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How many requests a month would you estimate your physicians are getting for wheelchair or scooter prescriptions?
Counting the duplicate requests that we have already denied, at least 10. We are going to start faxing back form letters to the DME requestors telling them that the patient needs to contact the doctor's office directly for a written prescription. The unsolicited forms are then going into a shred bin. We also have to process home health certifications/recertifications, physical therapy requests, diabetic supply forms, diabetic shoe requests, incontinence supplies requests, and various other DME requests. All of these requests require pulling the charts for physician review. There really is no spare time when the doctors can review these requests. One of my doctors wanted to have a staff member come in on Saturdays, when we are closed, to help him with the paperwork. I had to explain to him that we cannot continue to increase our overhead. We often don't leave the office until after 8pm when two of my busiest physicians are in the office the full day. In addition to seeing patients in the office, my physicians round at area hospitals and dialysis facilities.
What bothers me the most out of all of this is that ONLY people covered under Medicare (Part B) can recieve these types of benefits. Someone who is severely disabled, and really needs these sorts of devices, but who doesn't qualify for Medicare (Part B), can't get them no matter what, unless they have the finances to pay completely out-of-pocket. It's not right, and it's one of the first things that I wish Obamacare had addressed.
By the way, I would imagine that many of the folks you see using a scooter are probably renting it.
It is important to remember that motorized wheelchairs and scooters are only medically appropriate if the patient requires them to assist with activities of daily living in the home. Medicare doesn't pay for them to be used to go the Grand Canyon.
Counting the duplicate requests that we have already denied, at least 10. We are going to start faxing back form letters to the DME requestors telling them that the patient needs to contact the doctor's office directly for a written prescription. The unsolicited forms are then going into a shred bin. We also have to process home health certifications/recertifications, physical therapy requests, diabetic supply forms, diabetic shoe requests, incontinence supplies requests, and various other DME requests. All of these requests require pulling the charts for physician review. There really is no spare time when the doctors can review these requests. One of my doctors wanted to have a staff member come in on Saturdays, when we are closed, to help him with the paperwork. I had to explain to him that we cannot continue to increase our overhead. We often don't leave the office until after 8pm when two of my busiest physicians are in the office the full day. In addition to seeing patients in the office, my physicians round at area hospitals and dialysis facilities.
Maybe what the system needs is a way for the doctors to charge a small fee to the patient for processing forms for this kind of stuff. With the population aging it's just going to get worse before it gets better. Renewals on diabetic and incontinence supplies, prescriptions, repairs on wheelchairs, etc., etc. are a fact of life and they all require a physician to sign off. You can't possibility bring a person into the office for an appointment with each of these kinds of forms necessary for insurance or Medicare, etc. because that would just clog up their schedules unnecessarily. I, frankly, thought most of this routine stuff fell into the domain of the nursing staff.
The requests we get for motorized scooters and wheelchairs never come through the home health agencies. We get them faxed and mailed directly from the DME suppliers. One of the most amusing requests we received was for a motorized wheelchair for a patient with severe dementia. One of the requirements to receive the equipment is that the patient be able to safely operate the equipment.
Are the ppl that are requesting these "straight Medicare" or "Medicare replacement"? when I worked for a Medicare HMO in the 90s, it was very difficult to get these scooters approved through the HMO. They had to have notes from both their primary and their specialist, as I recall. Maybe Medicare needs to restrict approval of these in the same manner.
Maybe what the system needs is a way for the doctors to charge a small fee to the patient for processing forms for this kind of stuff. With the population aging it's just going to get worse before it gets better. Renewals on diabetic and incontinence supplies, prescriptions, repairs on wheelchairs, etc., etc. are a fact of life and they all require a physician to sign off. You can't possibility bring a person into the office for an appointment with each of these kinds of forms necessary for insurance or Medicare, etc. because that would just clog up their schedules unnecessarily. I, frankly, thought most of this routine stuff fell into the domain of the nursing staff.
The doctor has to sign these forms. It his/her license on the line when they sign the attestation. Any doctor who delegates that to nursing staff and blindly signs is a fool.
Are the ppl that are requesting these "straight Medicare" or "Medicare replacement"? when I worked for a Medicare HMO in the 90s, it was very difficult to get these scooters approved through the HMO. They had to have notes from both their primary and their specialist, as I recall. Maybe Medicare needs to restrict approval of these in the same manner.
The majority are traditional Medicare recipients. We have been able to have a power chair approved for a patient with a Medicare replacement plan. It wasn't easy but they did approve the power chair. He truly needed it.
to thepatient? I work in a medical office. We are being inudated with "mobility assessment" forms that the doctors are being asked to complete for the patient to receive a scooter or motorized wheelchair. It seems to me that these companies are soliciting patients. Shouldn't a doctor actually have to write an order for the scooter or motorized wheelchair before sending the Durable Medical Equipment forms to the doctors' office? It would save the government millions of dollars if these companies were not able to market directly to patients.
No they should not and the scooters should be limited to those who really cannot walk.
Most of the people I see in them *should* be walking, most of the time it's 300 plus pounders you see riding around in these carts.
No they should not and the scooters should be limited to those who really cannot walk.
Most of the people I see in them *should* be walking, most of the time it's 300 plus pounders you see riding around in these carts.
And I'll bet the vast majority of the people with scooters have paid for them out of their own pockets. It's very hard to qualify for a scooter.
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