This year’s Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) Awareness Week — Sept. 14-18 — will focus on building support for S. 247, the Choices for Increased Mobility Act currently in the U.S. Senate. The bill, introduced in January by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), is a companion to House bill H.R. 1703, which passed…
Upcoming CRT Awareness Week to Promote Value of CRT
House Passes Ultralightweight Frame Upgrade Bill; Focus Moves to Senate
The Choices for Increased Mobility Act passed the U.S. House by voice vote on July 20.
Now that H.R. 1703, the Choices for Increased Mobility Act, has passed the U.S. House of Representatives, the Complex Rehab Technology industry’s focus shifts to the Senate, which has its own version of the bill (S. 247). The bills, which are both budget neutral, expand access to titanium and carbon fiber ultralightweight wheelchair frames by…
DMEPOS Suppliers Lead Medicare in Improper Payment Errors: MedPAC
The error rate for DMEPOS suppliers reached 24.2%, nearly four times the overall Medicare fee-for-service improper payment rate.
Providers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) posted the highest improper payment rate among all Medicare provider types in fiscal 2025, with documentation failures driving the majority of errors that cost the federal program billions of dollars. The error rate for DMEPOS suppliers reached 24.2%, which was nearly four times the overall…
Mobility Management Webinar: Optimizing Reimbursement with Clinical, Intake Best Practices
The presentation, sponsored by ACU-Serve, is free to attend.
Yes, wheels make the wheelchair go round in Complex Rehab Technology — but getting those wheels rolling requires proper reimbursement. And that reimbursement hinges on providing the right documentation in an efficient and accurate way. Our May 19 webinar — Clinical and Intake Best Practices: Optimizing Reimbursement, sponsored by ACU-Serve, will discuss the best ways…
Congressional Subcommittee to Discuss Ultralightweight Upgrade Bill on Jan. 8
The House Energy & Commerce’s subcommittee will also discuss bills related to durable medical equipment funding.
The House Energy & Commerce’s subcommittee on health will be discussing H.R. 1703, the titanium/carbon fiber ultralightweight upgrade bill, among other bills during a Jan. 8 hearing. The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) called for constituents of health subcommittee members to reach out to their representatives’ health care staffers by Wednesday, Jan. 7, “and ask…
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…
CMS Releases 2026 Medicare Fee Schedule Changes
Competitive bidding rounds impact the actual increases for product categories.
The new Medicare fee schedule for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) has been released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The fee schedule is effective Jan. 1, 2026. CMS announced the Consumer Price Index Urban (CPI-U) percentage increase as 2.7%. But in a Dec. 22 bulletin, the American Association…
United Spinal Reacts to Proposed Medicaid Cuts, Urges Stakeholders to Act
The Congressional Budget Office said the so-called “one big, beautiful bill” would cut $715 billion from Medicaid over the next 10 years.
United Spinal Association is urging stakeholders to act swiftly to prevent sweeping Medicaid cuts that are part of the Trump administration’s so-called “one big, beautiful bill” that advanced out of the budget committee on Sunday night, May 18, according to a report from PBS. The association said in a May 16 bulletin that the bill…
United Spinal Launches Effort to Restore SCIRP Funding in 2026
The Spinal Cord Injury Research Program at the Department of Defense was eliminated in March.
United Spinal Association is urging stakeholders to join the fight to restore funding for the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) in 2026. “On March 15, the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program at the Department of Defense was eliminated,” United Spinal said in a May 1 bulletin. “There was no notice.…
United Spinal Launches Advocacy Impact Fund to Protect Disability Rights
Association references recent threats, including possible Medicaid cuts and airlines’ lawsuit.
United Spinal Association has created an Advocacy Impact Fund in response to multiple new threats to disability rights and programs that support people with disabilities. “United Spinal is fighting to protect decades of progress toward accessibility and disability inclusion that are under threat by cuts to Medicaid, attacks on accessible air travel, and efforts to…