Ensuring Safety in Using Power WheelchairsWritten by Kay Zetkin
Have you just been a victim of serious motor impairment and find that you will be wheelchair-bound for rest of your life? Fear not coming days of your life since you can still lead an active life with a little help from right choice of wheelchair. Of course, that would still depend on recommendations and advice of health care professional monitoring your condition. The wheelchair for you will depend on what condition you are in and extent of activities that you are limited to. Getting a power wheelchair over a manual one might be a turning point decision in overcoming your condition. However, there is several safety issues that you need to know before moving around in your power wheelchair. Remember “knowledge is power”, and as a power wheelchair user, it helps to know and understand various safety issues of your apparatus to enjoy more varied uses of your power wheelchair. First off, here are common types and configurations of power wheelchairs that are grouped depending on their uses, size and features: 1.Folding, light-weight models 2.Light-weight, “power-assisted” models 3.Combination “Indoor-Outdoor” models 4.Outdoor models 5.Indoor Stair-Climbing models There are basic dangers in using stair – climbing wheelchair models is that if it falls down a flight of stairs, serious injury or death to user is likely. As such, before choosing use of a stair-climbing power wheelchair, a lot of different variables need to be considered, most depend on users ability to control mechanism. Generally, in order to prevent and survive accidents on power wheelchair use, users’ age and health factors must be significantly considered and wheelchair control methods.
| | Power Wheelchair CriticizedWritten by Kay Zetkin
On February 5, 2005, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a draft on criteria for power wheelchairs and scooters coverage. These criteria will rely on clinical guidance for determining need. The new analysis begins with an assessment if beneficiary has a mobility limitation preventing him/her from performing one or more mobility-related activities, like household chores at home. This evaluation also considers if use of assistive device – whether a simple cane or a sophisticated power wheelchair or anything in between would improve beneficiary’s ability to function within home. Taking into account visual or mental impairment, criteria further evaluates what would affect beneficiary’s ability to use mobility equipment (power wheelchair) effectively. According to CMS Chief Medical Officer Sean Tunis, M.D., draft of coverage criteria was intended to provide a clear and consistent guidance to Medicare contractors and clinician. This guide will ensure that beneficiaries receive type of mobility device that will provide clinical benefits. Tunis was one who spearheaded agency’s move to a more functional assessment of mobility needs. CMS also released new codes to ensure proper payment. These plans were outlined in Modern Mobility Initiative announced last April. They are also launching new billing codes for power wheelchairs and scooters to ensure that Medicare pays appropriately for these devices. The final NCD is planned to be published in March to provide guidance on how to use and document new criteria. However, these efforts of CMS were criticized by Medicare Rights Center, saying that new wheelchair coverage policy does not provide mobility and independence for disabled and impaired people. The new approach of Medicare’s proposed coverage criteria would replace an older, more rigid standard that relied on whether a patient was “non-ambulatory” or “bed or chair confined”. The new proposed criteria would rely on clinical guidance for evaluating whether a beneficiary needs a device to assist for mobility, and if so, what type of device is needed.
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