Tag: Clinician Task Force (CTF)

YARMOUTH, Maine – The Clinician Task Force (CTF) has released a “Scope of Practice for Seating and Wheeled Mobility Clinical Services” to define occupational and physical therapy roles and responsibilities in seating and wheeled mobility services. The position statement, completed in December 2023, also provides guidance for educators, rehabilitation professionals, medical providers, funding sources, policymakers and seating and wheeled mobility manufacturers. “We saw...

CANTON, Ohio – Katie Fitzgerald says the Clinician Task Force, where she is a new executive board member, is a good place to channel her passions for advocacy, data and what she calls “knowledge translation.”  Fitzgerald, PT, DPT, NCS, teaches in the physical therapy program at Walsh University in Canton, Ohio, but prior to making the switch to academia, she was a clinician for 15 years.  HME News: How did you get interested in specializing in complex rehab technology?  Katie...

WASHINGTON – Complex rehab technology stakeholders participated in a call with CMS on Sept. 26 to provide the agency with additional information to support Medicare coverage for power standing systems.  The meeting was led by the ITEM Coalition and attended by Wayne Grau, executive director of NCART, and Cara Masselink, executive director of the Clinician Task Force, as well as physicians, clinicians, manufacturers and consumers.  “I would love to tell you, ‘It’s...

ARLINGTON, Va. – RESNA and the Clinician Task Force seek comments on a draft position paper, “RESNA and CTF Position on the Application of Supported Standing Devices: Current State of the Literature.” The paper describes the results of a rigorous scoping review, analyzing results through an International Classification of Function (ICF) lens, with the goal of producing a position paper explaining the impact of supported standing in a variety of devices. Due to an urgent advocacy...

WASHINGTON – An updated policy article for wheelchair seating that went into effect on Oct. 1, 2022, includes additional ICD-10 codes that will allow Medicare beneficiaries with certain diagnoses to obtain the seating products that they require. The codes were requested by the Clinician Task Force. The codes and diagnoses are: F03 - Unspecified Dementia Group 2 and Group 4 G31.83 - Dementia with Lewy bodies Group 2 and Group 4 G60.0 - Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy Group 2 Q72 codes...

YARMOUTH, Maine – Complex rehab stakeholders submitted more than 3,500 comments in support of reconsidering the national coverage determination for mobility assistive equipment to include power seat elevation systems.  “Even CMS said it was quite a large number of comments,” said Wayne Grau, executive director of NCART, on a recent industry webcast, “and these weren’t cut-and-paste comments. But there’s still a long row to go here.”  Stakeholders...

YARMOUTH, Maine – The Clinician Task Force is in the middle of a fall pledge drive to support the organization’s advocacy, policy work and other activities for next year.  The CTF, which is primarily supported through donations from manufacturers and providers, has a goal of raising $125,000, says Executive Director Cara Masselink.  “This year, we’re going to try to brand manufacturer and supplier membership, but also expand our reach with a healthcare organization...

YARMOUTH, Maine - The Clinician Task Force’s website now has a “Resources” tab to house all of the papers that its work groups have published.  They include a Telehealth Flow Chart, Telehealth Examples and Standing Frame Evidence, with Power Standing Flow Chart and Denial Roadmap to come soon.   “They can be downloaded and used for advocacy and for reference and all the good things,” said Cara Masselink, executive director of the CTF.   The new...

EAST AMHERST, N.Y. – NCART and the Clinician Task Force have jointly published "Evidence-Based Response to Insurance Denials of Standing Devices,” a guide to policy makers and health care insurance plans regarding the proper coverage and funding of standing devices for children and adults with disabilities. "Standing devices have a long history of prescription and use to provide important medical benefits and other positive outcomes,” said Don Clayback, executive director of NCART....

YARMOUTH, Maine – The Clinician Task Force has collected more than 40 completed surveys that stakeholders will use to educate Congress and other policy makers on the importance of physical and occupational therapists retaining the ability to provide telehealth services.  The survey, distributed in collaboration with NCART, will remain open as needed, says Cara Masselink, executive director of the CTF.  “We have a great variety of examples to pull from that describe the...