I have processed several orders recently where the insurance company calls me, after I have submitted the prior authorization request for a custom wheelchair, to inform me that the client has been provided a standard manual wheelchair from another company.
The diagnosis is paraplegia, cerebral palsy, MS, or another long-term diagnosis that warrants a custom wheelchair.
I am passionate about how unethical this practice is (these other companies providing wheelchairs that are insufficient)! These clients are now STUCK with the wrong wheelchair for 5 years! This could have severely negative effects on the client!
My solution: Educate! Educate physicians who write the prescriptions. Educate them about the system, and the importance of the correct wheelchair order. Educate providers, and their employees, who are delivering standard wheelchairs to clients who desperately need the correct wheelchair. Educate insurance companies who are authorizing the incorrect wheelchair for clients with long term diagnoses.
Please share this post so that the education will spread. Thank you!
Overcoming Obstacles 