Welcome to Accelerated Hand Therapy
and Rehabilitation, Inc.
Accelerated Hand Therapy is a therapist owned and directed company providing hand therapy by 14 of the best Certified Hand Therapist to all of northern New Jersey. With six offices in five counties, we will be able to help you overcome the challenges of acute and chronic hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder injuries and disorders.
At Accelerated Hand Therapy, we are dedicated to helping each patient achieve the maximum level of personal performance at home, school and work. We provide the guidance and education that is essential to ongoing wellness and the prevention of future injuries. Comprehensive evaluations, custom dynamic and static splinting, coordination training, wound care, and work conditioning are just a few of the many components of our treatment programs. We provide personalized care that is tailored to each individual patient and their specific ailment. Quality patient care is quintessential to our success.
Our treatment utilizes a team approach with the patient, therapist, referring physician and case managers. Written evaluations and timely progress reports keep physicians and insurance companies informed of their patients status.
We realize that when you need hand therapy you have choices. We strive not only to be your choice, but Your # 1 choice in Hand and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation!
Our practice locations:
Hackensack
Morristown
Parsippany
Somerset
Union
West Orange
Most insurances and managed care plans accepted.
- Comprehensive Evaluations
- Range of Motion
- Custom Dynamic and Static Splinting
- Patient Education
- Individualized Home Programs
- Coordination Training
- Scar Management
- Edema Control
- Fluidotherapy
- Mobilization
- Sensory Reeducation and Desensitisation
- Strengthening and Endurance Programs
- Modalities
- Work Conditioning
- Work Site and Work Task Analysis
- Activities of Daily Living
- Wound Care
Appointments are available in the day and evening.
[about us]
Over 100 Years of Combined Experience,
successfully working with over 1,000 patients.
Full use of your hands is vital to nearly every task you perform. If your hands have been injured, or you suffer from arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome, you want your hands to get the care they need to regain their full function. This will enable you to perform all your work and everyday tasks again.
Accelerated Hand Therapy's director, Mariann Moran, OTD,OTR, CHT, has worked successfully with over 1,000 patients. An Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist, she and her staff of qualified hand therapists can help you overcome the challenges of acute and chronic hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder injuries, and restore you hands and upper extremities to their full function.
Specialized Relief
At Accelerated Hand Therapy and Rehabilitation, we focus exclusively on treating hand, wrist, and upper extremity problems. We offer specialized treatment necessary for maximum relief and recovery from:
- Work-related injuries
- Wrist and hand fractures
- Tendon Injuries
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Amputation and crush injuries
- Arthritis
- Nerve Damage
Personalized Treatment & Proven Solutions
We believe that the best treatment is personalized treatment - care that's designed for your specific problem. At Accelerated Hand Therapy, your therapist will get to know you as well as your condition.
You will also find a wide range of diagnostic testing and rehabilitative exercises, to determine the nature of your problem, and give you the best possible therapy. This includes:
Evaluation of your hands grip strength, pinch strength, sensory testing and joint range of motion.
Fine motor control and strengthening therapy.
The BTE Work Simulator, which evaluates and strengthens your work ability by simulating 80 different motions and activities.
Fabrication of custom-designed dynamic and static splints.
Affordable, Accessible Care: Treatment is covered by many insurance companies, workers' Compensation, Medicare, and managed care programs. The Insurance Plans page has a list of accepted coverage. See if we are on your plan.
[services]
We Pride Ourselves in Providing Excellent Care
Our team of highly skilled therapists works with the latest technology and techniques to provide all patients with high quality therapy and rehabilitation. We pride ourselves on providing excellent care that helps the patient from the acute stage of injury to worksite evaluations and ergonomic assessments as they transition back to work and their daily routines.
Ergonomic Worksite Evaluation
Ergonomics is the science of fitting jobs to the people who work in them so that a balance can be created between work demands and worker capabilities. When the work and the workers are in balance the outcome is optimized productivity while preserving the health and safety of the work force. Whether a preventative measure or an analysis to facilitate the return-to-work, the therapists at AHT study the job demands, environmental conditions and functional characteristics of the patient's work area. Ergonomic guidelines and basic principles of engineering design are considered to recommend modifications necessary to improve the design of the workplace. The therapist will be able to identify occupational injury risk factors and make appropriate recommendations that will prevent injury or aide a patient in their return to work.
