Contact:
Lynn Gonzales
Media Relations
The SCOOTER Store
(830)626-4064
Press Releases
New Level Standards for Suppliers Will Benefit Beneficiaries and Honest Suppliers
NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS, November 28, 2005—The SCOOTER Store submitted comments in support of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid's proposed quality standards for suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). The SCOOTER Store hopes that CMS will consider the proposed standards as a minimum requirement for any supplier to the Medicare community and that they continue to strengthen and extend the standards in advance of publishing final requirements.
"Unfortunately, the integrity of dedicated power mobility suppliers has been under attack for several years because of fraud and abuse perpetrated by a few crooks posing as honest DME suppliers," said The SCOOTER Store President Mike Pfister. "A new level of standards should give the government confidence that the power mobility benefit will be reliably provided to needy and qualified beneficiaries."
The SCOOTER Store's comments suggest strong support for the new requirements including: participant accreditation, internal compliance programs, internal quality programs, improved customer service capabilities, improved consumer awareness and training, internal auditing and monitoring, more strict employment hiring practices, industry certifications, frequent performance reporting to CMS, beneficiary satisfaction surveys, historical equipment tracking, and enhanced home assessments. The SCOOTER Store's comments can be found at: www.thescooterstore.com/publicaffairs/qualitystandards/
While the proposed standards are being considered for adoption in 2007, The SCOOTER Store is committed to compliance with each of the proposed standards by April 1, 2006. Many of the elements are already reflected in the requirements of accreditation which The SCOOTER Store earned in 2003 from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care. In addition, The SCOOTER Store recently earned a "Senior Approved" Certification with a higher than 90 percent senior satisfaction rating required by Senior Approved Services, an independent consumer-driven survey company.
About The SCOOTER Store
Since 1991, The SCOOTER Store has helped provide freedom and independence to more than 350,000 people with limited mobility. The SCOOTER Store offers a full line of durable medical equipment, including power wheelchairs and scooters, lifts, ramps and accessories in all 48 contiguous states plus Puerto Rico. The SCOOTER Store has worked with more than 110,000 physicians, providing expertise and quality service to their patients, and is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care.
