When getting into bed requires little or no effort, it’s easy to take lying down comfortably for granted. But last week, a new position paper from the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) addressed bed as a place of pain and discomfort for too many clients with positioning challenges. The paper…
Commentary: 4 Takeaways from RESNA’s Lying Posture Care Management Position Paper
Commentary: Will New ‘Wicked’ Movie Defy Wheelchair Stereotypes?
For the first time, Nessarose, aka the Wicked Witch of the East, is portrayed by a real-life wheelchair rider.
I’ve always loved The Wizard of Oz movie (flying monkeys notwithstanding), and I’ve seen Wicked, the musical prequel about the unlikely friendship between Glinda/Galinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, several times on stage. But I’ve always felt conflicted about Wicked because of how Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, is portrayed. She’s…
Commentary: 3 Takeaways from the DOT’s $50 Million American Airlines Fine
Why this historic penalty could change the way airlines treat wheelchair riders and their equipment.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined American Airlines $50 million, saying in an October announcement that the carrier “failed to provide safe, dignified, and prompt wheelchair assistance and mishandled passengers’ wheelchairs.” This is hardly the first time airlines’ poor treatment of wheelchair riders and their equipment has made the news. But this particular DOT…
Commentary: CRT As Prevention? What a Concept!
A new report published by VGM & Associates suggests Medicare competitive bidding has run its course.
A new report, authored by Brian Leitten of Leitten Consulting and published by VGM & Associates, contends that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken the wrong perspective of durable medical equipment (DME) for at least for the last two decades. The 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act gave rise…
Commentary: Seniors with CVA Also Deserve the Best Outcomes
A new partnership between the World Stroke Organization and Royal Philips calls for a revolution in stroke care. I hope that includes wheeled mobility.
Royal Philips and the World Stroke Organization (WSO) recently announced they are partnering to advocate for better care for patients who experience cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), also known as stroke. Philips’s paper, Time for a Revolution in Stroke Care, noted that CVA “is a leading cause of disability and the second-leading cause of death worldwide. The…
Commentary: Stepping Back for a Closer Look
Seeing our industry the way others see it.
The driver who picked me up from LAX was young —a college kid, I thought, as I handed over my bags. I’ll call him Marcus. I’d just flown home from the American Association for Homecare’s (AAHomecare) legislative conference in Washington, D.C. I’d been up well before dawn to catch my flight out of Reagan National,…
Commentary: Once Again, Wheelchairs Considered Second-Class Solutions
Medicare is now funding personal exoskeletons. But what’s so wrong about rolling?
In April, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Medicare coverage for personal exoskeletons. ReWalk (DBA: Lifeward), an exoskeleton manufacturer, praised the decision: “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has officially revised its April 2024 Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) fee schedule to include a final lump-sum Medicare purchase…
Commentary: CRT’s Uniqueness Is Still a Mystery
The failure to truly understand the complexity of seating clients could hurt access.
I attended the Nov. 30 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) second biannual HCPCS Coding Cycle public meeting for the discussion about coding and reimbursement for power seat elevation. That part of the meeting lasted nearly two hours. Here’s my takeaway: The unique nature of Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) is still not wholly understood…
Commentary: My CRT Thanksgiving List
Reminiscing about Complex Rehab Technology victories this year.
Editor’s Note: A Mobility-Inspired Motorcycle?
Look! It has anti-tips!
Prior to helming Mobility Management, I worked at an industry magazine called Dealernews, which covered the motorcycle industry. Given those years, I have always seen hints of motorcycle engineering and design in wheelchairs. Ultralightweight wheelchair manufacturers often speak of being inspired by Formula 1 racecars, for example. But this might be the first time I’ve…