Letters to the Editor

Let the Rat Out of the Bag

I am offended by [CMS Administrator Tom Scully’s] statement about pressuring the good guys to “rat” out the bad guys (“Q&A with Tom Scully,” HomeCare, October 2003). The good guys have been informing his office for months to years … about the situation in the Houston area. These complaints appear to have fallen on deaf ears until now.

The squeeze they are putting on the good guys appears to be an attempt to reduce numbers in the Houston area instead of cleaning up the fraud and abuse. It really appears they do not want the real “rat” out of the bag. If they were “letting checks fly out the window,” with all the complaints from us and other dealers, why did it take so long to close the window — or at least lower it a little?
— Jim Marks, manager, Wheelchair and Scooter Express L.C., Houston

Licensure Could Prevent Power Wheelchair Abuse

Maybe part of the reason for the drastic increase in provision of power wheelchairs is the “Medicare mills” [that are] advertising and providing power wheelchairs nationwide … I believe the major reason for the excessive increase lies with the manufacturers and their fight for market share.

I support Permobil’s efforts to [make mandatory] RESNA training and certification in order to provide power wheelchairs. I would like to see “licensure” implemented that would require professionally trained and monitored individuals … to determine the appropriate equipment needed to maximize [patients’] independence and function.

The physician should be consulted first and write the order before the evaluation is done. This, along with [requiring] a physical location and 150-mile operation radius (for maximum service and follow-up), would certainly prevent or limit over-utilization and make sure the [patient] is receiving the proper equipment.
— Greg Clark, CRTS/ATS, Home Medical Supply, Inc., Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Knight in Shining Armor?

It seems no one is willing to address the true source of the monumental increase in power chair sales. Why is it that no one [will] do the limited amount of research necessary to offer an intelligent and concise report on the marketing, customer service and billing practices of The Scooter Store? Instead, the industry salutes them as being a knight in shining armor.
— D. Rexford Maxey, president, Penn York Medical Supplies, Inc., Binghamton, N.Y.

Industry’s Rep at Stake

We legitimate providers are once again left to keep up the good work — follow all Medicare guidelines — while the Scooter Stores of the United States clean up on government reimbursement. The bad reputation earned by the few will continue to reflect on and overshadow the good work of the others.
— Marlene Adams, reimbursement director, Home Care of Michigan, Inc./Oakwood Home Medical Equipment, Dearborn, Mich.

E-mail your letters to Editor-in-Chief Gail Walker at [email protected].