At RESNA, 'phone lines are jammed'

ARLINGTON, Va. - RESNA expects to have an above average turnout for its annual conference this month, thanks in part to a Medicare requirement that pushed its ATS and ATP credentials to the forefront. "For the exams we hold at the conference--we've already reached the level of past years and we're still a month away from the deadline for applications," said Executive Director Tom Gorski in mid-April. "We definitely expect it to be larger than in the past." Beginning April 1, 2008, CMS will require that an independent ATP evaluate beneficiaries for certain power wheelchairs. The agency will also require that a supplier who employs an ATS provide the equipment. With less than a year before D-Day, RESNA's "phone lines are jammed at times with inquiries about the requirement and the exam," Gorski said. Additionally, traffic on RESNA's Web site, www.resna.org, has increased 35%. In March, the organization added an e-commerce feature, allowing potential members to join and current members to renew memberships and register for the annual conference. "Since March, we've had over 100 transactions," Gorski said. By the end of 2007, RESNA expects to conduct 50% more exams than last year, Gorski said. "It's April and we're already within 20% of last year's entire number of people who sat for the exam," he said. PTs and OTs dominate the application pool, Gorski said.