Medicare Outpatient Physical Therapy Expenditures Vary by Diagnosis and Functional Mobility.

Background: Clinical characteristics driving variations in Medicare outpatient physical therapy expenditures are inadequately understood.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to examine variations in annual outpatient physical therapy expenditures of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries by primary diagnosis and baseline functional mobility, and to assess whether case mix groups based on primary diagnosis and functional mobility scores would be useful for expenditure differentiation.

Design: This was an observational, longitudinal study.

Measuring Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality of Care: Discharge Self-Care Functional Status Quality Measure.

Objective: To describe the calculation and psychometric properties of the discharge self-care functional status quality measure implemented in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program on October 1, 2016.

Design: Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patients from 38 IRFs that participated in the CMS Post-Acute Care Payment Reform Demonstration were included in this cohort study. Data came from the Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation Item Set, IRF-Patient Assessment Instrument, and Medicare claims.

Computer-adaptive balance testing improves discrimination between community-dwelling elderly fallers and nonfallers.

Objectives: To build an item response theory-based computer adaptive test (CAT) for balance from 3 traditional, fixed-form balance measures: Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), and dynamic gait index (DGI); and to examine whether the CAT's psychometric performance exceeded that of individual measures.

Design: Secondary analysis combining 2 existing datasets.

Setting: Community based.

Conceptual limitations of balance measures for community-dwelling older adults.

Background: Psychometric limitations of balance measures for community-dwelling elderly may be related to gaps in task and environmental representation.

Objective: The purposes of this study were: (1) to conduct item-level content analysis of balance measures for community-dwelling elderly people based on task and environmental factors and (2) to develop profiles of individual measures summarizing their task and environment representation.

Design: A systematic content analysis was conducted.

Development of the computer-adaptive version of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument.

Background: Having psychometrically strong disability measures that minimize response burden is important in assessing of older adults.

Methods: Using the original 48 items from the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument and newly developed items, a 158-item Activity Limitation and a 62-item Participation Restriction item pool were developed. The item pools were administered to a convenience sample of 520 community-dwelling adults 60 years or older.

Sensitivity to change and responsiveness of four balance measures for community-dwelling older adults.

Background: Impaired balance has a significant negative impact on mobility, functional independence, and fall risk in older adults. Although several, well-respected balance measures are currently in use, there is limited evidence regarding the most appropriate measure to assess change in community-dwelling older adults.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare floor and ceiling effects, sensitivity to change, and responsiveness across the following balance measures in community-dwelling elderly people with functional limitations: Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment total scale (POMA-T), POMA balance subscale (POMA-B), and Dynamic Gait Index (DGI).

Advantage of limb salvage over amputation for proximal lower extremity tumors.

Unlabelled: Although function after lower extremity amputation and limb salvage has been compared, no study has assessed individual functional variables by surgical level. Our aim was to determine whether risks of long-term psychologic and physical limitations were associated with amputation or limb salvage at four levels: below-knee, above-knee, hip, and pelvis. We included 408 patients with sarcomas and postoperative followup of 2 years or greater who had completed a quality-of-life self-report questionnaire.