IC02 What's New in Medicare Policy for Seating and Wheeled Mobility?
Program ID Number: CRS000699
CEU Course ID: P281.15
Webinar Length of Time: 1.0 hour
Link to view the lecture presentation:
The DME industry has been bombarded by challenges to funding for seating and wheeled mobility equipment including clarifications in Medicare coverage policies, reimbursement cuts and legislative changes. As an industry, our efforts to fight access issues have been sometimes successful, sometimes disappointing. This session will give a brief history of the hot issues regarding funding/reimbursement and a summary of changes, successes or failures that have occurred in the past year. We will also discuss what we can do to effect policy changes that allow access to quality products.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe two implications of the reassignment of certain DME items from purchase to capped rental
- List two changes in coverage criteria for manual or power wheelchairs
- Describe two implications of the reassignment of DME items in the K0009 miscellaneous code
- Discuss the status and progress of the legislation for a separate category for Complex Rehab Technology
Faculty:
Elizabeth Cole, MSPT, ATP
U.S. Rehab
Waterloo, IA
United States
elizabeth.cole@usrehab.comSince 1985, Elizabeth has been involved in many aspects of assistive technology, including practice as a PT; managing a seating clinic; education in seating/wheeled mobility; and reimbursement consulting. She lectures extensively, is published in industry journals, is a member of key industry organizations and is involved in many industry-wide work groups dedicated to regulatory/legislative policies. As the Director of Clinical Rehab Services for U.S. Rehab, Elizabeth develops educational products in seating and mobility, assistive technology, and clinical reimbursement.
Note: Faculty for this activity have been required to disclose all relationships with any proprietary entity producing health care goods or services, with the exemption of nonprofit or government organizations and non-healthcare related companies.
* No conflicts have been disclosed.
Laura Cohen, PhD, PT, ATP/SMS
Rehabilitation & Technology Consultants, LLC
Arlington, VA
United States
Laura@rehabtechconsultants.comLaura Cohen is the Principal for Rehabilitation & Technology Consultants in Arlington, VA. She is the Executive Director of the Clinician Task Force a national group of seating and mobility clinicians working to influence Medicare and Medicaid coding, coverage, and payment policies for complex rehab and assistive technology devices. Dr. Cohen provides counsel, leadership, and clinical expertise to clients when it comes to medical necessity, benefit integrity, policy development and compliance.
Note: Faculty for this activity have been required to disclose all relationships with any proprietary entity producing health care goods or services, with the exemption of nonprofit or government organizations and non-healthcare related companies.
* No conflicts have been disclosed.
References:
- Crowley, J., HR942 Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2013 (March 2013). http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr942
- FUTURE Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Manual Wheelchair Bases (L33788) and FUTURE Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Wheelchair Seating (L33312). http://www.cgsmedicare.com/jc/coverage/lcdinfo.html
- Department of Health and Human Services. (March 2014). Rescind/Replace Reclassification of Certain Durable Medical Equipment from the Inexpensive and Routinely Purchased Payment Category to the Capped Rental Payment Category Medicare Learning Network Fact Sheet Retrieved from http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/2014-MLN-Matters-Articles.html
Updated | 06.25.2015