Purchase option elimination: Pride offers providers 'one-stop solution'

EXETER, Pa. - Pride Mobility Products unveiled a new leasing division in late January and a bunch of other offerings designed to help providers adjust to the elimination of the first-month purchase option for standard power wheelchairs.

"Our standard power business is very important to us, and we want to make sure that we have the one-stop solution--the product piece, the service piece and the financing piece," said Kirsten DeLay, executive vice president of sales marketing and operational planning. "Those are the pieces a provider needs to be able to properly service beneficiaries even though we've had this drastic change in reimbursement."

Here's a rundown of Pride's new offering.

Product

The new Rental Ready Jazzy Select Elite power wheelchair comes with a slew of features designed for the rental market. Its black tires and black seat show less dirt and scuff markets than do typical gray seats. Similarly, the red color-through plastic shroud makes nicks and scratches less visible. For extra protection, the Basic Jazzy Armor Package includes a cell phone-like case for the controller and other features that protect the chair's most expensive components. Pride's new rental refurbishment kits come in three versions (limited wear, moderate wear and heavy wear) and help providers clean up the Jazzy Select and get it back in the field "for a lot less money than a new chair," DeLay said.

Financing

To help providers transition to a rental market, Pride has created a new leasing division, Galaxy Mobility Financial Services. Galaxy requires providers to fill out a one-page application and offers leases with competitive interest rates for Pride product only, DeLay said.

"Providers are having a lot of challenges getting additional lines of credit, and people need additional funding to get through the first-month purchase option elimination," she said. "We are able to offer that in an easy and acceptable way."

Services

Pride's new suite of service contracts includes a 13-month labor contact for $150 per chair. This covers repairs on warranty items that fail during normal use.