Now occupational therapists from home health agencies can perform initial assessments on certain homebound patients. This allows home health services to begin and lets home health nurses do more direct patient care.
 
This is part of CMS’ latest efforts to relax a number of rules so that health care facilities can increase their frontline medical staffs during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a CMS memo released that states that the following blanket waivers are in effect, with a retroactive effective date of March 1, 2020 through the end of the emergency declaration.
 
Related link: For more information about the temporary suspension of a number of rules of health care facilities under CMS, visit: https://go.cms.gov/2wANstn.