ATRA Policy Alert
Phase One of Three

RE: ATRA Response to HCFA IRFPPS Proposed Regulations

To ATRA members, ***Please share this with others******

ATRA is in the process of finalizing our positions and statements regarding the proposed rule making for the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) implementation of Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment Systems (IRFPPS). ATRA's comments will be complete no later than December 15, 2000 and will be released as broadly as possible via the ATRA website and ATRA listserves and other email methods.

In preparation for the release of ATRA's comments, we are asking all recreational therapists and interested professionals to initiate discussions with the rehabilitation medical director and administrative director regarding the individual agency's comments. It is our intention that many recreational therapists will secure support for ATRA's position in a broader context of individual agency comments, administrator comments, local and state rehabilitation organizations as well as other rehabilitation professional's comments. ATRA is currently working with the ATRA Legislative Counsel for incorporation of our comments with other national rehabilitation associations.

What you can do before December 15, 2000:

1. Discuss your agency's response to the proposed IRFPPS regulations. Identify the individual responsible for compiling your agency's comments and ask to be included in the process. Work with the medical director and administrative director for the eventual incorporation of ATRA's comments in the agency's response.

2. If you are a member of a chapter, state association, city group, etc. contact your leadership and ask them to prepare the membership for a combined response. Send them this email message and ask them to share their fax tree or email system for the wide dissemination of this information to other recreational therapists. Plan to share ATRA's comments with all recreational therapists that are willing to write a letter of support. Our comments will only be considered if our voice is loud!

3. Visit the HCFA website to review the proposed regulations at www.hcfa.gov/medicare/irfpps.htm and provide ATRA with your comments. ATRA will finalize our comments on December 13, 2000. This our chance to publicly speak out on the importance of recreational therapy and qualified therapeutic recreation specialists. Send your comments to ATRA at the email address: atrapublicpolicy@atra-tr.org

4. Prepare to visit the ATRA website on December 15, 2000 for the ATRA comments, positions, draft letters and other strategies. ATRA is working day and night on the entire 600+ proposed regulations so you will know that our response is comprehensive and thorough. Please be prepared to respond for the profession! HCFA will receive comments until January 2, 2001.

Thank you for your tremendous assistance during this important period.

On behalf of the ATRA board of directors and public policy team,

Ann D. Huston, MPA, CTRS
Executive Director, American Therapeutic Recreation Association