Functional Capacity Evalutions - An FCE
A Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) is the comprehensive, objective test of an individual's ability to perform physical tasks over a period of several hours. The FCE will help determine a patient's maximum physical performance in a controlled, safe environment. It incorporates the elements of posture, body movements, kinesiology, cardiovascular response, affective and psychomotor response to provide a detailed report of a patient's functional capabilities and limitations. The information will be utilized by the patient's doctor and therapist to determine the best course of treatment, return to work status, to address concerns and improve or restore function.
Working Conditioning
Work conditioning is an intensive, goal oriented program that trains the patient to return to a particular job. The program is designed as the second step in the rehabilitation process and is conducted under the direct supervision of the therapist. It is often introduced when a patient has either pain-free, restriction-free range of motion or when residual pain is not increasing, acute inflammatory process is resolved and radicular symptoms are stabilized. It includes work simulated activities, an exercise program and education for the patient to avoid hazards. The program is specifically designed to restore: strength, endurance, movement, flexibility, and motor control. The patient assists in setting goals to restore their physical capacity and function to the extent that they can return to work.
Work Hardening
Work hardening programs are interdisciplinary in nature and use conditioning tasks that simulate the practical demands of the individual's work activities. The tasks are graded to progressively improve the biomechanical, neuromuscular, and cardiovascular functions of the patient. Work hardening is conducted in a specialized work simulated environment, re-creating such work demands as: lifting, climbing, pushing, pulling, etc. Work hardening is used to transition between acute care and return to work to address the issues of productivity, safety, physical tolerances, and work behaviors. The program will progress the patient from a hands on therapy rehabilitation to a more independent rehabilitation as the patient gets ready to return to full capacity at work. It is a highly structured, goal oriented individualized treatment program designed to maximize the patients ability to return to work.
[our therapists]
Mariann Moran
Mariann E. Moran, OTD, OTR, CHT, attended the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a certificate in Occupational Therapy in 1979, after graduating from Kean University with bachelors in Psychology. In 2000, Mariann graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University with an MBA in Health Systems Management. In 2010 Mariann received her doctorate in Occupational Therapy with a concentration in Hand Rehabilitation from Rocky Mountain University in Provo, Utah.
Professionally, Mariann has been an Occupational Therapist for over 20 years and has specialized in hand therapy almost the entire time. In addition to working in a variety of settings including acute care, home care, and school based therapy, Mariann has worked in several hand clinics with many hand surgeons in northern New Jersey prior to opening Accelerated Hand Therapy in 1994.
Mariann has represented both occupational therapy and hand therapy on several committees including Horizon Casualty (part of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield), New Jersey Occupational Therapy License Council and St. Elizabeths College Masters in Health Administration Advisory Council. She is a founding member of the New Jersey chapter of the American Society of Hand Therapists. She was president from 1996-1999. She is an active member of the American Society of Hand Therapists and is president of the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association.
Mariann has developed a special interest in ergonomics. She has presented many lectures and workshops to companies, industries and the general public as well as other professions. Some of the more popular topics include: What is RSI?, How to Make Your Work Not Hurt and Setting Up Your Home Office. She has been an adjunct professor at Kean University since 2001.
Mariann is married and has three grown children. Her hobbies include gardening and quilt making.
Denyse Ignacio
Denyse H. Ignacio, OTR, CHT, graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Occupational Therapy. She became a Certified Hand Therapist in 1996.
Previously, Denyse was the Senior Hand Therapist at the Cornell Hand Rehabilitation Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. She was responsible for post-operative rehabilitation of traumatic and elective surgery cases for the upper extremities. She also developed treatment protocols and home programs for patients. Denyse presented numerous clinical case studies on complex hand fractures and tendon injury management at hand service meetings and case conferences between 1995 and 1999. In addition, she also presented "Rehabilitation of Total Elbow Replacements" at the Total Joint Arthroplasty course which took place at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan in 1997.
