Drive Begins for Complex Rehab Separate Benefit

WASHINGTON — It wasn't Forrest Owens' first time lobbying in Washington, D.C., but this time, it was a lot more successful: One of the congressmen he visited last week agreed to cosponsor a bill to create a separate Medicare benefit for complex rehab.

"I was jumping up and down when I left that office," said the co-owner and CFO of Glass Seating and Mobility in Memphis, Tenn.

Owens and 159 other providers, clinicians and consumers attending the annual CELA (Continuing Education and Legislative Advocacy) Conference Feb. 16-18 helped push a separate benefit the first step of the way with more than 220 visits to legislators on Capitol Hill. (See "Complex Rehab Advocates Head to CELA, Hope for Separate Benefit.")

The annual conference, sponsored by the National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology and the National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers, kicked off the formal drive for the separate benefit, which would split off complex rehab from traditional durable medical equipment. CELA attendees presented a package of information to legislators that included draft legislation, a position paper and the proposal for the benefit.

"I think we had very positive responses with people," said NCART Executive Director Don Clayback. Legislators were familiar with complex rehab after last year's Hill visits, he said, and "they now have a clear understanding of the issues we are facing."

Those two factors made the visits more successful than in the past, Owens said. "This time we had the [draft] legislation. We had it right there and we could give it to them," he said. "The legislation just makes sense, so it's hard to discount that." As a result, Owens said, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., agreed to cosponsor the bill.

Legislators also heard by phone from those who couldn't attend the CELA conference.

"We had a national call-in day for complex rehab," said Simon Margolis, executive director of NRRTS. "We had close to 800 register on the website. A few people that we were meeting with mentioned that they had gotten some calls."

While a leader in the effort hasn't yet surfaced, plenty of support has, Clayback said. "We do have several offices we are talking to we feel may champion the bill for us … but they want us to get more information on the cost of the legislation."