University of Pittsburgh Studies Contribute to Crucial CMS Decision to Fund Seat Elevation Devices in Power Wheelchairs
June 7, 2023
In May 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced national coverage for seat elevation devices as an accessory to power wheelchairs. Seat elevating devices allow the wheelchair user to raise and lower the seat. After significant review, CMS determined that the equipment serves a medical purpose in assisting with transfers in and out of a power wheelchair and with performing reaching activities.
A substantial contributing factor to this decision, one that will positively impact many wheelchair users’ lives, was the research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, which was a collaborative effort amongst the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Human Engineering Research Laboratories, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and UPMC Center for Assistive Technology.
While the team published ample research over the last several years, one notable study evaluated outcomes of people using seat elevating devices: “Functional mobility, employment and safety benefits of seat elevating devices” published in Assistive Technology, the official journal of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA).
The study aimed to evaluate the impact of seat elevating devices on functional outcomes in a sample of 1,733 power wheelchair users.
Results showed that use of a seat elevating device on a power wheelchair is associated with higher satisfaction with function mobility, reach, and transfer scores, higher employment rates, and lower rates of self-reported falls than use of a power wheelchair without a seat elevating device. This was true even when controlling for potential confounders such as type of power wheelchair and diagnosis.
The team concluded that the functional, vocational, and safety benefits of seat elevating devices should be considered when determining coverage for them, which could improve the overall health and well-being of wheelchair users.
The research was included in the CMS decision memo, ultimately leading to a decision of significant positive change in policy for those who will benefit from a seat elevating device on their power wheelchair.
Read the CMS decision memo.
Read the research article.