Denyse instructed in labs and lectures for rotating staff and students. She also taught a course for Physical Therapy students in Orthopedics, An Introduction to Hand Therapy at Hunter College. She coordinated the hand rehabilitation section of primary care clinical observations for Cornell University medical college students.
Denyse has a special interest in splinting complex hand and elbow injuries as well as rehabilitation of post-surgical injuries such as digital fractures, tendons and joint replacements.
Victoria Majcher
Victoria Majcher, OTR,CHT graduated with a bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy from Columbia University.
She has been practicing Occupational Therapy since 1976
and became a certified Hand Therapist in 1991 when the first certification exam was given.
Previously, Victoria worked as a Certified Hand Therapist at North Jersey Hand Therapy. She treated acute traumatic hand and upper extremity injuries. She also managed therapy departments in two locations and performed on-site evalu-ations. She also worked at the New Jersey Rehabilitation Hospital as both an Occupational Therapist and staff super-visor. She performed treatment of a variety of disorders and supervised both Certified Occupational Therapy assistants as well as Occupational Therapists. Victoria has lectured on cumulative trauma disorders and ergonomic workstation design.
Carol Mansfield
Carol Mansfield, OTR,CHT graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. She has been a Certified Hand Therapist since November of 1998; however her experience as a Hand Therapist goes back more than 13 years when she first began working in a hand clinic at Good Samaritan Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Suffern, NY. It was at that time that Carol began working strictly with a hand population and at that time Carol established a major interest in hand therapy. She has been providing quality patient care to a variety of hand and upper extremity patients since.
Previously, Carol has worked at the Center for Hand Rehabilitation of Northern New Jersey in Waldwick, Nova Care Outpatient Rehabilitation in Fair Lawn and the JZV Center for Rehabilitation of the Upper Extremity in Clifton, NJ. Carol is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association, American Society of Hand Therapists and North Jersey Occupational Therapy as a hand special interest group.
Jyoti Mehta
Jyoti Mehta, Msc OT, Ma OT, CHT is a certified Hand Therapist. She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Degrees in Occupational Therapy from Bombay University in India. She also has a Master's degree in OT from New York University. She has been a practicing therapist since 1982.
Jyoti has worked as a clinician treating a wide spectrum of patients needing Occupational Therapy services. She has also managed the Occupational Therapy Dept at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY. She has helped establish and operate a private OT-PT practice in India. She has been treating patients with hand injuries throughout her career and her passion for hand therapy led her to achieving her hand therapy certification from The American Society of Hand Therapists in 2006.
Kara Ghedina
Kara Olivo, OTR, CHT graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy. Kara became interested in hand therapy early in her career and became a certified hand therapist in 2005. She has worked at Accelerated Hand Therapy since 2004 and is currently the in-charge therapist at the Morristown office.
Prior to joining AHT, Kara worked at Beth Israel Medical Center for 5 years. While she was there, Kara headed the Brachial Plexus Clinic in the Center for Functional Restoration. She was in charge of evaluating and implementing treatment plans for children and adults as well as working with a team of doctors and other therapists to determine appropriate surgical or therapeutic options for these patients.
Joanne Petrunik
Joanne Petrunik, OT, CHT, graduated in 1985 with a bachelors degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Alberta, Canada. Joannes interest in hand therapy was established early in her career and she became a Certified Hand Therapist in 1992. Her particular areas of interest are nerve compression syndromes and rheumatoid diseases. Joanne is continuing her education at Drexel University, Pennsylvania where she is pursuing a masters degree in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation.
Joanne has been on staff with Accelerated Hand Therapy since 2000. Prior to living and working in New Jersey, she ran a private hand therapy practice in Brooklyn, NY. The majority of her hand therapy training was obtained while working at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.
Susan Pristas
Susan Pristas, OT, CHT, graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 1984. She became a Certified Hand Therapist in 1993.
Susan has worked in a wide range of settings including acute care, home care and inpatient rehabilitation. Since 1991, she has been a hand therapist at several outpatient hand rehabilitation centers both in California and New Jersey.
She has worked closely with hand surgeons to rehabilitate people with a variety of upper extremity injuries including traumatic injuries, arthritis and repetitive stress injuries. She has participated in patient rounds, journal club meetings and anatomy labs with physicians.
