Representatives urge CMS to cover standing systems
By HME News Staff
Updated 10:52 AM CDT, Thu October 10, 2024
WASHINGTON – Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., have sent a letter signed by 22 representatives to CMS urging the agency to open a national coverage analysis for standing systems in power wheelchairs, the ITEM Coalition announced on Oct. 8. The ITEM Coalition made the request for reconsideration of the national coverage determination for mobility assistive equipment to include coverage of standing systems more than four years ago. “The ITEM Coalition remains seriously concerned that Medicare beneficiaries are not able to access devices that allow them to stand when power wheelchairs are their only means of mobility,” the organization stated. “The clinical literature clearly demonstrates the medical and functional benefits of standing, especially for individuals who use power wheelchairs. CMS’s consideration of the evidence base for coverage of power standing systems is now long overdue.” Members of Congress who signed on in support of the Dingell/Fitzpatrick letter include U.S. Representatives Nanette Barragán; Julia Brownley; Sean Casten; Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick; Steve Cohen; Donald Davis; Suzan DelBene; Mark DeSaulnier; Dwight Evans; Maxwell Frost; Dan Goldman; Raul Grijalva; Hank Johnson; Daniel Meuser; Eleanor Norton; Mark Pocan; Eric Swalwell; Glenn Thompson; Dina Titus; and Nikema Williams.
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