Third party reimbursement: is therapeutic recreation too late?

The Social Security Amendments of 1983 have brought added concerns about the feasibility of securing third-party reimbursement for therapeutic recreation services. Retrospective, cost-based reimbursement is compared with prospective payment systems, and potential impacts on therapeutic recreation services are explored. Present status of third-party reimbursement for therapeutic recreation is outlined, and suggestions are offered for therapeutic recreation managers to utilize in responding to the changing health care industry.