NSM March 2021 Monthly Minute

National Seating & Mobility Monthly Minute

One year ago today I was flying home from New York City after a few days of business meetings when the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that COVID-19 was officially a pandemic.

The very next day, we had our first “COVID-19 Taskforce” meeting at National Seating & Mobility. The world changed and our business change

Thus began for me and likely for all of us, one of the most challenging periods in our personal and professional lives.
As I think back on this last year, I'm filled with gratitude for the amazing group of clinicians we get to partner with day in and day out. We would not have been able to fulfill our mission without you over this last year

As clinics began closing, you worked alongside our team helping find safe and compliant ways to continue evaluating clients, so their mobility needs were met. I'm grateful for your perseverance and creativity. Because of it, over 100,000 people were able to continue moving and live a life of independence

This last year has taught us countless life lessons. It has also taught us about our own resilience, strength and courage. When pushed into a challenging situation, we have proven together that we can overcome and prosper

Thank you all for your efforts and partnership this past year. We remain committed to Serving Safely and being the best partner we can be to you and your patients.

Together, Let’s Get Moving.

CMS has published a revised January 2021 DMEPOS Fee Schedule that adjusts 919 HCPCS codes.
The agency aid the revision was necessary due to errors it found in its previous release.

Claims submitted before Jan. 26 with dates of service on or after Jan. 1 might have been processed and paid using the incorrect fee schedule amounts, according to CMS.

DMEPOS suppliers that submitted claims prior to Jan. 26 that were paid at the incorrect amount can provide their PTAN to the DME MAC and request the DME MAC reprocess the claims.

Mostly ‘Minor’ Corrections

CMS reports most of the fee schedule corrections were minor, resulting in the application of a missing update factor and an increase in the 2021 fee schedule amount of less than 1 percent. However, in roughly 8 percent of the cases, the corrections were significant, according to CMS

That said, CMS said it found multiple calculation errors, and the corrections to them range from a 2021 fee schedule amount decrease of 30 percent to a 2021 fee schedule amount increase of 57 percent

Most of the significant fee schedule corrections were for claims that included a KE modifier, with the greatest fee schedule amount increases in the non-contiguous areas of the country.

Industry Analysis

The American Association for Homecare reviewed the adjusted schedule stating it found “on average non-rural areas will be receiving 0.9 percent more and rural areas will receive 0.5 percent more than the original published 2021 fee schedule.”

This seems to indicate that CMS recognized AAHomecare’s previous analysis of the first 2021 fee schedule, which found that the rates in rural and non-rural areas on average were slightly lower than the 2020 rates

“AAHomecare was able to communicate our concerns to CMS directly, and we are pleased CMS reviewed this input and adjusted the rates as appropriate,” AAHomecare noted in a public statement.

In the February edition of the Monthly Minute, we shared the exciting news of our partnership with LUCI to distribute the first-of-its-kind smart technology platform giving power wheelchair users unparalleled stability, security and connectivity.
LUCI is a hardware/software platform that fits onto an existing power wheelchair and utilizes a patented sensor-fusion safety system combining data from cameras, ultrasonics and radar into a single, 360- degree view of the world. The technology works with a chair user’s steering inputs and reaction times to create a customized, safer driving experience, providing collision avoidance, drop-off protection and anti-tipping alerts. LUCI also provides cloud-based communication and alerts via a MyLuci portal, available to users in the Apple and Google Play app stores. The portal allows riders to view their data and share select information such as location and low battery notifications with trusted family, friends and caregivers. Click the links below to learn more about this groundbreaking technology.

Contact your local NSM branch or representative to learn more about this product.

Native New Yorker Calvan Ferguson grew up the oldest of six children. At the age of three, his mother and father became concerned when he had not yet started walking. After a visit to a renowned pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alfred Grant, MD, Calvan was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

Shortly afterward, Calvan visited the Bronx branch of National Seating & Mobility, formerly RehabCo, to be fitted for a wheelchair for the first time.

“If you think about how long I’ve been visiting them, they really are like family,” Calvan said, reflecting on his relationship with the branch.

Although Calvan appreciated his relationships with his family and friends, his doctor and his branch, he longed for a different kind of relationship: a girlfriend.

“I remember being in grade school and saying it’s really hard to get a girlfriend when you have a disability,” said Calvan. “I gave up. I told my mom I didn’t think there would be anyone out there that would love me. It was a low time for me, but I grew up in a religious family. I told God I was tired of chasing girls, and I asked Him to send someone who will chase me instead. Then he sent someone I couldn’t get rid of.”

Calvan’s favorite doctor, Dr. Grant, proved not only to be a brilliant advocate for his CP patients, but also an expert matchmaker!

“Calvan and I met in July of 2002 while recovering at the Rusk Institute at NYU from different procedures,” said Jasmine Ferguson, Calvan’s wife. “We weren’t friends right away; I didn’t care for him at first.”

Jasmine, who was also diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at the age of three, was discharged from rehab before Calvan. He feared that meant he’d never see her again.

“I was doing rehab again in 2005, and she came back to the institute to visit the staff,” said Calvan. “When she found out I was there, she started stalking me,” he jokingly added.The two had their first date right there in the Rusk Institute.
“We spent a lot of time together while he was recovering, and I became quite fond of him,” said Jasmine.
Since then, the pair has welcomed two children into their family. They were married in 2017.

“She was able to visit someone with no money and no clothes. I was just in a hospital gown,” said Calvan. “If anyone would stay with me through thick and thin it was her. When we got married, I knew I was getting a sweet deal. She has my back and is on my team 100% of the time.”

The Fergusons enjoy seeing movies, going out to eat, attending church together and visiting with their large extended family. They attribute the ability to maintain their busy schedule to the employees of NSM’s Bronx branch, where they are now both clients.

“We are very busy people,” said Calvan. “It’s not like you go to therapy or school then head back home. You do this, then that, then whatever else your chair can do. You need people who will be there, who will care about you and who will give you the respect you deserve. Anything I’m able to do, I owe to NSM.”

A pivotal moment in Calvan’s life happened after family time with Jasmine and their oldest son, Jobe. While returning to his home in Manhattan, Calvan was hit in an intersection by an SUV with the headlights turned off. Miraculously, he remained unscathed.

“That chair was so sturdy, so well put together, the frame of the chair was bent but nothing happened to me,” said Calvan. “I don’t know many people who get hit by an SUV and have no injury to show for it.

Calvan recalls his phone call to the NSM branch following his accident.

“I called the branch the next day and told them what happened. They never gave me the talk about how this should’ve should have been avoided, or you shouldn’t have been alone, they just asked what’s wrong with the chair and asked how they can help,” said Calvan

Both Calvan and Jasmine are grateful for the care, humanity and respect they are shown during branch visits

“Regardless of whatever this life can put you through, especially with a disability that requires equipment, you have to have a place to go that will help you reach your next goal,” said Calvan. “For me, the NSM Bronx branch is that place.

We’re proud to help Calvan and Jasmine stay on the move. The pair celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary in July of 2019 and hope to soon take their two children on the same Bahamian cruise on which they celebrated their honeymoon

Click here to read more inspiring NSM client stories.

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