The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated its policy article for power mobility devices (PMDs) — and the latest article contains updates to power-assist definitions and descriptions. The effective revision date for the changes is Oct. 1, 2025. A power-assist system, HCPCS coded E0986, is described as “An electrically powered option that…
CMS PMD Policy Article Revisions Include Power-Assist Changes
Medicare Changes to 5-Year PMD Prior Authorization Rule: Inside the Clinician Task Force Response to CMS
CTF Executive Director Tamara Kittelson said clinical assessments directly impact wheelchair provision outcomes.
Are you exactly the same person today — physically, cognitively, task wise — as you were five years ago? That’s the basic and critical question behind the Clinician Task Force’s (CTF) recent letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) concerning CMS’s recent change to the Medicare five-year replacement rule for prior authorization…
Commentary: What Schoolhouse Rock’s ‘Bill’ Would Want You to Know About Policy
Bills S. 247 and H.R. 1703 to upgrade ultralightweight wheelchair frames are currently in the Senate and House.
I grew up watching Schoolhouse Rock! between Saturday-morning cartoons. While those short videos on grammar, math and American history were great for my education — the preamble song is why my entire civics class scored 100% on that quiz — one video had an outsized impact on my understanding of the legislative process. “I’m Just…
VGM Announces New VP of Government Relations
The new executive served previously in the orthotics and prosthetics industry.
VGM & Associates has appointed Adam Miller to be its new vice president of government affairs. In a Sept. 4 news announcement, VGM noted that Miller previously served as president of VGM’s Orthotic and Prosthetic Group of America. In his new role, Miller “will spearhead strategic engagement with VGM communities, aligning policy and practice with…
University of Pittsburgh Survey to Identify Attributes of New CRT Coverage Policy
The questionnaire seeks input from a wide range of stakeholders.
An ongoing survey from the University of Pittsburgh and other investigators is asking for stakeholder opinions on the attributes of a new coverage policy for Complex Rehab Technology (CRT). Project investigators — led by co-investigators Mark Schmeler, Ph.D., OTR/L, and Brad Dicianno, M.D. —are seeking “broad feedback” from everyone involved in or impacted by CRT…
