Custom Mobility continues fight

The battle between Florida Medicaid and Custom Mobility over the legality of extrapolating claims continues. A judge in August 2007 sided with the Tallahassee, Fla.-based Custom Mobility, ruling that the state's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has never adopted a formula for extrapolation as a final rule, violating the law. AHCA filed an appeal recently, and the two parties will meet again in court in September or October, according to Bruce Bayes, president of Custom Mobility. "From what we're being told, they don't have much of a chance," he said. In 2005, AHCA asked Custom Mobility to repay more than $200,000 in alleged overpayments. AHCA came to that amount by extrapolating about 30 claims worth about $4,000 over a multi-year period. The eventual result of the case could impact other audits. NCART: Fundraising mission The fundraising wheels are already in motion for NCART's independent study on the services and costs associated with providing complex power wheelchairs. In March, NCART sent letters to more than 300 people, asking for donations, and "we're getting pledges in," said Sharon Hildebrandt, including several from manufacturers. "It's going well," said Hildebrandt, NCART's executive director. "There seems to be a recognition that this is a study that needs to be done and done now." NCART aims to raise $175,000 to $200,000 this year to cover the costs of the two-year study, which will be conducted by Georgia Tech University and the University of Buffalo. HME