Contact:
Lynn Gonzales
Media Relations
The SCOOTER Store
(830)626-4064
Press Releases
Response to CMS Policy Clarification for Medicare Mobility Benefit
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas, September 26, 2006
Statement by Mike Pfister
President of The SCOOTER Store
We commend the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for recently issuing a Fact Sheet/Press Release and revision of its Local Coverage Determination (LCD) in an effort to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries receive the most appropriate power mobility devices to meet their medical needs. In its public statement, CMS unequivocally states they will not blanket down-code between (Group 2 and Group 1) mobility equipment, a move that will help prevent Medicare beneficiaries from receiving substandard products and services. We understand that conflict sometimes arises when physicians and suppliers seek to provide Medicare beneficiaries with appropriate medical products and services, and CMS must consider the respective costs. The SCOOTER Store has a long standing commitment to ensuring that seniors and Americans living with disabilities receive the most appropriate medical devices to address their physical impairments while helping save valuable tax dollars.
Seniors and disabled Americans are becoming increasingly aware of power mobility as a viable healthcare solution to their mobility limitations. Without power mobility, the risk of falls and fall related injuries increase, as do the costs associated with these injuries. We can minimize these risks and costs by ensuring that the appropriate medical technology is readily available. At the current price of power mobility devices, for every dollar that is spent on these products, the federal government saves three dollars. We need to ensure that the revised LCD does not result in seniors and disabled Americans being placed in inferior products that result in jeopardizing the savings.
There are two steps that can quickly be taken that will have a positive impact on a supplier's ability to deliver the most medically appropriate power mobility devices as prescribed by a treating physician. Both of these steps will ensure the American taxpayer continues to pay a fair price for these services.
First, CMS and its Regional Contractors must take the Fact Sheet/Press Release and codify its language in the revised LCD. CMS states in its Fact Sheet/Press Release that there will be no blanket down-coding between Group 2 and Group 1 mobility equipment, but there is no such language in the LCD. This contradiction must be cleared up or it will create confusion. Moreover, there is no longer any distinction in the coverage criteria between Group 1 and Group 2 wheelchairs, raising the possibility that physicians may prescribe Group 2 chairs, but CMS may decide to only pay for Group 1.
Secondly, CMS should immediately release the long awaited pricing for all power mobility devices and allow for a proper transition period. Without knowing what CMS intends to pay for power mobility devices, manufacturers and suppliers will not know what they can afford to build or deliver to Medicare beneficiaries. Once prices are released, CMS officials should allow for at least a 90 day transition period so that there is no disruption in access to these healthcare solutions.
At The SCOOTER Store, we are deeply grateful for the many members of Congress who have long supported Medicare beneficiaries' rights to the power mobility benefit. Without their support, beneficiaries might not have access to power mobility devices or would not receive power wheelchairs and scooters that adequately meet their physical needs. We share a common goal: ensuring the coming changes are medically sound and do not disrupt access.
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.
