NCART, NRRTS Lobby for New Complex Rehab Benefit

WASHINGTON–In a focused lobbying effort last week, supporters
hit Capitol Hill offices to advocate for a separate benefit
category for complex rehab.
 
Held April 21 during the Continuing Education and Legislative
Advocacy Conference, members of the National Coalition for
Assistive and Rehab Technology and the National Registry of Rehab
Technology Specialists made more than 100 visits to legislative
offices.
 
Participants told federal lawmakers that complex rehab devices are
significantly different from standard DME in terms of population
served, associated services rendered, complexity of equipment,
specialized staff and more comprehensive quality standards.
 
Congress established precedents for treating customized DME
differently when it exempted Group 3 complex power wheelchairs and
related accessories from Medicare’s competitive bidding
program, and when it established a separate category for orthotic
and prosthetic devices in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.
 
“Continued access to complex rehab technology is threatened
because of Medicare’s outdated classification system for
durable medical equipment,” said Gary Gilberti, CEO of
Baltimore-based Chesapeake Rehab Equipment and NCART president, in
a release. “The current reimbursement system does not reflect
the range of services furnished by complex rehab technology
companies and the complexity of the equipment itself. 
 
“We will continue to see product choice limited and services
reduced,” he added. “If unchanged, this will further
jeopardize access to appropriate technology for people with severe
disabilities.” 
 
Added Sharon Hildebrant, NCART executive director, “The
concept of a separate benefit category for complex rehab was well
received on the Hill. Most of the offices we visited said a
separate category made sense.”
 
NCART is now in the process of refining the concept and will
develop a legislative proposal that would establish a separate
category for complex rehab, the group said. 
 
The American Association for Homecare’s Rehab and Assistive
Technology Council also has formed a task force to work on proposed
legislation for a separate complex rehab benefit.