Clinicians need to be informed of proper documentation including medical justification for durable medical equipment (DME), insurance regulations, and the DME ordering process to ensure safe equipment for patients at discharge. Quality improvement projects can be a great way to create a needs assessment based on chart reviews and focus groups of occupational therapists (OTs), physical therapists (PTs), and case managers about their current challenges with ordering DME during inpatient rehabilitation. Information can then be utilized to create a self-paced online module with use of an instructional designer. The focus group discussion was organized to provide recommendations the PTs, OTs, and case managers would find beneficial in the learning module. The interactive online course has been organized into five modules: Overview of DME, Clinical Problem-Solving Discussions, Wheelchairs, Clinical Problem Solving for DME Selection, and Navigating Challenging Equipment Situations. It is hypothesized that the learning module will facilitate successful ordering of equipment when patients arrive so that they are able to be discharged safely from inpatient rehabilitation. A post-test embedded into the module as well as reference sheets for a summary of the most important points will be given to all participating clinicians.
Be sure to join the Office Hours discussion for this video on Thursday morning. Find more information on that session here:
https://teachx21.sched.com/event/j8my
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