• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

CMS issues final interim rule on power wheelchairs

Patient Financial Services Weekly Advisor, August 26, 2005

CMS clarified August 24 the requirements for prescribing, supplying, and receiving payment for power wheelchairs by publishing an interim final rule. The agency said it's providing an opportunity for comment.

"This interim final rule is a critical step in ensuring that people with Medicare have access to appropriate technology to assist them with mobility," says CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, MD, PhD. "Along with Medicare's decision earlier this year to replace the old 'bed or chair confined' standard with new functional criteria for eligibility, this interim final rule is part of a comprehensive strategy to help Medicare beneficiaries get the mobility assistance equipment they need while avoiding unnecessary administrative burdens and inappropriate Medicare spending. An appropriate professional evaluation and its documentation in the patient's record are the key to the effective use of mobility devices and the quality and continuity of care for our beneficiaries."

CMS will no longer require a Certificate of Medical Necessity (CMN) signed by the prescribing physician or other treating practitioner accompany claims for power wheelchairs and scooters, according to a release.

Instead, the agency will call for clinical documentation from a patient's medical record to be submitted along with a written prescription to the supplier before the supplier delivers a power wheelchair or scooter to the patient.

CMS is authorizing an additional payment to physicians and treating practitioners for preparing and providing the required documentation to the equipment supplier. To receive this payment, the physician or treating practitioner must include a special billing code on the claim for the office visit.

For more information, click here.

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive