The latest podcast from Mobility Management tackles the complicated topic of wheelchair repair — what’s working, what’s not working, and possible paths to improvement.
Sponsored by National Seating & Mobility (NSM), the episode — “CRT Repair: Resolution, Reform & the Heart of the Matter” — features Diane Racicot, NSM’s VP of Payer Relations, and Wayne Grau, Executive Director of NCART.
“It’s very frustrating for our customers and for us as a provider,” Racicot said, referring to wheelchair repair delays and red tape. “CRT’s providers and suppliers are having to navigate a lot of complex policies and deal with the insurance plans. In addition to an already complex system, there are a number of challenges that affect repairs for CRT and have been magnified unfortunately over the past couple of years with COVID and the supply chain challenges that we’ve had.
“It’s not like you can just call me today, come in to one of our branches, and get your wheelchair repaired immediately. Because a lot of them have to go through the policies and procedures for authorization that we as a provider have to follow. It can sometimes take a more extended time, definitely more than we care for.”
Racicot and Grau also discussed the practicality of some proposed resolutions. For example, providing a loaner wheelchair sounds like a good idea, but can be challenging when the wheelchair rider has medically complex conditions.
“If we provide a standard DME wheelchair, we could end up causing more medical issues for that consumer, which is completely against what we stand for,” Grau explained.
Listen to the repair episode and check out Mobility Management’s podcast center for more conversations.
