What is an occupational therapist?
An occupational therapist is a health professional that uses the therapeutic approach of aiding in a patient’s daily activities or occupation to treat physical, mental, developmental, and emotional ailments impacting a patient’s ability to perform their day-to-day activities. In essence, they give people back their ability to live their lives and independence, bettering their quality of life and aiding them to live with as much freedom as possible. This is a holistic treatment method, not treating a specific injury or ailment head-on. An occupational therapist assesses the activities that are important to their patient, teaching them how to resume them after an injury or surgical procedure sidelines them from resuming their daily activities. Occupational therapists are also set apart from other forms of therapy because they try to affirm and reinforce their patient’s abilities to perform the activities that defined them before their injury, surgical intervention, or other events.
Their key role and responsibilities are to evaluate a patient’s condition, needs, and abilities. Once this is completed, they develop a treatment plan, addressing the patient’s ability to accomplish specific goals. Once this is done, they will assess the patient’s home and work environments, recommending adaptations that will help the patient be more independent in resolving their needs. Once this has been done, they will train the patients and their families or caregivers to use the process learned in therapy and whatever special equipment is necessary for the patient. To aid in their management of their patient’s case or needs they will document the patient’s progress and evaluate them as time goes for billing and reporting, which is something our Gables Medical Billing can help with, handling all claims submissions, follow-ups, appeals, through to payment posting.
