Mobius Mobility increases access to iBOT 

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Mobius Mobility now has coveted Medicare coverage for its iBOT, the “last mile” of the company’s go-to-market strategy for the multi-mode power wheelchair, says Lucas Merrow. 

The process of obtaining Medicare coverage included, among other things, getting the iBOT tested by a Medicare-approved lab and, because Mobius Mobility, itself, is billing the agency for the device, getting accredited (the company chose the Accreditation Commission for Health Care).  

“We’re not wedded to any business model,” said Merrow, CEO. “We’ve asked ourselves: What’s going to work for us, but even more, what’s going to do right by people with disabilities? How can we give them a product that’s as affordable as possible and can be serviced promptly, minimizing any issues they might have?” 

Mobius Mobility works with a user’s physician and therapist or assistive technology professional (ATP) for a prescription and evaluation and involves its own ATP virtually in the process. It then requires users to attend two days of training at its office here or two other approved locations in Ohio and California. 

Because Mobius Mobility has been primarily providing the iBOT through self-pay and other funding sources, coverage under Medicare has required the company to hire someone to oversee compliance, buy a new software program and build out billing and customer experience teams.  

“We also now have four therapists who fly across the country for demos and training,” he said. 

The response to the new coverage has been “awesome,” with Mobius Mobility’s inbound sales team “busy 10 hours a day,” Merrow says, but the question everyone has is, how much will Medicare reimburse for a device like the iBOT, which can climb five-inch obstacles like curbs and traverse slopes up to 12 degrees in four-wheel mode. 

“It’s a hard question to answer,” he said. “With any complex rehab chair, they’re not going to cover certain things, but we can configure the device in a way that, if they want to pay out of pocket for those features, it’s basically a software setting.” 

In addition to self-pay, Mobius Mobility has long-standing relationships with nonprofits and other organizations that can pitch in on reimbursement, as well as arrangements with two credit unions for iBOT-specific financing programs. 

“We’ve pulled out all the stops to make it more affordable,” Merrow said.