Drive Controls

Exploring The PushTracker E2 with Aaron Baker

Four years ago my friend let me demo her SmartDrive & PushTracker, and within 10 minutes of using it, I knew it would change my life. Fast forward to today, and I have explored over 40 cities in the United States, discovered 3 countries, and traveled independently for business all because of the original Smart Drive and Pushtracker.
That is why when I discovered the new Pushtracker E2 I was a bit skeptical of changing a good thing. To be honest I am partial to the original MX2+ Pushtracker because it has literally changed my life. My thought was, if it’s not broken, why fix it?

Clinical Benefits & Funding Issues of Titanium Upgrade to Manual Wheelchairs

Funding for titanium upgrades to manual wheelchairs has become increasingly difficult over the last several of years. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports when they created the K0005 (ultralightweight manual wheelchair) code back in the early 1990’s they took the added expense for special materials, such as titanium or carbon fiber, into consideration when they developed the initial K0005 allowable. Based on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) inquiries we do not believe this to be the case which is why we continue to pursue policy changes through CMS and Congress. Providing titanium upgrades wasn’t an issue until this 20+ year old information surfaced for the first time a few years back. Over time the reimbursement rates have been adjusted according to the annual Consumer Pricing Index (CPI) updates but that isn’t enough to cover the added cost of titanium.

Justifying a Power Assist Device

For more information about power assist devices check out our 4-part series here:Part 1,Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

Anytime there is a need for complex rehab technology, it’s important to understand the criteria for reimbursement and how to justify it appropriately. We looked recently at the coverage criteria for power assist devices and this week we will look in more detail at the justification piece. This is important because once you’ve identified that a client meets the criteria for the device, you need to know how to document to get it covered.