Mobility NCD Expected This Week

BALTIMORE–The HME industry can expect CMS to roll out major
components of new wheelchair policy early this week, a CMS
spokesperson told HomeCare Monday.

According to industry sources, the agency had hoped to release
its final National Coverage Determination for mobility equipment, a
new wheelchair Certificate of Medical Necessity, a regulation
requiring beneficiaries to have a face-to-face physician exam to
receive the equipment, plus a new policy for scooters–all on
Friday.

But the actions were delayed during the clearance process.
“Hopefully, the delay will prove worth it,” the spokesperson said.
“Clearance could go another way, so this all could change, [but
these issues are] an extremely high priority, not just at the CMS
level but at the [Department of Health and Human Services]
level.”

The rollouts will be part of CMS’ three-pronged mobility benefit
overhaul, which includes coverage, payment and quality controls for
suppliers. Earlier this year, the agency released a draft NCD that
called for the elimination of language requiring wheelchair
beneficiaries to be “bed- or chair-confined,” replacing it with
coverage criteria based on a person’s functional mobility. The
draft is posted on the CMS Web site, available by clicking
here.