What a time to be working in Complex Rehab Technology (CRT)! Or in my case, what a time to be covering it! In about the last month, the CRT industry was told of two policy changes that could significantly change seating and wheeled mobility for the better, if the execution is solid. (That’s a big…
Commentary: Did Policy Changes Just Ease CRT’s Roll?
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…
2026 Proposed Rule: CMS Recommends Annual DMEPOS Accreditation, Prior Authorization Changes
The changes were listed in the proposed rule for the calendar year 2026 home health prospective payment system.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) wants Medicare durable medical equipment (DME) providers to be re-accredited annually, and also wants to change the prior authorization process for suppliers billing Medicare. The proposed changes were listed in the Calendar Year 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule Fact Sheet, CMS-1828-P, released June 30.…
Insurers Pledge to Streamline Prior Authorization, Ease Provider Burden: What CRT Should Know
AHIP says it is committed to improving the prior authorization process across commercial insurance.
The practices of the nation’s commercial insurance giants – tactics that have included stringent prior-authorization requirements – have increasingly come under scrutiny. In turn, members of Congress and federal health care regulators have called for drastic reform. Those calls for action are now starting to see progress, which could mean a more streamlined reimbursement landscape…
Carelon Takeover of Medicaid Authorization for Maryland, Missouri, Wisconsin Now on Hold
Carelon was due to start handling prior authorization requests on July 1.
The July 1 transition that would have transferred prior authorization requests to Carelon Medical Benefits Management for Medicaid programs in Maryland, Missouri, and Wisconsin has been put on hold. In a June 28 bulletin, the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) said the transition “has been postponed until further notice. Suppliers in Maryland, Missouri, and Wisconsin…
Connecticut House Passes CRT Wheelchair Repair Bill
The bill headed to Gov. Ned Lamont provides a schedule for timely repairs, while discussing prior authorizations.
Connecticut’s House of Representatives has passed a bill that sets timelines for the repair of Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) wheelchairs. The May 7 passage of the House bill follows the Connecticut Senate’s passage of its own bill on May 2. Senate Bill 308 (SB 308), which is the one that will head to the desk…