CR T UP DAT E
CRT UPDATE
Written by: DON CLAYBACK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NCART
CONGRESSIONAL SIGN-ON LETTER The month of August and through mid-September was focused on getting Members in the House of Representatives to add their signature to a Congressional letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) manual wheelchair accessories. The bipartisan letter was led by CRT champions U.S. Reps. John Larson, D, CT, and Lee Zeldin, R, N.Y., the authors of last year’s related legislation. The letter urges CMS Administrator Seema Verma to “make permanent” the temporary policy change that was included in 2019 year-end legislation to protect accessories (more appropriately referred to as critical components) of CRT manual wheelchairs from Medicare's Competitive Bid pricing. Just as it previously did for CRT power wheelchairs. Cars I Have
Loved Sydne y on Wheel s Disabl ed Detect ives
Second Chan Rehab ce
s Tank Chair
els nd whe
life beyo
life beyon
ympic Pride al Paral r Festiv Clearwate
d whee
ls
e Adaptiv ing Video Gamion Revolut Be Today? Who Will
new
mob
ility.c
It’s FREE to join, and member benefits include New Mobility! newm
You
obilit
y.com
APR 2015
om
MAY
2014
$4
WE ARE
UNITED Share the Journey.
$4
CRT power wheelchair accessories were protected from Competitive Bid Pricing through a CMS policy change in 2017. However, that change did not include accessories used with CRT manual wheelchairs. Accordingly, Congress passed legislation to address this on a temporary basis through June 30, 2021, but CMS must now take policy action to provide permanent equal access to users of either type of CRT wheelchair. Once the letter is sent, we will be following up with CMS and engaging other Congressional supporters to encourage making the needed policy change this year.
NATIONAL CRT AWARENESS WEEK This year’s National CRT Awareness Week was a big success. The annual event is designed to create opportunities for suppliers, manufacturers, clinicians and consumers to collectively share and promote a better understanding of CRT. That understanding includes the people who use it, how it’s prescribed and provided, and why access is so important. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who participated August 10-14. We doubled our numbers from 2019 with over 65 organizations and thousands of individuals participating by sharing stories, writing articles, posting videos, holding webinars and broadcasting podcasts. It was great to see everyone come together to share the CRT message. Increasing CRT awareness is a really a year-round mission, but it was motivating to see everyone come together for a nationwide push over one week. We will build on this as we move ahead.
JOIN US United Spinal Association knows that disability is a shared experience that affects you, your family, friends and communities. Fortunately, we are stronger together, and United Spinal brings decades of expertise to help: information, peer mentoring, advocacy and much more. Become a member today and Share the Journey.
800.404.2898 • unitedspinal.org
26
DIRECTIONS 2020.5
CRT REMOTE SERVICES CONSORTIUM During the COVID-19 pandemic, temporary policy changes have been implemented to ensure continued critical access to CRT, while protecting the health and well-being of the people who depend on it. The expansion of the use of
