CRT stakeholders call for broader advocacy push

WATERLOO, Iowa – Complex rehab technology (CRT) stakeholders from NCART, VGM & Associates and Permobil pushed for increased advocacy at the Heartland Conference in June, highlighting the success of recent wins and outlining ongoing areas of concern.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” said Julie Piriano, senior director of payer relations and regulatory affairs for NCART.

Leveraging the power of consumer advocacy

Among the more recent wins is a new law in New Mexico that mandates coverage consideration for CRT wheelchairs for use every day and for use for physical activities necessary to achieve or maintain the user’s health goals. The law passed earlier this year and goes into effect June 1.

The bill was introduced and passed within 30 days, driven largely by consumer advocates, Piriano said.

“(The involvement of consumers) changed everything,” she said.

NCART and other stakeholders are tracking access issues for CRT in all states, with a particular focus on 11 states that still don’t recognize the benefit separately, Piriano said.

Keeping track and holding payers accountable

Stakeholders are also tracking the implications to state Medicaid programs from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA). The bill aims to reduce federal spending by roughly more than $1 trillion over a decade, largely by scaling back and restricting Medicaid coverage.

“We’re doing what we do best: Preparing for the worst with a goal for the best outcome,” she said.

Stakeholders are tracking Medicare Advantage plans, too, which they say can be unreliable in their coverage, said Jim Stephenson, senior market access manager for Permobil.

“You don’t know what you’re going to get from one day to the next,” he said. “We need to keep those reined in.”

Sharing stories and showing up locally

One of the biggest challenges that stakeholders have is getting enough industry advocates to help push change across the finish line, said Ike Isaacson, senior vice president of government & regulatory relations for VGM.

“Ten percent of people do 100% of the work,” he said. “If you don’t get involved, you’re really going to hate being irrelevant.”

Advocacy can be as simple as sharing your story – even if it’s just on a local level, Isaacson said.

“The real work happens right where you live,” he said. “All politics is local.”