Occupational therapy ·
Inpatient rehabilitation facilities must start all therapies within 36 hours; wrist sensor gauges arm impairment after stroke
THE SHORT READ
Inpatient rehabilitation facilities must start all therapies within 36 hours of admission under a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule that took effect Oct. 1. University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers reported in Science Translational Medicine that a wrist-worn sensor can gauge arm impairment after stroke. In the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, a smartphone study of 393 adults linked focus and freedom from distraction to better everyday cognitive performance.
THE DETAILS
- Payment Oct 1, 2026Under the fiscal 2027 inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) payment rule, which took effect Oct. 1, all therapy treatments and/or therapy evaluations must begin no later than 36 hours from midnight on the day of admission. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said the revision specifies that all, not just some, therapies must start within that window. The rule also requires the initial interdisciplinary team meeting by the fourth day of admission, with later meetings weekly, defined as seven days from the initial meeting. CMS finalized a 2.3% IRF payment update.Sources: Federal Register, CMS
- Research Sept 30, 2026University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers described in Science Translational Medicine on Sept. 30 a wrist-worn accelerometer whose machine-learning algorithm interprets upper-limb movement after stroke. The model was trained on accelerometer data and clinician assessment scores from subacute stroke patients, one week to six months after stroke, and from healthy individuals. The university said the algorithm was 40% to 50% more accurate than clinician evaluation and, in a re-created earlier study, produced statistically significant results with 50% fewer participants. Clinician observational assessment takes about 30 minutes, according to the university.
- Research Oct 1, 2026In a study published Oct. 1 in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 393 U.S. adults completed smartphone-based cognitive tests and surveys daily for 10 days, and associations were examined in multilevel regression models. Cognitive performance was better when participants reported no distractions, were alone, were more focused, had higher levels of energy or excitement and had greater happiness, the authors reported. They said the findings may help occupational therapy practitioners help clients adjust situations to support cognitive performance, for example for job tasks, exams or following instructions to take medications.
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