Clinicians on camera

ARLINGTON, Va. - A work group of the Clinician Task Force is producing eight-minute videos to educate wheelchairs users on the importance of current complex rehab technology legislation.

CTF expected the videos to be completed just in time for National CRT Awareness Week, Aug. 19-23.

“This is our tangible contribution as an organization to CRT Week,” said Cathy Carver, executive director of CTF and a PT, ATP/SMS who runs the wheelchair and seating clinic at UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center in Birmingham, Ala. “We plan to share the videos with consumer organizations and support groups, and also hope suppliers, manufacturers and organizations like NRRTS and NCART will share them. I even hope clinicians in the field will share them. I'm a practicing clinician—I plan to have my patients watch the videos while they're waiting.”

One of the videos will address the importance of creating a separate benefit for CRT (produced by CTF members Erin Michael and Cynthia Smith); the other the importance of dropping competitive bidding pricing for accessories for complex rehab manual wheelchairs (Leslie Jackson and Theresa Gregorio-Torres).

CTF identified the need to “focus on the consumer,” following the National CRT Leadership & Advocacy Conference in May, Carver says. The organization had budgeted to send three consumers to the event, but only one consumer made it.

“Two of the three got sick and ended up in the hospital before they could even get there,” she said. “So we thought the videos would be a good approach to get consumers engaged where they are.”

CTF has two other active work groups, one working with RESNA to update position papers on power seat elevation technology and power standing devices, and another working with academic institutions to include seating and wheeled mobility education in their OT and PT programs. A fourth work group is focusing on Medicaid and still trying to determine how best to get involved in state issues.

“We stay busy,” Carver said. “We have grown to 72 members this year in 36 states.”