Disabled patients to benefit from Medicare change
(AP)—Lawyers for Medicare patients say the Obama administration has agreed to a change that would help people with severe chronic illnesses like Alzheimer's keep receiving rehabilitation services, even if they're not getting better.
The proposed agreement filed with a federal judge in Vermont would allow Medicare patients to keep receiving physical and occupational therapy and other services at home or in a nursing home so that they can remain stable, said Gill Deford, a lawyer with the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
That's been a problem for thousands of patients because of a longstanding Medicare policy that says they must show improvement to keep getting rehab. Deford's group and other organizations challenged it in a nationwide class action suit.
Administration officials would not comment because the settlement is still pending.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