Susan has had the opportunity to observe numerous surgeries and present two workshops to beginning hand therapists. She enjoys fabricating custom splints and learning more about specific treatment techniques through continuing education courses.
Doris Schanzer
Doris Schanzer, OTR, CHT, graduated from Universidad de Chile and received her diploma in Occupational Therapy in 1971. She began working in the area of hand therapy exclusively in 1990. She has been a Certified Hand Therapist since 1994 and was re-certified in 1999 and again in 2005.
Previously, Doris was coordinator of hand services at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in Saddle Brook, NJ. She was involved in program development and implementation, direct patient treatment, marketing and administration of the Kessler Hand Center.
Doris has over 30 years of experience in several areas of physical rehabilitation and more than 15 years experience in the area of hand rehabilitation. This experience is helpful in looking at a patient as a whole functional being; thus integrating functional tasks and needs into treatment.
Doris is an active member of the American Society of Hand Therapists. She is also a member of the New Jersey chapter of the American Society of Hand Therapists. Doris has a strong interest in splinting design and innovation.
In 1996, Doris presented "Pattern-making For Hand Splints" at Kessler's Institute for Rehabilitation. That same year she published "The Crucial Role of the Hand Therapist" in New Jersey Rehabilitation Magazine. She also published a new splint design in the Journal of Hand Therapy in 2000.
Manisha Shroff-Duggirala
Manisha Shroff, OTR, CHT graduated from the University of Bombay, India with a degree in Occupational Therapy in 1987. She received her postgraduate diploma in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation form the All India Institute of Rehabilitation (Bombay). Her thesis focused on Hand Splints.
Manisha has been in the hand therapy field since 1991. She worked at the Lexington Clinic in Lexington, Kentucky with various hand and plastic surgeons. Manisha helped to establish and market their Work Conditioning and Ergonomics Program with great success.
Manisha has also worked at St. Claires Hospital in Denville, NJ in the outpatient center. There she developed the Work Hardening Program as well as managing all hand therapy and work conditioning referrals. She handled outside company contracts in relation to job site analysis for injured employees returning to work. This included the important task of rewriting specific job descriptions in effort to accurately describe various job duties for OSHA Compliance.
Manisha has over 16 years of experience in the area of physical medicine and rehabilitation and over 10 years in hand therapy. Her background in Work Conditioning, Work Hardening and Ergonomics provides her with the ability to treat the person as a whole and not be limited to hand or arm injuries.
Manisha has conducted a splint workshop which included lectures by a hand surgeon and a rheumatologist. She also taught a course in Splinting at the University of Louisville, Kentucky.
Audrey Stamm
Audrey Stamm, OTR, CHT, graduated from the Medical College of Georgia and received her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1996. She began working in a hand therapy setting in 1998. Audrey became a certified hand therapist in 2002.
In 2000, Audrey was a hand therapy fellow in the Evelyn J. Mackin Hand Therapy Fellowship, a prestigious six-month fellowship sponsored by the Philadelphia Hand Center, P.C. and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. This allowed her to work alongside experienced therapists and surgeons who are widely regarded as leaders in their fields, and provided opportunities to learn and practice the most current approaches in upper-extremity rehabilitation.
Audrey has a strong commitment to involving the patient as an active participant in his own rehabilitation process, with an emphasis on patient education.
Jeff Chapman
Jeff Chapman, OTR, graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a BS in Biology in 1992 and earned a BS in Occupational Therapy from the University of Central Arkansas in 1998. He has been a certified Occupational Therapist since 1999.
Jeff worked in a variety of settings including hospital acute/outpatient, home health, and school systems prior to deciding to specialize in hand therapy.
Jeff participated in a Hand Therapy Fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery from 2008 to 2009. He is also a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association. Currently Jeff is studying for his Certified Hand Therapist exam.
Jeff began working at Accelerated Hand Therapy in 2009. He enjoys traveling to his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee to visit family and friends. Jeff enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking and cycling. Jeff is also an active volunteer in his spare time.
