The National Coalition for Assistive & Rehab Technology (NCART) is appealing the latest Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) allowable decision for seat elevation on Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) power wheelchairs.

In a July 17 bulletin, NCART said it had submitted a HCPCS coding application “to formally appeal” the CMS decision to increase that seat elevation allowable by $13.62. The revised allowable — $2013.96 — was announced in June.

The HCPCS code in question is E2298, defined as “Complex rehabilitative power wheelchair accessory, power seat elevation system, any type.”

The revised allowable was shared via a letter from Joel Kaiser, director, division of DMEPOS policy, who said that because the final payment determination had already been released, “We are limited in our review to errors that may have occurred in our calculation of payment amount. For example, additional wheelchair models with seat elevation equipment that were not brought to our attention through the public meeting process cannot now be added as part of our review of the calculation of the fee schedule amount for code E2298.”

“While we appreciate CMS’s willingness to listen to our concerns and review the follow-up information we provided, they indicated it could not be considered since it was not part of the public meeting process last year,” NCART Executive Director Wayne Grau said in the July bulletin. “In addition, we will highlight the problems using internet pricing, which does not reflect the additional significant costs to comply with Medicare requirements compared to that retail model.”