Washington
According to NCART, the National Coalition for Assistive and
Rehab Technology, the only way for CMS to adequately control abuse
and ensure appropriate reimbursement while maintaining beneficiary
access to the most appropriate technology is to adopt a
“holistic approach” when developing coverage policy for
wheelchairs.
In comments submitted to the Interagency Wheelchair Work Group,
the organization listed a number of building blocks for the
development of coverage guidelines. These include: requiring a
physical evaluation by appropriate personnel; using functional
mobility levels similar to the functional levels used by Medicare
in determining the needs of patients with lower extremity
amputations; developing HCPCS codes that adequately describe the
various levels of technology and are aligned with functional
mobility; using clinical indicators when developing HCPCS codes;
using the CMN (certificate of medical necessity) to document the
ICD-9 code, functional mobility level and the HCPCS code; requiring
a technology assessment for beneficiaries in need of
high-technology rehab products; and maintaining in the supplier's
records a copy of the physical evaluation and technology assessment
for high-end rehab products.
A coalition focusing on rehab issues, NCART held its first
Medicaid Summit June 9 to address what rehab companies can do at
the state level to improve their current Medicaid program. A second
Medicaid Summit is scheduled for Aug. 8 in St. Louis. For more
information, visit www.ncart.us.
For breaking news, go to www.homecaremonday.com, the electronic news service
of the home medical equipment industry.
