Rehab

APTA urges CMS to reconsider power mobility device rule

Rehab Regs, September 23, 2005

American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) members told Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officials that the new Medicare policies covering power wheelchairs and other assistive equipment fail to recognize the essential role physical therapists play in assessing and meeting the needs of beneficiaries, according to PT Bulletin Online. The association recommended that Medicare revise the interim regulations to clearly reflect the integral role physical therapists play in matching beneficiaries with assistive devices. The association also urged CMS to clarify references to "specialist assessment" and clearly include physical therapists as part of a collaborative interdisciplinary approach to meeting beneficiaries' needs. Providers, suppliers, and manufacturers of powered assistive devices are asking CMS to delay the scheduled October 25 implementation of the new regulations until they are revised.

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