Lauren Bird
Lauren Bird MS, OTR/L has been with Accelerated Hand Therapy for one year. She attended Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania where she earned her Masters in Occupational Therapy in August 2006 and a Bachelors in Health and Occupation in 2005. Before working at AHT Lauren worked in assisted living and subacute care facilities in 3 years.
Lauren has also worked in the Cecil County Public Schools in Maryland. In this school setting she helped develop and implement activities to improve fine motor control. Since graduating, Lauren has attended many continuing education courses. She particularly enjoyed the 12 week splinting course at The Hospital for Special Surgery in the fall of 2009 in Manhattan.
Outside of work Lauren enjoys traveling, running for enjoyment and participating in short races. She is also looking forward to her upcoming wedding. Currently Lauren is studying for her CHT exam which she will take in 2011.
Renee Ferraraccio
Renee Ferraraccio, OTR/L, graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1990 with a BA in Social Sciences, and earned an MS in Occupational Therapy from Seton Hall University in 2004. She has been a nationally certified massage therapist since 1997. Renee has worked in vocational settings and community worksites for supported employment for the disabled population. Her diverse background involved teaching undergraduates and coaching college basketball athletes.
Renee has worked full time at Kessler Rehabilitation as an Occupational Therapist since 2005, serving orthopedic and neurological patients. She is currently enrolled at Drexel University to obtain and Advanced Certificate in Upper Quarter Rehabilitation.
Renee began working at Accelerated Hand Therapy in 2005, and is an active member in the American Occupational Therapy Association, the American Massage Therapy Asso-ciation, and the American Society of Hand Therapists. She enjoys hiking and all outdoor activities.
Suet Lim, OTR, MA, CHT
Suet Lim, OTR, MA, CHT graduated with a Bachelors Degree (cum laude) from Northeast Louisiana University in 1992, and received a Masters of Arts degree in Rehabilitation Technology from Texas Womens University in 1998. Her master thesis was on the effects of BTE intervention on wrist strength, AROM, and self reported activities of daily living in Lateral Epicondylitis.
In 1994, Suet worked at Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston, Texas, where she developed her special interest in hand therapy. She was responsible for the wound care unit and attended bi-weekly outpatient hand clinics. In 1996, Suet worked at Texas Orthopedic Hospital which provided a great opportunity for her to work closely with many prominent hand surgeons in the Houston Medical Center. In 2002, Suet and her coworker published an article titled, A Carpometacarpal Stabilization Splint in the Journal of Hand Therapy. She began working at AHT in 2008. She enjoys making all kinds of static as well as dynamic splints. She recently received her CHT in 2009.
Suet enjoys cooking, cleaning, and traveling. She and her family lived for two years in London, UK, and traveled to several countries in Europe.
Melissa Roesch-Kanter
Melissa Roesch-Kanter, OTR, CHT, graduated in 1986 from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupatioal Therapy. She became a Certified Hand Therapist in 1992.
Melissa received her training in New York City. She was a senior hand therapist at the Hand Rehabilitation Center affiliated with New York University Hospital as well as the New York Hospitcal Cornell Medical Center. Melissa was responsible for the evaluation and treatment of complex hand and upper extremity injuries and developed treatment protocols and home exercise programs for patients. She was responsible for the supervision of staff therapists and the education of occupational therapy students and surgical residents.
Between 1989 and 1992, Melissa presented numerous lectures on injury management and splinting techniques as hand surgical meetings and departmental conferences. In 1992, Melissa presented a poster at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Hand Therapists in Phoenix, Arizona on Controlled Active Metacapophalangeal Joint Motion Following Zone V Extensor Digitorum Communis Repair of the Middle Digit with the U Splint. Additional original research includes The Clamshell Digit Splint with Otoform Lining, published in the Journal of Hand Therapy in 1997.
Melissa has an expertise in the management of acute hand and wrist disorders. She has a special interest in the post surgical treatment of Dupuytrens contracture, tendon injuries, and wound care.
Melissa is married to Eric Kanter and has three daughters.
Robin Sigley, OTR
Robin Sigley, OTR, graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy. She was self-employed for 10 years in hand therapy and pediatric practice, in addition to working in Greece and the Czech Republic as an occupational therapist. Robin has been with Accelerated Hand Therapy since 2005.
Robin is married to her husband, Tom, and has two children, Joshua and Bethany, one dog, one rabbit, two gerbils and a fish! She enjoys scrapbooking, stamping, kayaking, and long nature walks.
[insurance]
Most insurances and managed
care plans accepted.
ACS (Dept. of Labor)
Aetna/US Healthcare
Alta Services
Americhoice
Amerihealth PPO
Anthem
Beech Street Corp.
Bergen Risk
Better Health Advantage
Cigna PPO
Community Care Network (CCN)
Consumer Health Network (CHN)
Devon Health Services
Family Choice Health Alliance
First Health Group Corp.
(formerly Affordable/HealthCare Compare)
First Managed Care Option (MCO)
Health Net
(Formerly PHS)
HORIZON
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Blue Select
HMO Blue
HMO Blue Choice
Horizon Casualty Svs.
NJ Plus
POS Prime
NJ State Health Benefits Program
Humana/Choice Care
Intergroup Svs. Corp.
MARCAL
Master Care
Medicare
Medichoice
Med Risk
Metracomp
Multiplan
New Jersey Manufactures
One Health Plan
Oxford
Partners in Care**
Private Healthcare Systems Inc.
Guardian PHCS
PTPN*
Dimensions in Managed Care
Liberty Health Plan
Managed Care Strategies
MCS
Options
QRS Managed Care Svs.
QualCare
Unitedhealthcare
United Payor & United Provider
University Health Plan
FOCUS
AIG
Atlantic Mutual
Berkley Risk
Chubb & Son, Inc.
Cigna (WC)
CNA
Concentra Managed Care
(Formerly CRA)
Crum & Forster
Fireman's Fund
Gallagher Bassett Svs.
Gates McDonald & Co.
Great West Casualty
Kemper National Svs.
Ohio Casualty Ins. Co.
Sealand/Crawford
Sedgwick James
State Farm
Wassau Ins. Co.
Zurich-American
Health Care Pay ers Coalition
NJ Carpenters Health Fund
Heavy & General Laborers Steamfitters
IBEW (Joint Welfare Fund)
Carpenters Specialty & Shopmen
1199 national Benefit fund
Marcal Paper Mills
Pension & Welfare Trust Fund
Grand Union & Co.
Withum, Smith & Brown
Local 1115 Health & Benefits Fund
Bergen County Carpenters
Valero Energy Corporation
Laborer's Local #72 Welfare Fund
Health Network America
Builders Gen. Supply Co.
Food Circus Supermarkets
Upper Montclair CC
HNA Employee Health Plan
Lunaire, Inc.
American Bankers Ins. Group
NJ Thoroughbred Horsemen's
Benevolent Assn.
Newton Memorial Hospital Health
Benefit Plan
Textile
EE Crus & Company
Bestfoods
[new patient forms]
Please click on the New Patient forms you need to download.
Once you have filled them out, please either fax or bring forms
with you to submit upon arrival. Click here for fax numbers.
patient information form
important information form
hip papt consent form
notice of privacy
cancellations and no-show form
[frequently asked questions]
1. Why should I see a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT)?
A Certified Hand Therapist is an occupational or physical therapist who has voluntarily undergone advanced education and training to be designated as a upper extremity specialist in the demanding field of rehabilitation. To be designated as a CHT, a therapist must have been in practice for 5 years, have completed at least 4,000 hours of treatment specific to the hand and upper extremity, and successfully passed an extremely extensive and challenging written examination. To maintain the certification, the therapist must complete continuing education courses that ensure the therapist is current on all developments and advancements for upper extremity care. Thus ensuring the most appropriate and knowledgeable care for all upper extremity injuries, conditions and dysfunctions.
2. What do OT and CHT stand for? Is there a difference?
OT is an abbreviation of Occupational Therapist and CHT stands for Certified Hand Therapist. A certified hand therapist can be an Occupational Therapist or Physical Therapist who has a minimum of 5 years of clinical experience including 4, 000 hours or more in direct practice in hand therapy. The therapist must then pass an extensive comprehensive examination of advanced clinical skills and theory in upper extremity rehabilitation to acquire the distinction as a Certified Hand Therapist.
