Las Vegas
The chief architect behind 49 new power wheelchair and scooter codes said they should make it easier to meet patient needs, now and in the future.
“We anticipate [clinicians] should have a much greater selection and [be able to] fit the chair more accurately to the patient,” SADMERC Medical Director Dr. Doran Edwards told an audience at the Las Vegas Renaissance Hotel during Medtrade Spring. The April 7 session was sponsored by the National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology.
Edwards said the codes, which Medicare plans to implement Jan. 1, can be used to anticipate a patient's needs “over the next two to three years.” He noted that clinicians will be able to prescribe option upgrades that can be added to the power base as a patient's condition changes.
Including common add-ons in the base price should also make billing easier, he added. The SADMERC analyzed common features from 260,000 power mobility claims to determine which add-ons would be included in the initial package.
At press time, CMS' new coverage policy for mobility devices had not been released. A regulation requiring a face-to-face physician exam and a new wheelchair CMN also were in the works.
