients have consistent access to recreational therapy services. Thank you.

Sincerely,