3. What do I need to schedule an appointment?
When you call to schedule an appointment, please have at hand the following information:
• Your physicians full name and prescription for
occupational or hand therapy
• Your insurance company name or workers comp
claim number and nurse case manager
• Diagnosis
4. What will I need for my first visit?
On your first visit, you need to bring your doctor's prescription, your referral (if your insurance plan requires one), and your insurance cards. If you are covered by workers compensation, bring your claim number and your case manager's contact information. For Auto, bring you prescription, claim number, adjustors contact information and your private insurance cards.
5. Do you only provide therapy for the hand?
Accelerated Hand Therapy provides therapy for the rehabilitation of the hand as well as the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.
6. How often will I come for therapy? How long
is each session?
After your initial evaluation, your therapist will consider your condition and the doctor's order in determining the frequency
of treatment.
The average therapy session s 45-60 minutes depending on the extent of the injury.
7. Will I visit with the same therapist at each session?
We will make every effort to accommodate a preference, but know that all of our therapists are qualified, certified hand therapists.
8. How long will I need to come to therapy?
Attending therapy sessions continues until you and your therapist decide that you have met your desired level of function or that further therapy sessions would not be beneficial. Your physician is also monitoring your therapy through your visits and the progress notes he receives from the therapists.
9. How soon after my injury or surgery should I come
in for therapy?
The general rule is the earlier therapy is begun, the better the outcome for the patient. Certified Hand Therapists are specifically trained and experienced in early, safe intervention. In some cases, the early intervention helps to get the patient back to full functional ability and independence faster then the delayed therapy. By keeping structures moving, it decreases the ability of scar tissue build up that can block the progression of therapy and return to independent functionality for the patient.
10. How do you keep in contact with my doctor?
A copy of your initial evaluation is sent to your doctor after your first visit. Progress reports are then sent before your follow-up doctor visits so the doctor is kept apprised of your progress. Your therapist will contact your doctor between times as needed.
11. What is your payment policy?
Payment for services is due at the time of your visit. All co-payments will be collected at the time of service. For patients covered by health insurance plans for which we are not in-network providers, payment in full will be expected on your service date.
If you are unable to pay on the day you receive services from our Hand Therapists, you will be able to discuss the situation with our billing office. We will make every effort to accommodate unusual circumstances.
12. What type of insurance do you accept?
Please refer to our "Insurance Plans" page which lists all participating providers. If you have a question about your insurance, please call one of our offices and we will be happy to discuss any matters you may have.
13. Does Medicare cover therapy?
If it is considered medically necessary, Medicare will cover occupational therapy with a written prescription from your physician. A new prescription is required every 30 days for therapy to continue.
14. What is an FCE?
A Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) is a comprehensive, objective test of a patient's ability to perform physical tasks over a period of several hours or days.
[news & links]
Mariann Moran, MBA, OTR, CHT
Founder of Accelerated Hand Theraphy
and Rehabilition, and "In Touch" Publisher.
The Accelerated Hand Therapy and Rehabilitation "In Touch"
Magazine, features numerous success stories of patient and
staff accomplishments, and significant industry news, tips
and developments.
In Touch Issue 1
Members of:
American Society of Hand Therapists
New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Hand Therapist
American Occupational Therapy Association
New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
National Association of Rehabilitation Professionals
385 Prospect Ave
Hackensack, NJ 07601
201-343-5470
201-343-5931 Fax
Driving Directions
111 Madison Ave, Ste 303
Morristown, NJ 07960
973-267-0991
973-267-0930 Fax
1259 Route 46 East, Bldg 3
Parsippany, NJ 07054
973-334-4321
973-334-1095 Fax
7 Cedar Grove Lane, Suite 39
Somerset, NJ 08873
732-469-5680
732-868-1422 Fax
2333 Morris Ave, Ste B105
Union, NJ 07083
908-686-8766
908-686-8676 Fax
405 Northfield Ave. Suite LL1
West Orange, NJ 07052
973-731-1950
973-731-1242 Fax
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Accelerated
Hand Therapy
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Rehabilitation
