There are Many Opportunities to
Consider
Within the rehabilitation industry there are many hands in the pot of
reimbursement, and there is constant talk about reimbursement cuts, cuts, and
more cuts. Rehabilitation clinic owners, directors and upper management are
always looking for ways to offset the continued cuts and keep their doors open.
Workers’ Compensation reimbursement within 95% of the United States continues to
hold its own if not increase on a year to year basis. Adding service lines
within the realm of workers’ compensation rehabilitation will help you diversify
your clinic and provide higher paying revenue streams.
You can decide if the service line you want to start with or
enhance is Functional Capacity Evaluations. Maybe you have
no idea where you are going to get your referrals from?
Maybe a company has contacted you and asked if you perform
“Functional Capacity Evaluations”. Maybe a doctor who refers
you patients asked if you perform FCEs? Maybe an Attorney
has asked if you perform FCEs. Any of these may be viable
routes to make the investment in Functional Capacity
Evaluation training and software.
Step 1: TRAINING
There are a few continuing education courses that will teach
you how to perform Functional Capacity Evaluations. Some of
them require that you use their software. Some of them will
train you and send you home with the paper-based testing
tools to keep your investment down with the hope that you
build your FCE program and come back to them later on to get
software. Some of them do not have software to complete the
FCE. Some of the questions in regards to the training
include: Do I have to travel to a course to get trained? Are
they coming to a city near me? Can I get trained right on
the internet? Do I really need to be certified?
In the end certification is not a necessity but is asked for
by some insurance companies. If your state medical practice
act says you can perform Functional Capacity Evaluation then
you can. There are a few options in regards to Functional
Capacity Evaluation training out on the market. Ninety
percent of the courses are live in person hands-on courses
where you need to travel to the course to get trained. If
you have a group of clinicians requiring training many of
the organizations providing FCE training will come directly
to you.
Step 2: EQUIPMENT
You could spend anywhere between $1,000.00 up to $50,000.00
on equipment to perform FCEs. In the end it does not matter
what equipment you use to perform your FCEs. Per the
Americans with Disabilities Act as Amended and the United
States Supreme Court you need to perform your FCE as close
to how the job is performed as you can. So it does not
matter what equipment you use since very few pieces of
equipment used in FCEs are even close to the content
validity of a job/occupation. In the end it would make the
most sense to minimize your equipment expense and use
general FCE testing equipment available on the open market
and the most reasonably priced equipment.
Step 3: SOFTWARE
There are roughly 8 software systems out on the open market
that perform FCEs. The things you need to consider when
choosing a software system for performing your FCEs is as
follows:
1. Does the software system have reliability and validity
research to support the testing method?
2. Can I get my FCE post-test documentation done quickly?
(The biggest complaint in FCE testing is when it takes hours
to write up reports.)
3. Does the software perform all of the calculations I need
to
make a gainful employment decision
4. Is the software easy to navigate?
5. Are the reports the software creates clear and concise
and
will my referral source/customers find the most pertinent
information easily?
6. Can I customize the reports for various customers? (The
doctor will not want a 30 page report to read.)
7. Can I add libraries of documentation into the software
that I
want to use for future FCEs?
8. Will the FCE software pull job descriptions for me?
9. Is the software computer-based, server-based, or in the
cloud?
75% of all Functional Capacity Evaluation software systems
are exactly the same. Twenty five percent of the testing
methods within that software system are where things vary
from one system to the next. You need to consider the
testing methods but in today’s climate you need to also
consider features that help you clinician get an FCE done
quickly.
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU BUY
One of the main questions you should ask the software
company is when was the last time they updated their
software? How often do they fix bugs or enhance their
software? As much as upgrades seem to
interrupt your daily work, they are much needed as
technology continues to advance. Microsoft, Apple, Oracle
and many other company’s products wouldn’t have survived if
they did not constantly make their software product better
and conform to digital standards. You need to invest in an
FCE software system that is always evolving and keeping up
to date with the digital trends.
Last revised: August 19, 2013
By Jim Mecham, MSIE, OTR/L,
CPE
