743 Inpatient Physical Therapy

acute care hospital

acutely ill/injured, post-surgical, or medically unstable patients admitted for diagnosis, medical stabilization, or surgical management.

PT role in an acute care hospital

case by case with no mandated minimum. Best practice mobility initiated within 24-48hours when medically appropriate. PT focus of functional/mobility screening, safety and fall risk assessment, early mobility to limit deconditioning, and discharge recommendation based on patient status.

long term acute care hospital

medically stable patients that require hospital-level daily care and are too highly complex for IRF/SAR/SNF.

PT role in a long term acute care hospital

case by case with no mandated minimum. PT is performed as medically tolerated with a focus on gradual mobilization, deconditioning, prevention, building mobility tolerance with discharge goals to IRF/SAR/SNF.

subacute rehab (SAR)

medically stable, but with room for functional improvement and can tolerate 3 hours/day of therapy.

PT role in subacute rehab (SAR)

lower intensity than IRF: roughly 1-1.5 hours/day of combined PT/OT, 5 days/week. PT focus on gradual functional gains at a slower pace; bridges the gap between hospital and home. Discharge goals of community reintegration/return home.

skilled nursing facility (SNF)

individuals needing daily nursing and/or long-term care for chronic conditions.

PT role in a skilled nursing facility

PT for residents in a SNF is uncommon. If performed, it is lower intensity with a focus on maintenance rather than functional gains.

day rehabilitation

structured, intensive, interdisciplinary day treatment program (often 4-8 hours/day, multiple days/week) for patients who no longer need an overnight stay but require more coordinated services thana typical outpatient visit. Common after TBI or complex ortho/neuro recovery. The patient must return home each night.

home health PT

Skilled, intermittent care delivered in the home under the Medicare home health benefit; historically requires the patient to be homebound; interdisciplinary (nursing, PT, OT, SLP, home health aide).

outpatient PT in the home

Functions are as standard outpatient episode of care delivered in the home rather than a clinic. Does NOT require homebound status; single discipline, visit equivalent to clinic-based outpatient PT.  

work conditioning

structured, intensive, treatment program (often 4-8 hours/day, multiple days/week) for injured employees who need to return to work quickly and safely. At the end of the program, the patient completes a Functional Capacity Test, a standardized measure to assess the physical capabilities of the employee for their specific job duties. If the patient passes the test, they are cleared to return to work.