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Each year, Fusion helps hundreds of therapy clinicians and clinic managers perfect their practice, so they can continue providing care to those who need them. Because of this, we’ve become a bit of an expert in identifying areas of opportunity for therapy clinics – whether this is helping therapists expand their offerings to new populations or improving outcomes by streamlining their care delivery. One area we often help clinics fine-tune is occupational therapy for autistic patients.

 

Evaluating ASD and Why OT Matters

As an evidence-based practice that often takes a holistic approach, occupational therapy can be of great benefit for both pediatric and adult patients diagnosed with ASD. Since occupational therapy helps develop and maintain skills for everyday life – which are essential and build strong foundations for self-care, leisure, learning, and productivity – including OT in an autism care plan can have profound benefits.

Furthermore, Corinna Laurie, Clinical Lead OT with the NAS elaborates that, in her clinical experience, “those with sensory processing differences, often have co-occurring difficulties with posture, coordination and motor planning.” So beneficial are occupational therapy interventions with neurodivergent individuals, that, as an OT, you may even play a part in evaluating the severity of an ASD diagnosis.

Schedule a demo to see how Fusion can help your clinic grow.

 

Finding Patients

Most of the time, patients and/or their caregivers will rely on insurance to cover the cost of their occupational therapy. If you’re looking to begin or make a larger impact on this unique population, it’s important to build your referral pipeline by networking with developmental pediatricians, primary care providers, psychologists, and neurologists. Read up on the work they are doing, reach out with introductions, and when referrals do come in, ensure you are following up promptly and professionally to maintain that open door. Of course, as a caveat, ensure you are abiding by your state’s regulations and guidelines.

If you are practicing in a state that doesn’t require referrals or are working with largely self-pay clientele, consider surveying your existing patients to see how they discovered your clinic and continue your networking with special education schools and autism programs that connect those with ASD to helpful resources such as yourself.

 

Providing Excellent Patient Experiences

As always, one of the best ways to maintain the caseload you need to meet revenue goals is to foster patient retention. Provide seamless experiences with a tone of compassion and education to stay in your patient’s trust. Beginning with intake, make sure you are keeping clients abreast of what they can expect. Share documents via the patient portal from day one that introduce care delivery processes, staff, FAQs, billing, and insurance information, and whatever else may be helpful to take away with them. Outlining expectations can soothe a lot of anxiety that comes from care – regardless of your specialty.

And, speaking of intake, use streamlined electronic forms to help everything run smoothly and to collect all the information you will need to build a plan from the get-go. If you’re working with cases where the patient may struggle with mobility or sensory overload – offering telehealth options can be a great way to take pressure off visits – and help prevent no-shows. Likewise, if you’re working mainly with a parent or caretaker – your EHR must be equipped to handle those kinds of discrepancies in notetaking and permissions, so talk to your tech vendor to make sure you have what you need.

 

Fusion Brings Patients and Therapists Together

Whether you’re embarking on a new journey for your clinic or are looking to perfect your practice, Therapy Brands and Fusion are here to help. Our EHR has been designed by therapists and includes all the tools you need to provide excellent care for autistic pediatric and adult patients. Check out our features or schedule a demo to see how we can help your clinic grow.

 

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The Silver Tsunami. The Aging of America. However you spin it, there’s no denying a massive generation of Baby Boomers is entering their Golden Years – or the opportunity this poses for therapy clinics and occupational therapists. But this opportunity is two-fold as seniors can benefit greatly from occupational therapy as they age. Let’s take a deeper look at how occupational therapy can improve a senior’s quality of life.

1. Preventing Falls

Each year, emergency rooms in America treat over 3 million seniors with fall injuries. In our older age, falls can be devastating, especially for those who have suffered from or are recovering from other conditions like a stroke. Occupational therapy in recovery or, even better, as a preventative measure, can improve muscle strength, coordination, and balance to prevent falls and help the body maintain hardiness in the case a fall does occur.

2. Maintaining Independence

A study conducted by AARP found that 77% of adults over 50 prefer to age in place and stay in their home long term. Occupational therapy can help older adults maintain their independence and allow them to age in place by combatting the physical and cognitive decline that comes with aging.

3. Maintaining a Full, Active Life

Whether someone prefers to be curled on the couch with a book, to take long walks along the river, or spend every Friday night on the dance floor. Occupational therapy for seniors can help aging adults do just that. And, by being able to continue doing what they love, seniors are less prone to isolation and depression, which can result in a significant decline in their overall health.

4. Improving Cognitive Function and Protecting Against Memory Loss

The physical benefits of occupational therapy for seniors stretch beyond strength and mobility. Occupational therapy can improve perceptual vision and awareness and pattern detection. This means simply getting around and living everyday life is easier and safer for seniors. When it comes to memory, there are endless activities and interventions that can slow and prevent memory loss. Since Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are prevalent in the senior community, keeping a mind active and sharp and “working out” one’s memory can have a significant impact in later life.

5. Allowing Faster Recovery

Strokes, pneumonia, and other ailments can destroy lives and are unfortunately prevalent in older populations. Occupational therapy is not only an often-needed necessity in treatment and recovery, but it can strengthen the body and help it bounce back when tragedy strikes.

6. Offering a Positive Mindset

When we are limited in our physical abilities or start to feel less capable in our world, we can feel isolated and less important. When occupation therapy helps keep seniors active, motivated, and empowered, it not only improves their health but their mood and outlook.

Improve Outcomes for Older Adults

Older patients are often disregarded in their lives, but as occupational therapists, we can support our aging population, but we won’t be able to do it alone. Fusion is an EHR designed specifically for physical and occupational therapists. With dynamic and powerful functionality like reporting, billing, and everything you could need to deliver excellent service and generate positive outcomes. Get a demo today to see how Fusion (now for the adult market) can support any size occupational therapy practice.

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Last Updated: August 15, 2018

The American Occupational Therapy Association’s National Backpack Awareness Day is all about reminding parents, students, and therapists to ensure that backpacks are being packed and worn properly. Are you planning anything to remind your patients of the importance of backpack safety? (more…)