Tag: seat elevation
NCART elects new members, seeks pricing data
July 31, 2023HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – NCART has elected new members to its board of directors for the 2023-35 term. They are Bruce Bayes, president of Custom Mobility; John Goetz, consultant to Permobil; Larry Jackson, president of Sunrise Medical; Johnny Miller, president of Miller’s; Kyle Walker, regional vice president of Reliable Medical Supply; and Brett Zaer, president of Superior Mobility. “We’re very thankful to the strong and committed group of industry leaders who give their time, expertise...
Seat elevation systems: Stakeholders help CMS shape next steps
July 14, 2023Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON – With Medicare coverage secured for seat elevation systems, stakeholders are working their way through steps 2 and 3 of the process: coding and pricing.
Manufacturers, led by NCART, submitted code applications to CMS by a July 3 deadline, following about two years of work, including gathering detailed and comprehensive information from each manufacturer.
“The main goal is to clearly differentiate the standard power seat elevation technology from the complex...
NSM: ‘It could (become) very rare for a complex power wheelchair not to have seat elevation’
June 9, 2023Liz Beaulieu, Editor
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Just how big of a deal is Medicare’s new coverage for seat elevation systems for complex power wheelchairs? National Seating & Mobility’s Isaac Rodriguez estimates Medicare is about one-third of the company’s payer volume and about one-third of its clients use power wheelchairs, so a significant number of its clients will most likely qualify for the technology.
“Seat elevation is already a big deal for power wheelchair users – many of...
Seat elevation systems are a go
May 26, 2023Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON – Complex rehab stakeholders saw their “perseverance” pay off on May 16, when CMS published a final benefit category determination and national coverage decision approving seat elevation systems for power wheelchairs.
The ITEM Coalition first made the request to reconsider coverage for seat elevation in September 2020, kicking off a process that saw stakeholders conducting countless meetings with CMS and participating in two comment periods in February 2022 and...
Stakeholders ‘jump on opportunity’
April 7, 2023Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON – When CMS publishes a final national coverage determination for power seat elevation systems on May 15, industry stakeholders will be on the lookout for several of their recommendations, including expanding coverage to Group 2 wheelchairs.
In a proposed NCD released in February, CMS moved forward with expanding coverage to Group 3 wheelchairs, per the ITEM Coalition’s original request for redetermination, but the agency also asked for comments on expanding coverage...
Pondering the future of complex rehab
April 7, 2023John Andrews
Between a proposed Medicare expansion of power seat elevation, potential advancements in technology and impending financial challenges, the complex rehab category has cast a sharp eye on the future.
To be sure, questions abound on how these upcoming developments will impact the industry, though expectations at this point are generally optimistic.
Seth Johnson, senior vice president of government affairs for Duryea, Pa.-based Pride Mobility Products, is encouraged that expanded coverage...
Seat elevation study adds evidence to industry’s cause
December 9, 2022Liz Beaulieu, Editor
PITTSBURGH – A new study showing the functional mobility, employment and safety benefits of seat elevation devices is a good example of how large data sets can be used to, hopefully, guide policy and practice, says Mark Schmeler.
The study, published online in Assistive Technology, the official journal of RESNA, in October, pulled findings from the Functional Mobility Assessment tool, which now has more than 13,000 data points.
“This is the first example our industry...
CRT efforts gain momentum with fly-in
September 16, 2022HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – A record 300-plus advocates participated in the NCART/NRRTS Virtual Congressional Fly-in on Sept. 14.
Those advocates, who included consumers, clinicians, providers, manufacturers, family members, caregivers and others, held meetings with 292 congressional offices throughout the day.
“In the weeks ahead, we will be carrying out the important task of following up with offices on the ‘congressional asks’ presented,” said Don Clayback in an...
In brief: CMS opens NCD, Philips transitions leadership, ACU-Serve makes buy
August 19, 2022HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – CMS has opened the National Coverage Determination for seat elevation systems used with power wheelchairs, but the agency is not reconsidering coverage for power standing systems at this time.
CMS said in May it would commit to re-opening the NCD, nearly two years after the ITEM Coalition submitted a formal request to reconsider the NCD for mobility assistive equipment to include coverage for these systems.
“Now is the time for Medicare – the largest...
CMS opens NCD for seat elevation
August 16, 2022HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – CMS has opened the National Coverage Determination for seat elevation systems used with power wheelchairs, but the agency is not reconsidering coverage for power standing systems at this time.
CMS said in May it would commit to re-opening the NCD, nearly two years after the ITEM Coalition submitted a formal request to reconsider the NCD for mobility assistive equipment to include coverage for these systems.
“Now is the time for Medicare – the...