The most-read Mobility Management story of Q1 2024 was bright pink and purple.

Barbie Goes to Seating Clinic, published Jan. 23, was inspired by Lauren Rosen, PT, MPT, MSMS, ATP/SMS, program coordinator at the Motion Analysis Center, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital of Tampa (Fla.).

Lauren passionately advocates for independent mobility for young children, which is crucial to their development and socialization. She also collects, and displays in her office, toys that incorporate seating and wheeled mobility — including Barbies and Kens in ultralightweight, very colorful wheelchairs.

Motivated by the immense popularity of the Barbie film over the summer, I asked Lauren: “If Barbie took her wheelchair to a seating clinic, what would the seating clinician think of that wheelchair’s fit and configuration?”

Lauren turned a pop culture story pitch turned into a memorable clinical discussion on Barbie’s wheelchair’s center of gravity, camber and seat slope, among other attributes — and her assessment was our most-read story of Q1.

If you liked Barbie Goes to Seating Clinic, check out a sister story, Creating a Seating Clinic Wonderland in Tampa, which delves deeper into the importance of representation for children who use wheelchairs.

The impact of seat elevation

Mobility Management’s other most-read stories of Q1 also correspond with current events.

The popularity of CMS Issues Final Coding, Benefit Category, Payment Determinations for Seat Elevation, published March 1, is clearly based on the final coding and allowable decisions from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Those decisions weren’t entirely in line with what the Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) industry requested, which included a separate code for bariatric seat elevation systems. Read CRT Industry Shares Coding Recommendations for Seat Elevation to catch up on what CRT stakeholders asked for (and why) during a Nov. 30 public meeting — and stay tuned, because seat elevation conversations with CMS are still ongoing as the industry adjusts to the new policies in effect as of April 1.

Our third most-read story was both surprising and not surprising for those keeping a close eye on seat elevation decisions as they unfold. Justify It: Group 2 vs. Group 2 Power Wheelchairs was originally published Nov. 1, 2019 — but given that CMS approved Medicare seat elevation coverage for Group 2 power chairs as well as Group 3 CRT power chairs, it makes sense that seating and wheeled mobility professionals are looking at the differences between the two groups.

If you’re looking for more info on the differences between Group 2 and Group 3 power chairs — and how to determine which type is the better fit for a particular client — catch our upcoming digital eBook edition, which will tackle that exact question from functional and funding perspectives. Subscribe to our eMobility newsletter to also receive our eBooks.

I also covered what could be next for seat elevation (prior to actually getting the final CMS decision).

Thanks for reading and supporting Mobility Management. I’ll be back to tell you our most-read Q2 stories this summer.