CMS boosts PMD pricing

WASHINGTON - CMS officials last week made good on a promise to further increase pricing for power mobility devices, but they weren't as generous as the industry had hoped they would be. While they bumped up reimbursement for one power wheelchair in Group 3 by $1,147, CMS officials increased payments for K0823 and K0825--two popular power wheelchairs in the browbeaten Group 2--by only $75.20 and $277.60, respectively. The industry had hoped for increases of up to $400 for K0823 and $600 for K0825. "We're anxious to see the details of their calculations, so we can actually make sure these payment rates are accurate," said Seth Johnson, chairman of AAHomecare's rehab council and vice president of government affairs for Pride Mobility. "They were lower than we expected." CMS's pricing revisions included increases for all codes, with a few exceptions. Officials reduced reimbursement for the following Group 2 chairs: K0830 and K0831 by $511.80, and K0841 and K0842 by $232.90. Additionally, they reduced reimbursement for K0859, a power wheelchair in Group 3, by $552.90. The cuts were not expected, Johnson said. The new prices are retroactive to Nov. 15, meaning providers can resubmit previously paid claims for adjustment. CMS revised prices after verifying product data and correcting technical errors in the fee schedule, the agency stated. Only after it has reviewed CMS's calculations--possibly as early as this week--will the industry decide how to move forward, Johnson said.