Therapist to Patient ratio for Inpt rehab

[dc2md]

A colleague of mine is trying to get figures on the typical PT to patient ratio for inpatient rehab. His therapists are fighting him by saying they can't see more than 4 patients a day. What is everyone else seeing at your facilities? If more than 4:1, how are they scheduling those patients to fit them into an 8-hour work day? Apparently it's "illegal" to double-up patients (for a single therapist to see two patients at once).

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[RUOkie]

A colleague of mine is trying to get figures on the typical PT to patient ratio for inpatient rehab. His therapists are fighting him by saying they can't see more than 4 patients a day. What is everyone else seeing at your facilities? If more than 4:1, how are they scheduling those patients to fit them into an 8-hour work day? Apparently it's "illegal" to double-up patients (for a single therapist to see two patients at once).

Most programs are trying to get 18-22 units/day. Anything less than that is below productivity standards. A unit is a 15min session. Do the math.

I know some high demand units that state the MINIMUM is 21 units. That is very tough in an 8 hr day.

 

[Jitter Bug]

At my old unit PT/OT were averaging about 5.5 hours of direct pt contact out of 8. (rest is travel time, pts in the bathroom, pts puking, pts down in mri, pts having a fight with their boyfriend, answering pages, documentation etc)

This equals about 11 sessions a day per therapist (with 30 minutes for each therapy session)

The unit was pushing for 7.5 direct contact hours out of 8, which would be about 15 patients a day.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

The unit was pushing for 7.5 direct contact hours out of 8, which would be about 15 patients a day.

Wow...that is rough. Our in-patient PTs/OTs see pts 2x day @ 45 min sessions, in addition to initial evals and staffings a couple of days a week. I'd guess maybe 6.5hr of billable time a day, though I'm sure there is some variance. Our out-patient folks are probably closer to the above, as they always seem slammed.

 

[judasreznor]

A place I used to work would see patients twice at a day. It would come out to probably 5-6 patients 2x a day. In nursing homes, it can be 12-15, depending on the census. Outpatient is pretty similar, too.

 

[Jitter Bug]

Wow...that is rough. Our in-patient PTs/OTs see pts 2x day @ 45 min sessions, in addition to initial evals and staffings a couple of days a week. I'd guess maybe 6.5hr of billable time a day, though I'm sure there is some variance. Our out-patient folks are probably closer to the above, as they always seem slammed.

I agree it's unrealistic, because inpatients aren't like outpatients. They are rarely ready when their slot comes up. Sometimes they refuse and ask them to come back in an hour. Sometimes they hijack the whole 30 minutes going to the bathroom (peeing, not skills training). Sometimes the PT spends half their slot trying to figure out which lounge the family wheeled the patient off to.