Adapting to Challenges

In Frost & Sullivan’s report, North American Mobility Aids Markets, published last year, the authors write that the North American mobility market will experience unparalleled growth in the number of potential consumers.

This growth is attributed to the aging population, as well as to Americans who become injured as a result of active lifestyles. Yet, providers and manufacturers alike acknowledge that although technological advances are occurring, funding is the obstacle foremost on the minds of those who sell and use the products.

Because of the diverse demographic profile of mobility equipment users, providers must navigate the reimbursement maze of Medicaid, Medicare and private payers. Medicaid reimbursement policy is the No. 1 issue for the rehabilitation market, says David T. Williams, director of government relations for Invacare, Elyria, Ohio.

“Currently, 37 states are unable to balance their budgets, and all of them assert the unexpected and unacceptable growth in Medicaid as the reason,” he says. “Therefore, since Medicaid is the major payer for rehab technology, they are looking to make huge cuts and change payment policy in Medicaid in this area.”

The solution could be as complicated as the payment structure. Williams explains that the HME industry needs to be more diligent in watching and tracking state policy changes and sharing that information with the entire industry.

THE IMPACT OF FUNDING

Funding problems are also impacting product development, says Simon Margolis, vice president for clinical and professional development of National Seating and Mobility, Chattanooga, Tenn., and president of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. “Innovation in wheeled mobility has been factored by funding and coding over the last five years,” he notes.

Gary Gilberti, president of Chesapeake Rehab in Baltimore, anticipates further limitations due to funding problems. “The changing environment on Capitol Hill retards the growth in technology, so I’m not sure where we’re going to be headed in the future,” he says.

“There has been some very good evolutionary progress in making the products better with more features … but there hasn’t really been any sort of revolutionary product development,” Margolis adds.

The impact of computer technology has, however, made significant changes to wheelchairs. “The technology is explosive and it just continues to grow,” Williams says, referring to developments over the last decade. In sharp contrast to the “click and switch” models, wheelchairs now incorporate state-of-the-art electronics, mid-wheel drive, integrated seating systems, communications devices and environmental control systems.

W.B. Mick, Longmont, Colo.-based Sunrise Medical’s vice president of rehab sales for North America, agrees. “There are many forms of technology being used today in the mobility market,” he says. “Manufacturers are using software programs to build complete chairs, which gives them the ability to get market feedback on potential designs.”

The designs and products being introduced are much more sophisticated than the industry has previously seen, says Mick, who predicts this trend will continue.

NEW TRENDS

Customization is an area of mobility to take note of, according to Margolis. “Companies have really come a long way in terms of providing the variety of technology that providers need to be able to customize,” he says. “The key to serving people with significant disabilities is to provide a service that allows the wheelchair and seating system to be customized.”

This is a trend for which Pride Mobility’s customers have shown increasing interest. The Exeter, Pa.-based company offers providers a “virtual machine shop,” says Scott Higley, vice president of sales for the company’s Quantum Rehab division. He acknowledges that in today’s environment, providers need to be able to customize products for their clients.

Another way technology is making an impact on the rehabilitation market is by streamlining the design process to produce more durable products. “Currently, technology is resulting in power chairs that are more streamlined,” Higley says. “This generation of products are easier to use, simpler in design and easier to service, while at the same time they actually offer more features for the customer.”

The end result is that customers will have mobility equipment that adapts better to their environment rather than products that require extensive modifications. “Mobility products are being designed now that allow people to do far more things today than in the past,” says Mark Miller, Pride’s vice president of marketing.

Finally, safety is an issue that has always played a role in the development of mobility products. Duwayne Kramer, president of Leisure-Lift, Kansas City, Kan., says technology has enabled manufacturers to increase both the ability of products and their safety features.

Given the positive trends in the mobility market — and despite the funding challenges — the spirit of the industry is strong. Providers of mobility equipment have a history of adapting to marketplace challenges.

“I think sometimes people underestimate the power of the providers,” Higley says. “If we work on this as a team — the team being the manufacturer, the provider, the therapist, the customer and the payer — we can overcome these challenges and meet the needs of people.”