A few weeks ago, I attended a presentation by a fellow editor in our publishing division. (Yes, editors have CEU-like classes, in case you wondered, but why would you?) The class was about using active voice (“The front-wheel-drive power chair easily climbed the obstacle”) vs. passive voice (“The obstacle was easily climbed by the front-wheel-drive…
Commentary: Abiding by CRT’s ‘It Depends’
Commentary: Appreciating CRT’s Beating Heart
Seeing last week’s Chicago Abilities Expo and Abilities International Accessibility Conference with fresh eyes.
I entered the Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) industry in January 2002. I’m proud of my tenure, of launching Mobility Management, a publication devoted entirely and only to seating and wheeled mobility, and growing it through recessions and countless policy changes. But because of my experience, it had been a long time since I’ve seen this…
Commentary: Study Says CRT Skills Among Hardest for AI to Replace
Patient assessment, relationship development are not easy for artificial intelligence to currently achieve.
Here’s your daily affirmation: Your Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) work is not easily replicated. That’s according to a new report that said the skills you use every day are among those “most likely to protect jobs from being replaced by AI [artificial intelligence].” The April study from Click Finder, a digital marketing agency based in…
Commentary: Location, Location, Location for MRADLs Is Crucial to Independence
On brushing teeth, the NCD and customary settings.
In my 30s, I had major surgery and was hospitalized for more than a week. Internal bleeding, multiple blood transfusions, the works. I was kept in bed the first two days. On the second day, a nurse brought me a dusty-rose-colored basin (you know the type), a cup of water, a toothbrush and toothpaste so…
Commentary: 4 Takeaways from the DME MAC PMD/Seat Elevation LCDs Meeting
Individual consideration, prior authorization and other key talking points from the March 25 virtual event.
If our same-day coverage of the March 25 DME MAC-hosted local coverage determinations (LCDs) meeting for power mobility devices and seat elevation was TL;DR — here are the highlights, as well as our take on their potential impact. — It’s all about preserving individual consideration and access. The DME MACs — Noridian Healthcare Solutions (Jurisdictions…
Commentary: I Asked ChatGPT About Caregiving. It Reflected Us Back
Offering another perspective for National Caregivers Day.
On Sunday night I got into a big fight with ChatGPT. In anticipation of National Caregivers Day (Feb. 20), I asked ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence large language model, to find quotes about caregiving. “I generate responses by predicting patterns in language based on training data,” ChatGPT told me. “I can reflect dominant cultural narratives if…
Commentary: How RISE Could Impact CRT’s Next Generation of Clinicians
We need more occupational and physical therapists, not fewer.
It is no secret that the Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) industry is an aging one, professionally speaking. In May 2019, I quoted the University of Pittsburgh’s Mark Schmeler, Ph.D., OTR/L, ATP, who said the average age of an industry Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) — which includes clinicians — was 52. The age of the average…
Commentary: Remembering Dan Diestel, DIESTCO Manufacturing
It takes a village to create mobility independence.
The high-tech segments of seating and wheeled mobility get most of the headlines, I know. The electronics, the carbon fiber and titanium, the smart technology, the ever-more-nimble power bases and ever-more-versatile power seating certainly have their allure. But in more than two decades of covering Complex Rehab Technology and mobility, I’ve learned that independence and…
Commentary: ‘Barbie Goes to Seating Clinic’ is Kenough
Mobility Management story on wheelchair rider Barbie’s “seating eval” wins an ASBPE national silver award.
This week, Mobility Management’s 2024 story “Barbie Goes to Seating Clinic” earned a national silver award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE), after receiving an ASBPE regional silver award in April. I realize that paragraph might not make a lot of sense to you — sort of like having only one HCPCS…
Commentary: The Promise of Bariatric Seating and Wheeled Mobility
It’s about more than just steel frames and wider seats.
I’m thrilled that Mobility Management is now publishing quarterly newsletters to focus on specific topics within Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) — and we’re kicking off the series with bariatric mobility. Given all the different specialties within CRT, why bariatrics? One reason is the relative scarcity — it seems to me, anyway — of bariatric mobility…