SNF Therapy Productivity Benchmarks
Skilled nursing facilities have the highest productivity targets in the national survey data. ASHA’s 2025 survey found a median requirement of 85% for SLPs in SNFs, and 92% of them have one. We haven’t found a public national survey of PT or OT percentage targets for SNFs, so we don’t quote one.
By the Best Therapy Productivity Calculator team · Last updated October 2026
SNF benchmarks at a glance
85%
Median SLP productivity requirement in SNFs
ASHA 2025
92%
of SNF SLPs have a productivity requirement
ASHA 2025
40
PT visits per week (76%+ time in direct care)
APTA 2016–17
SNF benchmarks
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median SLP productivity requirement | 85% (unchanged 2015–2025) | ASHA 2025 |
| SNF SLPs with any requirement | 92% | ASHA 2025 |
| PT visits per week (76%+ direct care) | 40 | APTA 2016–17 |
| PT visits per week (51–75% direct care) | 35 | APTA 2016–17 |
| PT individual patients seen per week | 20 | APTA 2016–17 |
What does 85% look like in a SNF day?
| Paid day | Billable minutes needed at 85% | At 90% | Non-billable at 85% | Non-billable at 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 hours (450 min) | 383 | 405 | 67 | 45 |
| 8 hours (480 min) | 408 | 432 | 72 | 48 |
Worked example: SNF PT at 90% with a 30-minute lunch
Luis starts at 7:00 AM with 408 billable minutes and a 30-minute unpaid lunch.
- 408 ÷ 0.90 = 453 paid minutes (7 h 33 min)
- Add the 30-minute lunch: clock-out 3:03 PM
- Non-billable time: 45 minutes for notes, MDS input, room-to-room transitions and huddles
Try your own numbers in the productivity calculator with lunch break.
How PDPM changed SNF therapy
Medicare’s Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) took effect on October 1, 2019 for Part A skilled nursing stays. Under PDPM, CMS uses patient characteristics to predict therapy costs, rather than paying based on the volume of therapy minutes as the old RUG-IV system did.
What that means for productivity:
- Payment isn’t driven by minutes anymore, but most facilities still measure therapists by minutes and percentages.
- Concurrent and group therapy are capped together at 25% of therapy minutes, applied separately for each discipline (PT, OT, SLP). Under RUG-IV, only group therapy was capped.
- Concurrent therapy means one therapist treating two patients doing different activities. Group therapy means one therapist treating a small group doing the same or similar activities.
Productivity crediting for concurrent and group minutes is your employer’s choice. The 25% cap is a Medicare billing rule.
Why SNF targets run high
- Patients live on site, so there’s no travel
- Schedules are relatively predictable
- Treatment often happens in a central gym
- Before PDPM, Medicare SNF payment was tied to therapy minutes, and many facilities still plan around minutes
Why SNF targets still feel hard
- Residents aren’t always available: dialysis, wound care, appointments, fatigue
- MDS and documentation demands for Medicare stays
- Room-based treatment for patients who can’t get to the gym
- High caseload turnover with frequent evaluations and discharges
Questions to ask a SNF employer before you accept a job
- What’s the productivity target for PTs, OTs, SLPs and assistants?
- Is documentation time counted?
- How are concurrent, group and co-treat minutes credited?
- What happens on days with several evaluations?
- Is lunch paid or unpaid?
Frequently asked questions
What is the productivity standard in skilled nursing facilities?
For SLPs, ASHA’s 2025 survey median is 85%, the highest of any setting in the survey. We haven’t found a public national survey of PT or OT targets.
Does PDPM require a productivity percentage?
No. PDPM is a Medicare payment model. Productivity targets are set by employers.
What is the 25% rule for concurrent and group therapy?
Under PDPM, concurrent and group therapy combined may not exceed 25% of therapy minutes for each discipline.
Do SNF assistants have higher productivity targets?
Some employers set higher targets for PTAs and COTAs because they don’t do evaluations. Check your facility’s policy.
Plan a SNF day: Therapy productivity calculator · Lunch break calculator · All benchmarks
Sources
- ASHA, 2025 SLP Health Care Survey: Practice Trends 2015–2025
- APTA, 2016–2017 Physical Therapist Productivity Summary Report
- CMS, Medicare issues FY 2019 payment and policy changes for SNFs (PDPM, 25% combined limit)
- CMS, SNF PPS: Patient Driven Payment Model (MLN presentation)
- CMS, Patient Driven Payment Model