Page 17 - Mobility Management, June 2019
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good in, you have a better day. To be able to customize those chairs so you like your chair and you like how you look in your chair will make you want to get out and do more. It makes a difference in how you feel about yourself.”
Roesler would like to see more conversations with consumers about aesthetic options: “I think it is important to understand that not all options may be covered by normal funding. We need be more open to having the discussion about cost and price,
and make the consumer part of the decision-making process.
We often make financial assumptions about a user’s ability to pay for upgraded features (better tires, wheels, casters, etc.), and hence limit their access to choices. Not all funding sources are need based. Many clients on Medicare may have the finances and desire to upgrade, and most have the option to pay cash (or not use the insurance benefit).
“For some reason, the idea of asking a client to share in the cost of a product that will impact every aspect of their lives brings fear to the minds of many clinicians and suppliers.
But with continued declines in funding, we do our clients a disservice if we do not present the options that can maximize their function and performance. We should not be scared of the conversation; I have found that many users welcome it and appreciate knowing what is available.”
Just the Right Fit, Today & Tomorrow
The beauty of the ultralightweight wheelchair is how well it can adapt to its user from the start, and going forward.
“Our bodies change over the years,” Rosen said. “I think people forget that people who use chairs age as well. Their bodies change, some of their morphology changes, and we need to adjust chairs to that. That’s the nice thing about a K0005: I can dial in and change [specifications] so I’m sure I get it exactly right for you. Even the best chair on the market is bad if it doesn’t fit you right and do what you need. I will never force somebody to change [their chair], but I always talk to them about how as we age, our needs change. You’re older, your body has changed.”
The K0005 is uniquely positioned to fit the human condition, whatever that means for any given client. It could be a C6 spinal cord injury client who needs a very carefully balanced chair: “You can’t necessarily put that axle as far forward as you want, because the chair’s too tippy for a quadriplegic,” Rosen said. “A lot of higher-level injuries need the wheels a little further back for some stability. I have to play with the axle position for every single person who comes into my office.”
Or it could just be someone looking to get through the day a little more smoothly. “We all know those days where we’re just getting through,” Rosen said. “If you set somebody up in a bad wheelchair, every day they’re just getting through. To me, our job as therapists and suppliers providing this equipment is making sure that our equipment makes these individuals see less and less of the limitations, and dream and want to be able to do anything. My kids [in clinic] hop in their chairs and go, and don’t even think twice about the fact that they’re in a wheelchair. It’s no big deal to them, because the wheelchair is so empowering.” m
Adjustable rear axle position Lifetime warranty on side frames and cross braces
“In the beginning,” Stanley said, “the K0005 was defined as including seat widths and depths 14", 16", and 18"; 12" and 20" were billable on K0005 classified wheelchairs.
“Today, however, if a wheelchair is less than 15" in width or depth, it is classified as a pediatric wheelchair, even though it is being provided to an adult.”
The K0001 through K0004 codes are defined as follows:
Standard wheelchair (K0001)
Weight: Greater than 36 lbs. Seat Height: 19" or greater Weight capacity: 250 lbs. or less
Standard hemi (low Seat) wheelchair (K0002)
Weight: Greater than 36 lbs. Seat Height: Less than 19 inches Weight capacity: 250 lbs. or less
lightweight wheelchair (K0003)
Weight: 34-36 lbs.
Weight capacity: 250 lbs. or less
high-Strength, lightweight wheelchair (K0004)
Weight: Less than 34 lbs.
Lifetime Warranty on side frames and cross braces
The “weight” in these descriptors is the weight of the wheelchair itself without the front rigging (but with all other components included) as in the case of the K0001, K0002, K0003, K0004, and K0005, Stanley said.
Evolving UndErstanding of Ultralights
“As you see, the code differences are primarily based on the weight of the wheelchair,” she explained.
“Current research indicates that [for] performance and function of manual wheelchairs, especially for a person with a disability who is a full-time user, the wheelchair configuration is critical,”
Stanley said. “The technological differ- ences between K0005 and all other manual wheelchairs — other than those that offer tilt-in-space — vary signifi- cantly. The code requirements only establish the minimum requirements. The actual capabilities, features and options available on K0005 wheelchairs vary greatly. Unfortunately, reimbursement often limits the models that are available under third-party reimbursement.”
Stanley added that while once upon a time, K0004 products offered some higher-level functions, that’s rarely the case now.
“Prior to [Medicare] competitive bidding, it wasn’t uncommon to find K0004-coded wheelchairs that offered additional features and limited adjust- ability,” she said. “Today, few K0004 models remain on the market that offer additional features, and none would be available based on the current third-party reimbursement.” m
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